Cargo coaches

I did say in my previous post that diesel trains pull many (many) coaches. Although the train whizzed past I swear that I'd have had enough time to finish a tall cup of coffee while it passed by.

According to southafrica.co.za, 87% of freight is transported by road whereas the remainder is the small percentage transported by rail. The interesting thing is that rail transport is apparently between 30% and 50% cheaper than transport by road!

I wonder why more people don't make use of rail transport. Could it be because not enough of the country is covered by heavy-duty railway lines, or could it be because of logistical problems with freight rail?