railways africa march 2010

CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION CATALOGUE15-17 MARCH 2010 | CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE (CTICC)

RAILWAYS | HARBOURS | INTERMODAL | COMMUTER | MINING

W W W. R A I LWAYS A N D H A R B O U R S . CO M

Floorplan NOW OPEN! Call for papers.For further information, rates and booking details contact Phillippa FoxTel: +27 72 340 5621 Email: [email protected]

6 – 8 April 2011EXPO CENTRE – JOHANNESBURG

GM357 R&H 2011 - RAfrica Half pg Ad.indd 1 2010/03/05 04:17:52 PM

Ashley Peter

Jez Smith

Antonio Teixeira

Jacque Wepener

Paul Kilfoil

CONTRIBUTORSRichard Ågren

John Ashworth

Peter Bagshawe

Malcolm Bates

John Batwell

Boon Boonzaaier

Dietmar Fiedel

Grant Fryer

Richard Grönstedt

Guy Hausler

Bruno Martin

PUBLISHERPhillippa Fox

EDITOR Rollo Dickson

DESIGN & LAYOUTGrazia Muto

ADVERTISINGSue Klomp

SUBSCRIPTIONS Kim Bevan

SUBSCRIPTIONSRates for 10 issues per annum (2010)South Africa R375-50 (incl VAT)

Africa R379.50International R946 (incl. Foreign

Exchange)

Send a cheque or money order to: Railways AfricaPO Box 4794RANDBURG 2125RSA

Or send an email to [email protected]

Af f i l iated Associat ions & Societ ies

Rai lways Afr ica

Rail Link Communications ccP.O. Box 4794 Randburg 2125Tel: +27 87 940 9278 E-mail: [email protected]: railwaysafricaWebsite: www.railwaysafrica.com

ISSN 1029 - 2756The copyright on all material in this magazine is expressly reserved and vested in Rail Link Communications cc, unless otherwise stated. No material may be reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without the permission of the publishers. Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers of Rail Link Communications unless otherwise stated.

of that? Being a magazine dedicated to the railway scene, I suppose we are fortunate there is still a rail industry at all - so let’s hope there is a miracle out there somewhere.

On a more positive note, it is a great pleasure to welcome exhibitors and delegates to the 16th International Wheelset Congress and Exhibition. This exclusive technical event takes place every three years, each time at a different world venue, and this is the first year that it is has been hosted on the African continent. The complete congress catalogue has been included in this issue of Railways Africa - we did the same for the Railways & Harbours Conference and Exhibition in 2009 - and are sure you will find it useful.

The next Railways Africa happens to be all about track, so get your editorial in and - yes of course - we would never say “no” to some ad-spend (we are very reasonable you know!)

Phillippa Fox

These have been tough months for the rail industry, but I think there’s light at the end of the Hex River tunnel - and let’s hope that’s an oncoming train we see! Thankfully there are definite signs that things are turning round, though many enterprises have posted losses - some very big indeed - and the impact in terms of jobs on our already skills-strained industry is no joke.

Rather less amusing is the crisis that the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) finds itself in. Regrettably, despite lengthy conversations with and questions sent to several highly-placed communications people at the Department of Transport (DoT - to which Prasa reports), no useful response has been forthcoming in terms of a tangible rescue plan, nor any other plan for that matter.

The unbelievably critical lack of funding that CEO Lucky Montana spells out - blamed squarely on the government, National Treasury and/or DoT - is especially difficult to understand following so many often repeated promises that the backlog was going to be fixed by June 2010, that we were to see “world-class” suburban train services in South Africa’s cities, running every few minutes for 16 hours every day. The word “legacy” featured prominently in these undertakings: June 2010 was not going to be a once-off, temporary, put-things-right-for-a-month affair. South Africans were to enjoy a super-efficient transport infrastructure and service for many years to come.RAILWAYS | HARBOURS | INTERMODAL | COMMUTER | MINING

W W W. R A I LWAY S A N D H A R B O U R S . CO M

Floorplan NOW OPEN! Call for papers.For further information, rates and booking details contact Phillippa FoxTel: +27 72 340 5621 Email: [email protected]


GM357 R&H 2011 - RAfrica Half pg Ad.indd 1 2010/03/05 04:17:52 PM

Contents

Comment

CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION CATALOGUE15-17 MARCH 2010 | CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTRE (CTICC)

Transnet Rail Engineering 2

Opinion: Pete the Pundit 6

Africa Update 10

SA Rail News 18

Konkola Deep Mining Project 24

Gautrain Update 26

Mishaps & Blunders 32

Middle East Update 36

World Miscellany 39

Railway Heritage 40

End of the Line 42

Transnet Rail Engineering’s Wheel Business > Page 2

Konkola Deep Mining Project> Page 24

First Train at Moatize> Page 12

Derailment at Pietermaritzburg Station > 3

Ringrollers Heat Treatment Expands > Page 22

Gautrain construction update > Page 26

Instead, Metrorail is struggling to satisfy suppliers waiting months for their money (never mind poor commuters waiting for their trains) while Montana warns of intercity passenger services “collapsing” within two years, so alarming is the difference between income and working costs. The Metrorail refurbishing programme has been cut back - yet the age of coaches averages around 40 years, with hundreds still inoperable. In fact, he points out, refurbishing is not a cost-effective business because the present rolling stock is obsolete and badly needs to be replaced with new. (There have been no new suburban trains in twenty years).

Cannot the frequently punted PPP (Public-Private-Paticipation) concept be brought in here? Government has been patently unable to resolve the growing railway financial impasse by itself, and only it knows why so many billions are being pumped into projects like minibus-taxi recapitalisation while the trains - the backbone of any “world-class” city - are left out in the cold.

Maria Ramos did a brilliant job discarding the loss-making bits at Transnet, like Shosholoza Meyl. But sidetracking this into the DoT stable heaped yet more commitments on top of Montana’s already overburdened (and anything but lucky!) encumbrances. As for making no provision for picking up the intercity service’s financial obligations when it became part of DoT: c’mon guys - did nobody think

March 2010 RAILWAYS AFRICA 1www.railwaysafrica.com

TRANSNET RAIL ENGINEERING

A TOTAL SERVICE SOLUTIONTransnet Rail Engineering’s Wheel Business specialises in the refurbishing and assembly of all types of railway wheels for the Southern African region. The business has the capability and facilities to assemble and build up new wheels from components brought in from local and international suppliers. The Wheel Business is managed from its head office situated at Transnet Rail Engineering’s Koedoespoort depot in Pretoria. The business has seven facilities that are strategically located in the Western Cape (Salt River and Saldanha), Uitenhage, Bloemfontein, Durban, Johannesburg (Germiston) and Pretoria (Koedoespoort).

The Wheel Business dominates the African wheel market, as it is the only large wheel repair and assembly facility on the continent. The Business services the rail wheel requirements for the Transnet Freight Rail fleet (locomotives and wagons), PRASA suburban and main-line passenger coaches, The Blue Train, the Phelophepa Health train, various privately-owned rolling stock as well as the rolling stock of a number of African railway operators.

The Wheel Business is ISO 9001:2000 certified, and also complies with the standards laid down by the American Association of Railroads (AAR).

At its various centres, the Wheel Business is equipped with the latest technology, including wheel profiling portal lathes and laser beam measuring equipment. The wheels it produces are geared for the 1,067 mm rail gauge. The Business has acquired new portal lathes that have the

capability to profile 1,435 mm gauge wheel-sets to serve Gautrain wheels and other future standard gauge rail projects.

The Wheel Business has the skills and competency to refurbish old wheels and assemble new wheels. The Business has the capacity to produce about 100,000 wheel pairs annually for diesel or electric locomotives, passenger coaches and freight wagons. As Transnet Rail Engineering has a history that goes back more than 50 years, it is able to draw on a core of highly experienced staff, that have high levels of competence.

The main activities in the Wheel Business include wheel re-profiling, the machining of axles, centres and tyres and the fitting of wheel bearings, driving gears and motor suspension tubes.

Services offered include: • Ultrasonic axle testing • Axle machining and burnishing • Wheel re-profiling • Wheel re-tyring • Making up new and refurbished wheel pairs • Removal and refitting of bearings • Removal, re-qualification and refitting of motor

suspension tubes and driving gears

Transnet Rail Engineering, an operating division of Transnet Limited, is the backbone of South Africa’s railway industry

RAILWAYS AFRICA March 20102 www.railwaysafrica.com


with eight product-focused businesses, 132 depots, six factories and 13,163 employees countrywide. The organisation is dedicated to in-service maintenance, repair, upgrade, conversion and manufacture of freight wagons, mainline and suburban coaches, diesel and electric locomotives as well as wheels, rotating machines, rolling stock equipment, castings, auxiliary equipment and services.

A SOLID HISTORY With origins dating back more than a century to the mechanical engineering department of the former South African Railways and Harbours, this engineering organisation has actively supported railways in the expansion of the country’s economy and over the decades has developed some of the most innovative bogies and wagons ever built for 1,067mm track. Through the years, Transnet Rail Engineering has become the key supplier of customised rolling stock for the coal, iron-ore, intermodal, agricultural, fuel and cement industries.

AFRICAN SOUL – GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE While focus is mainly on the South African market, investment in research and development to service the specific requirements of Africa and the rest of the world has led to an ever-expanding range of rolling stock products and a comprehensive list of satisfied customers, further enhancing the organisation’s international reputation. The proximity of the coastal plants to major ports facilitates the movement of products to and from overseas markets.

OUR PEOPLE, OUR COMMUNITIES, OUR FUTUREWith its greatest assets being its people and their skills, Transnet Rail Engineering is committed to many initiatives such as the talent management programme, relationship building, performance management, transformation, a comprehensive lifestyle well-being programme, as well as engineering bursaries and apprenticeship training to name but a few.

The organisation takes seriously its moral and legal duty to ensure the health and safety of all employees. This obligation also extends to clients, the communities in which it operates and to the protection of the environment.

Safety has become embedded in the organisation’s culture. Performance achieved through the SHEQ system

is constantly monitored and managed with employees receiving regular training in operational health and safety awareness. Disabling injury frequency rates are ever decreasing and numerous accolades are received including the highest safety award, the NOSCAR.

As a responsible corporate citizen, society and the environment are high priorities in the maintenance of sustainability. Programmes extend to communities and schools, improving the lives of the under-privileged and physically challenged through donations of computers, development of sport, occupational therapy and job creation. Being an industrial consumer of electricity and fuel, savings campaigns are maintained for the reduction of losses and the efficient use of energy for heating, lighting and process power.

COMPETENT SUPPLIER - TOTAL SOLUTIONTransnet Rail Engineering’s competency is based on its sound knowledge of the technologies subsisting in its products, supported by ongoing research and development and exceptional product application experience. A demanding standard of precision, combined with integrated maintenance and life-cycle upgrading, ensure a comprehensive ‘total-service’ solution for railway operators to achieve optimum fleet availability and reliability. All work is conducted in accordance with railway codes of practice and standards such as those of the American Association of Railroads and all Transnet Rail Engineering depots are ISO 9001:2000 accredited. Mobile maintenance teams backed up by a network of support services take the total solution into all operational areas. Rerailing and recovery service completes the support package to regional railway operators.

WORLD CLASS SYSTEMSThe core of Transnet Rail Engineering’s business systems is SAP. A Competency Centre based at the corporate office supports the application modules, being Finance, Controlling (management reporting), Production Planning, Sales and Distribution, Human Capital, Material Management, Document Management and Project Systems with Investment Management. The Centre is a member of the Gartner Best Practices Group and is a well respected member of the SAP community. Architecture includes a portal with a completely duplicated infrastructure for disaster recovery.


Programmes such as Lean Six Sigma, complemented by agreements with original equipment manufacturers for skills and know-how transfer have placed Transnet Rail Engineering firmly on the map as a world class manufacturing organisation.

DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTTransnet Rail Engineering’s design office makes use of state-of-the-art programmes for computer-aided design, finite element analysis and three-dimensional modelling as well as mechanical and electrical integration software. New products and upgrades of existing products are created by highly qualified and experienced engineers, all specialists in the varied technical disciplines of railway engineering.

The design, prototyping, testing, commissioning, industrialisation and production processes are supported by configuration management, project management, quality control, SAP and non-conformance reporting. As the process of manufacture is as important as the products it produces, capital expenditure and maintenance management are equal priorities to ensure modern well serviced equipment, machinery and facilities.

PROJECT MANAGEMENTWhether product development or capital expenditure, every project tackled is meticulously analysed using leading project management methodology. This involves a structured approach in the use of the skills, tools, software and techniques throughout the process, from conceptualisation through initiation, planning, execution and control to close-out. Assisting this process is the Project Support Office, which acts as a resource centre to sustain the project management culture.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCETransnet Rail Engineering is firmly committed to sound corporate governance and accountability, having adopted a proactive approach to risk management in line with the King II Code of Corporate Governance, the Companies Act and the Public Finance Management Act. Committees, offices and departments within the organisation manage corporate governance and risk, integrating the three

components, Compliance, Financial Risk Management and Enterprise Risk Management.

SUPPORTING RAILWAYSThrough its comprehensive set of rolling stock products and services, Transnet Rail Engineering is the supplier of choice for successful railway operations.


WE HAVE SEVEN FACILITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY: • Salt River and Saldanha – Cape region • Bloemfontein • Germiston - Johannesburg • Uitenhage • Durban • Koedoespoort - Pretoria

OUR FACILITIES ARE EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING: • portal lathes • laser measuring machines • CNC Axle lathes • CNC Vertical boring mills


OPINION

PETE THE PUNDIT looks atTRANSPORT COST OVERRUNS,THE COST OF INVESTIGATING IRREGULARITIES andRIFT VALLEY RAILWAY REVELATIONSGAUTRAIN OVERRUNIn a hard-hitting article dealing mainly with Eskom planning and shortcomings, the Financial Mail warns : “major capital projects like power stations routinely run over budget - just look at how the cost of the Gautrain has ballooned.”

Memories being short, interested parties may need reminding that the original estimates for the train were somewhere in the region of R2 billion, which climbed to R7bn at the time when the green flag was waved. That was four years ago, in 2005. The current “ceiling” is R25.4 billion.

This figure refers only to capital outlay of course. There is still performance to be taken into account – performance in “real time” as they say. Unfortunately, the number of people expected to use major new transport projects routinely run below the consultants’ estimates. Thus there may well be shortfalls in operating cost coverage to be met. An example has been seen in Johannesburg very recently, where patronage of the newly opened bus rapid transit (BRT) is far below what was foreseen, and no financial provision was budgeted for such costly daily running expenses.

Cape Town contrived a similar, though considerably more costly, analogy. It turns out that the first phase of the city’s BRT scheme is going to need some R3 billion more than was estimated by the experts. A senior official (who has since “left the council’s employ”) appears to have taken the rap, but it seems inexplicable that his own seniors – all Very Important Persons – could have accepted, without any query, calculations flawed to this unbelievable extent.

This is not the end of this particular story. The wonderful new bus system – so Cape Town’s ratepayer millions were assured - would be so viable that it would cover its operating costs. Well it won’t, it is now conceded – not by a very long chalk - just like its counterpart in Johannesburg. The man now in charge thinks about R125 million might just cover one year’s operating bills, but warns prudently it might be “quite a bit” more.

Back in March 2001, in a discussion on the practicability of Gauteng’s proposed high-speed train, Dr John Middleton (in his private capacity – he happens to work for the World Bank in Washington DC) offered these views:

“Of course it’s possible technically - whether 3’6” or standard gauge, but at what cost? The point is - is it possible for such a service to be a commercial success? The SAR Metroblitz [Pretoria-Johannesburg in 42 minutes in 1984] was excellent technically but a marketing disaster. A fortune was spent developing it, then it was put into service on a couple of return runs a day for which you had to pre-book. I did hear that a large part of the patronage was SAR pass-holders. What was needed was a regular-interval service, with tickets available on the train - but that was light years ahead of SAR thinking of the day! SA Rail [magazine] at the time likened it to the proverbial local farmer buying a Maserati and then using it to take his pigs to market!

“If anyone seriously believes they can make a TGV [French intercity high-speed train] or similar type service a commercial success in a suburban or inter-urban setting, I think they need to go back to their economics text books. What might work is a fast (80-100km/h) high-quality light rail type operation. It has been proved in many cities (particularly in Europe) that if you are going to get people out of their cars onto public transport the service has to be very high-quality, fast, reliable and competitive. Whether such a system could be a commercial success under South African economic conditions - someone needs to do a serious marketing study first - then worry about the technical details!”

NIGERIAN SENATE PROBEMisleading estimates have led many well-meaning politicians to spend far beyond their countries’ means. Their enterprising (or should we say less honourable) counterparts run up enviable bills at taxpayer expense – on expensive

Gautrain – R2bn, then R7bn, now R25bn. Meanwhile, severely underfunded Metrorail has been plunged into what its CEO terms “dire financial straits”.

South Africa’s Johannesburg-Pretoria-in-42-minutes Metroblitz express (1984).


OPINION

motor cars, overseas jaunts and other luxuries not all that closely connected to the jobs in hand. A third category of heavy expenditure – one that, like the other two, ought to be avoidable - concerns the subsequent official investigations into irregular politically-connected goings on. Like the following example – involving the transport sector in Nigeria – which must be costing the none-too-affluent citizenry a pretty penny:

Sufuyan Ojeifo, writing in This Day, published in Lagos, reports: “The report of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation into Nigeria’s Transportation Sector, which indicted some former and current public office holders for allegedly violating due process in payments of contract sums and recommended them for prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), has raised serious concerns in the Senate.”

An immediate logistical problem concerns procedural precedent, in terms of which every senator must get a copy of the copious report (and its annexures and accompanying documents) before the Senate can proceed to consider it.

“The totality of the report, as submitted by the committee, can fill a large-sized ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bag. The feelers,” Ojeifo writes, “are that this may dilate the process of expeditious consideration of the report. But that, as learnt, serves the purpose of the committee: which is to, according to sources, put the former and incumbent public officers allegedly indicted on the spot. Significantly, the indictment was not on the basis of funds embezzlement.

“Specifically, four former ministers of works, four former ministers of state for works and four former permanent secretaries in the ministry who were said to have awarded contracts without budgetary provision in the appropriation Acts, designs and bills of quantities, were recommended for prosecution for violation of the ICPC Act and other extant laws.

“The committee also recommended that ‘ministers of finance and the accountant-general of the federation and other officials who authorised payments and released funds for the payment of contracts not appropriated by law and/or released funds above provisions in the appropriation Acts, be prosecuted for violation of extant laws.’

“It further recommended that ‘the director and other officials of the budget monitoring and price intelligence unit (now bureau of public procurement) who issued certificates of award and payment for contracts not appropriated by law be prosecuted for violation of extant laws’.

“In addition, the committee recommended that ‘the engineering representatives and other engineers who issued certificates of job completion to contractors when such jobs had not been completed according to specification be prosecuted for fraud and accordingly sanctioned by the relevant bodies.’

“It recommended that ‘the honourable minister of transportation and the permanent secretary who approved and transferred N1,210,500,000.00 into the private account of the Digital Toll Gates Company Limited without due process certification and in violation of the terms of concession agreement be prosecuted and this amount be recovered from this private company’. [The minister in question, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke is the incumbent minister of solid minerals development].

“There are so many other recommendations that are damningly touching on the integrity of some former and serving public officers. But the aspect that has created

concerns in the Senate and raised the political temperature of senators is the purported indictment of some former and serving public officers and their recommendations for various sanctions.”

RVR CONCESSION STILL IN PLACEA late January joint governmental meeting convened in Kampala to decide whether to cancel RVR’s concession resolved after lengthy deliberations that it would not do so. Had it done otherwise, Jaindi Kisero pointed out in the Saturday Nation, the Transcentury group based in Kenya risked losing “an estimated $9 million it spent on acquiring its 20% stake in RVR as well as shareholder loans it has extended to the consortium in the last two years.”

Meanwhile the East African press slammed the 25-year concession “as the most messy privatisation transaction in Kenya’s history.” The thrust of the papers’ concern appeared to centre around Transcentury’s representation on the reconstituted RVR Board vis-à-vis that of Egypt’s Citadel, to whom South African-based Sheltam, with a 35% stake in the RVR consortium, recently sold 49% of its interest. Other RVR stakeholders comprise Transcentury (20%), Tanzania’s Mirambo Holdings (15%), Prime Fuels of Kenya (15%) Babcock Investments Holdings of Australia (10%) and Centum Kenya Ltd (5%).

Early in February it was confirmed that RVR had paid the governments of Kenya and Uganda Sh156 million ($US2 million) and Sh78 million ($US1 million) respectively in outstanding concession fees. The shareholders were required to put in another $10 million (Sh750 million) by 10 March.

So for the present, RVR’s contentious concession continues in force, though it was reported on 9 February that Kenya’s parliamentary Public Investment Committee had summoned attorney-general Amos Wako, civil service head Francis Muthaura, transport permanent secretary Cyrus Njiru and his finance counterpart Joseph Kinyua to appear before it to explain why they saw fit to extend the RVR concession, despite “overwhelming evidence that the concessionaire had flopped in service provision”, coupled with the committee’s specific recommendation that the concession be terminated “immediately.”

Nigerian railway scene

Rift Valley Railways’ concession: Still in force (for now).


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AFRICA UPDATE

ALGERIACANADA’S DESSAU TO BUILD ALGERIAN LINE Canadian engineering firm Dessau has won a $US38.8 million contract for the preliminary and final design for a new 170km double track between Algiers and Constantine in Algeria’s north-east. The contract is part of a $US2.3 billion government project. The contract was awarded by a consortium comprising China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and Turkish partner Ozgun Construction. Both freight and passenger services will use the line, running at a maximum 160km/h.

Dessau’s team of 50 Canadian and Algerian engineers will be responsible for designing bridges, viaducts, underpasses and overpasses, drainage structures, road and railway reconstruction, signalling and telecommunications facilities.

Founded in 1957, privately owned Dessau is the second-largest engineering construction firm in Quebec. It is the fifth largest in Canada and one of the 100 largest in the world, with 4,300 employees.

ANGOLABENGUELA LINE PROGRESSRehabilitation of Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB), Angola’s line from the Atlantic to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went ahead during February on the section between Munhango (750km from Lobito) and Luau (1,289km). The China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corporation (CR-20) is employing some 300 Chinese technicians and 300 Angolans on the project, which began in Chicala. CR-20 official Zhang Li Jun told the Angolan News Agency Angop that rails will be in place as far as Luena (990km from Lobito) by May 2010, when the first train is expected to arrive.

TRANSNET TO RUN CFB?According to the news agency AIM, “Spoornet” (sic) is to manage the CFB Railway in Angola, once the current rehabilitation works are complete. No confirmatory information has been received from Transnet at this time. AIM says Spoornet is the main rail operator in South Africa, owned by Transnet, “the holding company of the state” It adds: “At a later stage Spoornet will acquire equity stake in the CFB”.

CFB stands for Caminhos de ferro de Benguela, the 1,350km railway running from the port of Lobito to Dilolo on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Tankcar supplied to Angola by the China South works.

The entity became state-owned in 2001, on expiry of a 99-year lease held by a British company. Management of the railway by Transnet, AIM explains, has been the subject of discussions in which Angola was represented by the GRN (National Reconstruction Office) director-general Vieira Dias “Kopelipa”. The rehabilitation of the three railways in Angola has been the direct responsibility of GRN, “which participates in the China International Fund (CIF).”

CIF, it is explained, ”has the status of general contractor”. In that capacity, it sub-contracted several Chinese companies which are carrying out the reconstruction along different sections of the railway. The work has been delayed by “technical and bureaucratic” difficulties, aggravated by the extent of destruction suffered by the line. It is now expected that the railway (part of which is currently operational) will reopen throughout in 2011.

AIM says that “further privatisation” is planned, “and in that context, investors and Spoornet will become partners of the state. The management of CFB by Spoornet will initially be made by a management contract to come into force by the time of reopening the road. The privatisation process will likely open two years later.”

The report concludes: “The entry of Spoornet into CFB is seen as a reflection of their desire to increase the prominence which already has the organisation and operation of networks of cross-border rail systems in Southern Africa. Italy’s Tor di Vale (AM 029) was the initially selected partner for the CFB.”

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)SNCC (DRC CONGO) REHABILITATIONOn Friday 13 November 2009, DRC President Joseph Kabila officially launched a “titanic” project – the reconstruction of Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Congolais (SNCC – the state railway in the Democratic Republic of Congo). According to the official report: “With 3,641km of track including 858km electrified and 12,500 employees, the SNCC network is equivalent to that in five West African countries totalled together: Camrail in Cameroon, Transrail


The companies, China Communication Construction Company (CCCC), China Railway Group, Overseas Investment Alliance (OIA) from India, and a Russian entity, are also carrying out studies of their own, ERC director Hailemariam Desalegn told Addis Fortune. “The company that will get the project will be the one that comes with the financing,” Hailemariam said.

The government decided to build a new railway instead of continuing with upgrading the existing line because higher speeds would be possible. At present there is no train service between Addis Abeba and Dire Dawa, and “only very occasionally” between Dire Dawa and Djibouti. Upgrading of the existing line was initiated at a cost of $US50m “but it was interrupted for quality reasons,” Addis Fortune was told.

KENYACITADEL ACQUIRES 17.5% OF RVR

Citadel Capital, a leading private equity firm in Africa and the Middle East, with investments totaling $US8.3 billion, confirmed on 22 February that it has acquired a 49% stake in the Sheltam company, the largest single shareholder and lead investor in the Rift Valley Railways (RVR) consortium.

Sheltam owns 35% of RVR, holder of a 25-year concession to operate the railway linking Kenya’s Indian Ocean port of Mombasa with the rest of the country as well as Uganda and its capital, Kampala. Effectively, Citadel Capital now holds 17.5% of RVR. “We will look to inject more than $150m in the railway over the coming five years,” managing director Karim Sadek says.

“The first of several investments we are exploring in East Africa, it is a natural extension of our interest in African transport and logistics.

“The Kenya-Uganda Railway has immense potential waiting to be unlocked through the appropriate deployment of capital

in Sénégal and Mali, and Sitarail in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.” The infrastructure, both track and rolling stock, is old and “20 years overdue for investment.” The workforce has an average age of 55 years and salary payments are badly in arrear to the extent of “some $US1.4 billion”.

Following an international tender process, the Belgian firm Vecturis SA was selected to assist in rehabilitating SNCC. “Their technical assistance mission began in July 2009, fully funded by the World Bank.”

The chief executive officer of SNCC is Freddy Strumane. Vincent Tshiongo has been appointed chief technology officer. Norbert Lubanda is managing director and Faithful Mwamba is chief financial officer.

In 2009, a $US5.25 million contribution by the government and $14.2 million from the African Development Bank (ADB) maintained stabilising activities at SNCC within the integrated programme of reforms, led by portfolio minister Jeanine Mabunda and Copirep - the Steering Committee of Reforms. However, SNCC is heavily dependent upon financial assistance from outside the DRC. The resources needed to effect complete recovery of the railway are being mobilised by a team led by minister of transport and communications Mpita Mathieu. It is foreseen that $360 million will be needed immediately – “at least” $160 million from the World Bank and $200 million and “Cooperation Sino Congolese”. It is hoped that the bank will assist further in meeting SNCC’s cash deficit.

The “massive” envisaged investment programme involves the acquisition of 35 new locomotives, 100 passenger coaches, 200 freight wagons, two electric substations and all the equipment necessary for rehabilitating some 700km of track on the sections Sakania-Lubumbashi-Luambo-Tenke-Kolwezi-Luilu; Kamina-Kipukwe-Lusenji-Kabongo-Kabalo; and Kimanda-Kaniama-Mwene Ditu.

The financial plan also includes the rehabilitation of 350 existing wagons and 17 locomotives, and provision for pension benefits for employees who will reach retirement age within 5 years.

During 2010 it is hoped to start construction on the renewal of track between Tenke and Kisanfu, where many derailments occur. The overhaul of locomotives and 25 passenger coaches is being prioritised. Other work on the programme will be carried out in the period 2011-2014.

ETHIOPIAETHIOPIAN RAIL STUDY LAUNCHEDA memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by four foreign companies and the Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) for undertaking a study on the planned construction of a new railway to the border with Djibouti at a projected cost of $US1.5 billion.

AFRICA UPDATE

A former South African Railways class 32.000 (GE U18C1) diesel locomotive that ended its working days on SNCC. Photo: Jean Dulez

Nairobi commuter train. Daily Nation file photo

A train at Dire Dawa, an important station on the 781km Ethio-Djibouti Railway, CFDE (Chemin de fer Djibouti-Ethopien). The 473km section west of Dire Dawa is not currently in operation. Photo: Dietmar Fiedel


Tete provincial director of transport Paz Catruza said that reopening the line would speed production at the coal mines in Moatize, scheduled to start between the end of 2010 and early 2011. Equipment needed by the two largest companies holding mining concessions - Vale of Brazil and Riversdale of Australia – can now be moved in by rail.

Rail passenger transport between Beira and Moatize would resume shortly, Catruza promised.

NIGERIANEW GE LOCOS FOR NIGERIAOn 5 February, it was announced jointly by the Nigerian ministry of transport and GE Transportation that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has taken delivery of the first five new C25 six-axle diesel-electric locomotives. The balance of the order for 25 units, intended for both freight and passenger service, is to be shipped during the second half of 2010.

The locomotives were built by GE Transportation South America, GE Transportation’s affiliate facility in Brazil. The locomotives feature GE’s 7FDL12-cylinder, 2,500hp engine supplied by GE Transportation’s diesel engine manufacturing

AFRICA UPDATE

and management talent,” Sadek explains. “We intend to acquire 100% of Sheltam, and to pursue other investments in Africa’s promising transport sector.” Transport in East Africa is among the costliest the world, that between Mombasa and Kampala running at more than $0.13 per ton/km. A lack of operating capacity has resulted in rail capturing less than 10% of the region’s transport market.

“An efficient rail network could, in time, bring East African transport costs down by as much as 50% due to the inherent operational and fuel efficiency of shipping by rail,” Citadel Capital’s managing director Amr El-Barbary says, pointing out that the railway currently hauls just over 1mta of the 16mta being handled in the port of Mombasa. “New investment and a fresh approach to management could see that figure grow to 5mta within five years.”

MOROCCOMOROCCAN HIGH-SPEED TRAINMorocco’s new Tangier-Casablanca high-speed trains will carry 8 million passengers per year, says Office National des Chemins de fer (ONCF – the national railway of Morocco) CEO Mohammed Rabie Khlie. With a capacity of 500 passengers, each trainset will be “accessible to the average citizen” with a departure every hour (every half-hour during periods of heavy traffic). Infrastructural work on the project, scheduled to commence in June 2010, is expected to be complete by the end of 2014, with trains in operation by December 2015.

The Tangier-Casablanca section will form the first stage of the country’s high-speed rail master plan, which envisages more than 1,500km of new lines by 2035. The government plans to promote economic and social development through upgrading major infrastructure networks.

The project is being funded by the state (4.8 billion dirhams), the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development (1 billion dirhams), French and European donations (1.9 billion dirhams) and loans with favourable terms and conditions (12.3 billion dirhams).

MOZAMBIQUEFIRST TRAIN AT MOATIZEOn Saturday 30 January 2010, the first train to arrive at Moatize in the western Mozambican province of Tete in more than two decades was met by an impressive contingent: members of the central committee of the ruling Frelimo resident locally, Frelimo members of parliament, members of the provincial and district governments, and a large crowd of people. According to Moatize district administrator Adelino Andissene, the railway will bring many benefits to the province. He was sure, he said, that people living along the line “will take advantage of this opportunity, by transporting their agricultural surpluses to the commercial centres”.

Sleepers laid through Moatize station. Photo: Antonio Teixeira.

New level crossing under construction near Moatize. Photo: Antonio Teixeira.

Tracklaying machine: Sena line.Photos: Antonio Teixeira.


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AFRICA UPDATEAFRICA UPDATE

TRL director general Narasimhaswami Jayaram said that two goods trains comprising 23 wagons would be conveying various commodities including cement from the Tanga Cement Company.

TAZARATAZARA TARIFFS UPPEDNew fares applicable on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway came into effect on 1 July. Ticket prices on ordinary passenger trains as well as the Tazara Express went up 20% while parcels and luggage rates rose 30%. Travellers from Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia now pay Tsh72,600 ($US72) in first class on the Tazara Express, up from Tsh60,500 ($US60).

To Makambako (Iringa) from Dar-es-Salaam now costs Tsh29,000 ($US29) instead of Tsh24,200 ($US24). To Rujewa (Mbeya) the fare is now Tsh29,900 ($US29) instead of Tsh24,900 ($US24).

Tazara managing director Clement Subulwa Mwiya points out that the company’s policy is to adjust tariffs annually. High operational costs are being experienced, notably in the wage bill and the continually rising cost of diesel. Tazara is upgrading its facilities at a cost of $US10 million, he says, and 18 locomotives are being rehabilitated currently

UGANDAMAIN-LINE AT JINJA REOPENSThe main-line to Kampala from Kenya, closed near Jinja on 14 May following the collapse of an embankment due to a blocked culvert, was reopened to traffic on 16 June. During the four weeks that the line remained inoperable, freight was offloaded at Iganga and taken forward by road. According to Rift Valley Railways (RVR) project manager Glenn Kleyn, quoted by New Vision (published in Kampala) a new three-metre diameter galvanised iron culvert has been installed, to provide adequate outlet for stormwater to drain into Lake Victoria, about a kilometre downstream.

Kleyn said the repair work was being done at mile 323. In addition, the company is investigating a structure at mile 289 towards Busembatia.

“It (mile 289) is not in any immediate danger but we are investigating and drawing up designs,” he told the paper.

UGANDA RATES INCREASERift Valley Railways (RVR) has increased freight rates between Mombasa and Kampala from $US80 per tonne to $110. Former managing director Roy Puffet explained in July: “The tariff adjustment was driven by continued upward costs of energy, petroleum products and steel. The price of diesel has gone up by 24% in the last eight months and there is double digit inflation as well as dollar revaluation”.

RVR commercial manager in Kampala, Geoffrey Tindimwebwa says the rates will still be lower than those charged by road freight hauliers. “Our rates have been steady since last October before the fuel prices rose and the price of steel spiralled,” he points out, whereas the truckers raise rates every time the fuel price changes. “Also, we have had a negative result from the weakening dollar as most of our rates are in that currency. It has been losing value, while the prices of our inputs have been going up.”

ZAMBIARSZ TAKEN TO TASKIn an editorial, The Times of Zambia takes Rail Systems of Zambia (RSZ), the concessionaire running Zambian Railways, to task for buying “brand new motor vehicles worth $US1.4 million”, while apparently falling short in service delivery. “While the company has every right to purchase vehicles for operations, we feel their priorities are misplaced,” the paper writes.

“Gone are the days,” it laments, “when the railway network was the most reliable mode of transport in Zambia. “It was so reliable and cheap, that the rail line was Zambia’s favourite mode of transport, offloading goods and passengers in remote areas where roads were inaccessible.

“The failure by RSZ to provide safety and reliability has forced many Zambians to abandon rail transport in preference for the faster and more reliable road transport. It was hoped that when Zambia Railways was concessioned to RSZ, things would change for the better.”

[RSZ inherited a sorely run-down system which is taking a great deal of time and money to put right. The rosy past of railways in the country dates back to the days when it was called Northern Rhodesia – but nobody will want to remember that. – editor]

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ZIMBABWENEW NRZ SERVICEThe National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has introduced a new weekly passenger service to Chicualacuala, 500km south-east of Bulawayo on the line to Maputo. The existing Wednesday train to Chiredzi has been rescheduled to leave Bulawayo at 14:00 on Wednesday instead of 21:00. Arriving at 04:00 on Thursday, it returns at 05:00 to Mbizi junction, and continues from there to Chicualacuala. Following a 14:00 departure, it runs back to Bulawayo, arriving on Friday morning. The Chiredzi-Bulawayo service retains its former timing on other days of the week.

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plant in Grove City, USA. The locomotives were designed specifically to accommodate Nigeria’s weight per axle, loading gauge and clearance characteristics.

GE Transportation South America has built GE diesel-electric locomotives including AC44, Dash 9 and the C Series in Brazil since 1967, and has produced more than 1,000 locomotives, operating in over 15 countries around the world. Altogether, approximately 17,000 GE locomotives are in use in more than 50 countries.

President and CEO of GE Transportation Lorenzo Simonelli was quoted saying: “GE experts performed an extensive analysis on Nigeria’s narrow-gauge railway network, haulage requirements and traffic patterns to determine the best-fit locomotive.”

Speaking at the arrival of five new locomotives at berth 19 of Apapa port, Lagos, early in February, Nigerian minister of transport Ibrahim Isa Bio announced that 25 drivers are to be sent to South Africa for training “to effectively manage the fleet”.

He was quoted saying: “These locomotives will help improve mass transit through the railway system of movement of goods and services and contribute to the economic development of the country. Government has started the railway modernisation project and the contract for the standard gauge has been awarded”.

[GE says the new locos were specially developed for Nigeria’s “narrow gauge”. Successive reports speak of the standard gauge project having been scrapped, but the minister seems to think otherwise. - Editor]

ABUJA LRT BY 2012The new light rail system in the Nigerian capital Abuja will be in operation by 2012, Senator Adamu Aliero says. The completion date was advanced from 2013 due to good progress made by the China Civil Engineering Construction

One of Nigeria’s new GE locomotives.

Corporation (CCECC). While inspecting the work early in February, Aliero was quoted saying: “I think it would be wrong for anybody to call this project a white elephant. A white elephant project is a project that has no direct bearing to the people it is meant to serve.” He said the project is meant to solve the transport problems of ordinary people in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “This is a project that can transport 500 to 1,000 people at once to the city centre, the airport, the industrial park and other satellite towns.”

He explained that, to date, the FCT administration had paid 15% of the project’s total cost which amounts to about $US840 million. Further amounts are to be paid soon “to speed up the project”.

TANZANIAIFC MUST APPROVE TRL LEASE CANCELLINGFollowing the decision by Rail India Technical and Economic Services Ltd (Rites) to offer for sale its 51% stake in the consortium established three years ago to operate Tanzania’s railway, it is understood that the International Finance Corporation (IFC) will have the final word in terminating the 25-year lease agreement. According to The East African, published in Nairobi, “the government is yet to decide on the offer, fearing potential legal battles at the international court of arbitration and problems with the funders of the aborted privatisation process.”

The decision to purchase the shares in Tanzania Railways, according to information supplied to the paper, “is subject to an IFC green light, upon assurances from the government as to who is responsible for carrying the debt, amounting to $US7 million with interest.

“The Indian firm’s 51% share was used as a loan guarantee to secure $US44 million from the IFC as working capital but the World Bank finance body disbursed only $7 million of this amount.

A senior government official told The East African in Dar-es-Salaam that, after eight months of delay, the government told the IFC it did not have confidence in the railway consortium’s management, ‘prompting IFC to hold back the rest of the loan.’ The official said that IFC then made a feasibility study of the contract and advised the Tanzanian government that Tanzania Railways needed an injection of $US100 million, more than twice the proposed loan, and needed Tanzania and Rites commitment as security to release additional funds.

“Instead, Tanzania told Rites to prepare a business plan to decide the extent of the working capital needed to revamp the railway. The two parties failed to agree on the business plan when Rites projected that Tanzania Railways would only be able to carry 1.7 million tonnes per annum by the year 2015, while the Tanzania government insisted that the line has the potential of ferrying 10 million tonnes, a stand-off that created doubts at IFC about the whole deal.


“Hundi Lal Chaudhary, chief executive officer of Tanzania Railways Ltd, told The East African that negotiations between Rites and the Tanzania government for the sale of the 51% shares were ongoing but declined to disclose further details.

“MPs are now demanding that the government set a timeline for termination of the contract as it is a burden on the taxpayer, with the government subsidising Tanzania Railways on a monthly basis to enable it to pay the salaries of hundred of workers.

“Tanzania in 2006 concessioned Tanzania Railways operation and maintenance to the Rites consortium for 25 years, with the IFC providing the working capital. The seed capital from the consortium was $US20 million and IFC was to provide $US44 million.”

FUNDING FOR TANZANIAN-RWANDA STUDY

The African Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide $US8.15 million to finance the viability study for the proposed new Dar-es-Salaam-Isaka-Kigali-Keza-Musongati 1,435mm gauge railway, which will connect Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. According to the East African Community (EAC) development programme, the railway line is “critical to the reduction of multinational poverty through regional infrastructure development.” The study will provide the governments of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi with data and decision-making tools “to facilitate the mobilisation of financing, project implementation and railway management.”

According to The East African (published in Nairobi), axle loadings of 25 tonnes are foreseen on the new line, with locomotives “pulling 2,000 wagons (sic) at a time”.

TUNISIAAIR & RAIL “SPIN-OFFS” IN TUNISIATunisair and Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT - the Tunisian National Railways) have signed a joint agreement creating two “spin-off” companies. Minister of transport Abderrahim Zouari; minister of industry, energy and small and medium enterprises Afif Chelbi; Tunisair president and CEO Nabil Chettaoui, and Néjib Fitouri, SNCFT CEO Néjib Fitouri were present at the signing ceremony. In terms of these agreements, the two “spin-off” companies undertake to create an organisational structure, to develop an annual programme fixing the number and terms of spin-

off projects, as well as the creation of investment funds for venture capital.

Minister Zouari stressed the importance of major national companies joining the spin-off programme, as this will boost investment and create jobs. Minister Chelbi recalled the objectives in this sector focusing on doubling the number of spin-off projects created from 100 to 200 per year, saying that “according to investigations carried out abroad, the chances of success of a new scheme will double if it is created within the framework of a spin-off project”.

UGANDAARMY TO REBUILD UGANDAN RAILWAYAddressing the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) at the Ugandan Parliament in Kampala, President Yoweri Museveni said the poor infrastructure in the region needed immediate attention. “The problem of infrastructure in East Africa is a matter of survival,” he said, “especially electricity, the roads and railway. If we don’t improve, it will lead us into trouble.

The Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF), Museveni announced, is to rebuild the railway network in the country.

He told parliament that the UPDF had set up an engineering brigade and was quoted saying: “We shall use them to build the railway. I talked to the army engineers and they said it is okay”. The colonialists, he said, used “rudimentary tools” to construct the railway still in use in East Africa today. By contrast, the present army was in a much better position and possessed better technology.

Electricity power generation in the region, Museveni added, was too low to sustain development. He gave the assurance that even without foreign aid, Uganda could build its own power stations.

ZAMBIAZAMBIAN RAIL ULTIMATUMThe Zambian parliamentary committee on government assurances has given a 30-day ultimatum to the ministry of communications and transport in which to stipulate the exact duration that will be required to complete the various railway development projects in the country.

AFRICA UPDATE

Tunisian push-pull train bound for Hammarmet and Nabeul at Bir Bou Regba. Photo Richard Ågren.

Diesel loco in Uganda.


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On 26 January, committee chairman Chishimba Kambwili said that in respect of several uncompleted rail projects, the government keeps giving assurances that they would be developed “soon”. Acting ministry of communications and transport permanent secretary John Chipuwa was before the committee.

Projects listed by Kambwili included Nseluka-Mpulungu, Chipata-Tazara, Mulobezi-Caprivi, Kafue to Lions Den and the Njanji commuter railway. Chipuwa told the committee that the government wanted the Chingola-Lumwana project to go ahead but this was stalled because of litigation by a prospective developer.

Regarding the Njanji commuter line. He said that only one bid had been received. This is under consideration by the Zambia Development Agency.

ZIMBABWEGPS INAUGURATED AT NRZThe Global Positioning System (GPS) recently inaugurated by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) comprises Star

AFRICA UPDATE

Lineside scene in Zambia. Photo: Dietmar Fiedel.

Track Term 1.2 units installed on locomotives, together with six computer terminals located at the Harare, Dabuka, Bulawayo, Sawmills and Thompson Junction control centres. At these points, continuous visual display updates are provided on locomotive positions and speed. Accident investigation is significantly assisted through the data recording facility, by means of which train movement history can be replayed and examined.

During recent years, NRZ was forced to fall back on the elementary paper order system of train despatching, following “total collapse” of the railway’s comprehensive centralised traffic control system (CTC) through widespread vandalism.

CTC was originally installed by the former Rhodesian Railways in 1951, at which time it was one of the first systems in the world to do so along the entire length of its main-lines.

NRZ INTENSIFIES SECURITY The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has revamped security standards to combat theft, vandalism and related crime which has cost the organisation millions of dollars. Following the graduating of professionally trained dog handler security officers at a pass-out parade at Westgate Dog Training School, NRZ increased its recruitment drive.

Security officers undergo 12 weeks of extensive training in basic dog handling, obedience, guard-dog and obstacle training handling and drill, kennel management and apprehension technique.

Fuel storage tanks, copper warehouses and other facilities which have been targets for theft and vandalism are now accorded heavy security, augmented by dog patrols searching for substances such as drugs and explosives.


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Railways Africa:Layout 1 28.10.2009 7:17 Uhr Seite 1

Though there is awareness of Transnet’s “multibillion Randinvestment scheme, Barloworld Logistics marketing general manager Kate Stubbs said nobody perceives much in the way of visible improvement – neither in operating nor in infrastructure.

Of the 377 respondents that participated in the survey – 16% of them managing directors or CEOs and 13% general managers – most feel “an urgent need for public-private cooperation in the freight rail sector at a strategic and decision-making level”. An opinion widely held is that the sector could do with significant private sector direct investment. Stubbs was quoted saying: “There is a huge, desperate need for public-private cooperation to improve infrastructure.”

More than 20% of the survey participants indicated that they spend more than 10% of the cost of their goods on transport.

TRANSNET LOCOMOTIVES: 30 YEAR AVERAGE AGETransnet acting chief executive officer Chris Wells told Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications on 3 February that the country’s locomotives are on average 30 years old. Sapa quoted him saying that the fleet totals some 2,000: “We haven’t purchased a new locomotive for well over ten years, which has caused a lot of problems in performance”. However he said, “By the end of March 2011, some 10% of our rail fleet should be brand new. That is very significant for performance going forward.”

TRANSNET ON THE PORTS

“Our new port at Coega is well-placed to be the midway between the large ships from the east to offload at that port and then return back and with short sea shipping up the coast of Africa or inland to South Africa,” Transnet acting chief executive officer Chris Wells told Parliament’s communications portfolio committee on 3 February. Near Port Elizabeth, Coega is “well positioned” to be a trans-

South African Rail News

SA RAIL NEWS

TRANSPORT COMMAND AND CALL CENTREA transport command and call centre will come into operation in March 2010, to serve as the central hub of co-ordination for transport operations during the forthcoming Fifa Soccer World Cup.

“The centre will enable the Department of Transport to maintain overall command, control and co-ordinate transport operations across the country, including host cities and provinces,” transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele told local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan during a meeting held to provide an update on transport plans for the World Cup.

The centre will provide live, real-time information that will also facilitate quick decision-making and responses to incidents. Travellers will be able to access relevant transport information through the call centre and a central website. One of the aims is to ensure that visitors to the country have a central point of call, where they can be provided with travel planning information and assistance.

South Africa is expecting approximately 450,000 visitors to descend on the country for the football spectacle which kicks off on 11 June.

NO PLANS TO CHANGE SA GAUGEThere are no plans to change the gauge of South Africa’s railways from the existing 1,067mm “Cape Gauge” to the 1.435 metre “Standard Gauge”, Transnet acting chief executive officer Chris Wells told Parliament’s portfolio committee on communications on 3 February. He was quoted saying it is not thought “appropriate” to change the network in the medium term. “There has been a lot of discussion of moving to standard gauge, which will allow faster speeds,” he said. “We don’t believe it appropriate. Unfortunately, we are all on the rail gauge known as Cape Gauge”.

SA FREIGHT TRANSPORT HEADACHESA good 80% of companies taking part in this year’s Barloworld logistics supply-chain foresight survey said that under 10% of their goods are transported by rail. No less than 46% of the companies surveyed thought they might use rail for more than 20% of their freight – if “adequate” railway capacity existed. Nearly half the entities polled were unhappy with the service given by rail.

“No plans to change the gauge” – Transnet acting CEO Chris Wells. Photo: Richard Grönstedt

While there have indeed been new electric locos very recently (and before that numbers in the eighties and early nineties), there have been no completely new main-line diesels since the last class 37 in 1982 – ie almost 30 years ago. Guy Hausler took this photo of 37.100 in February 2007 at Dullstroom (on the Steelpoort branch in Mpumalanga).

Aerial view of the port of Richards Bay.


shipment port between Asia and South America, Sapa quoted him saying.

Transnet is cooperating with port authorities in Luanda, Angola, Wells told the committee, to assist in “congestion” and “the utilisation of the Coega facilities in that regard”.

Plans are also under way to expand the coal port of Richard’s Bay, which is operating at a capacity of 90 million tons per annum but possesses the infrastructural capacity for only 70 million tons. “We are working with industry on planning to increase that to 81 million tons in the medium term. The long-term view is it should be 90 million tons plus.”

NEW GE DIESELS FOR SOUTH AFRICADetails of GE Transportation’s 100 new diesel-electric locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) are as follows:

GE’s model C30ACi, the first AC diesel electric locomotive to be introduced to sub-Saharan Africa, will have an engine that delivers 3,300 gross horsepower (GHP) using an electronic fuel-injection system that automatically supplies the exact amount of fuel needed for optimal engine efficiency. The locomotives will also feature GE’s unique AC propulsion technology and dynamic braking. The first locomotives and kits are scheduled to be delivered in early 2011; locomotive assembly at Transnet Rail Engineering (TRE), using kits from GE’s Erie plant and engines from that at Grove City, should begin at the end of 2010.

GE Transportation explains that “the addition of these new locomotives, which will be used to haul freight and coal, will decrease life-cycle costs, improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.”

GE Transportation has an installed base of some 1,200 GE locomotives in Africa some 900 of which are in South Africa.In 2008, the company points out, “GE Transportation took South Africa’s Western Cape Orex line to the next level with the longest production train in the world, made possible through the LOCOTROL technology solution. This distributed power system - a first in South Africa - allows longer, safer trains on the critical Western Cape Saldanha Bay iron ore export line. Orex is the only heavy-haul iron-ore railway line in South Africa and the second-longest iron-ore railway line in the world at some 861km. It feeds the port of Saldanha Bay, for export to a global market hungry for South African iron ore. Until now, the carrying capacity of the line itself has been a major barrier to increasing economy-boosting iron ore exports.

“GE worked closely with TRE to develop a comprehensive localisation plan that complements local strengths and transfers world-class skills and technology where applicable.

GE AND BBBEEIn December 2008, GE Transportation signed an agreement with South African Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Mineworkers Investment Company (MIC), to establish the subsidiary GE South Africa Technologies (Pty) Limited (GESAT), allowing the company to actively participate in South Africa’s social and economic transformation in the rail industry.

Commenting on the announcement of the contract for 100 new GE locos, MIC executive director Tshidi Madima, said, “We are delighted that GESAT has been successful in winning this Transnet Freight Rail contract. This is an excellent example of the type of participation in the South African economy that was anticipated in the creation of GESAT 12 months ago.”

CASH-FLOW PROBLEMS AT METRORAILDuring January, Business Day reported, East Rand-based Sinqobile Equestrian Security Services was forced to take Metrorail to court to try to recover R2.4 million owed. It lost the case, with the North Gauteng High Court decreeing that non-payment is “a normal commercial risk”. However, the company has since managed to recoup R1.5m and was promised the balance “over the next couple of months”.

“We supply about 450 security guards to Metrorail, of which about 80 are mounted. So far we have managed to feed the horses and pay the guards,” Sinqobile director Andries de Klerk told the paper.

Member of Parliament Manny de Freitas quoted from a letter written by B Sithole, described as a Metrorail financial manager in KwaZulu-Natal, saying that supplier payments were being delayed due to Metrorail “experiencing cash flow challenges in meeting its financial obligations”. “I have more evidence of non-payment of invoices by Metrorail and I am sorry to say it is mainly smaller black economic empowerment companies that are being hardest hit,” de Freitas said.

SA RAIL NEWS

Metrorail has serious cash-flow problems. During February, Malcolm Bates photographed the Strand Business Express (deputising for its Southern Suburbs counterpart) near Plumstead.

A 2,750hp class 34.9xx GE type U26C, new in 1980, heads the Trans-Karoo express at Kimberley in June 1994.

On 27 May 2008, Jacque Wepener photographed 34.058 at Willemsrus on the OFS branch to Bultfontein. This GE U26C dates from the early seventies.


SA RAIL NEWS

PRASA LAYS IT ON THE LINEThe Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) puts the blame for its financial woes squarely on underfunding from the Department of Transport (DoT), but also cites “poor performance” by managerial staff

Prasa CEO Lucky Montana, in a Business Day half-page advertisement “open letter” to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) Manny de Freitas, said a due-diligence report on intercity subsidiary Shosholoza Meyl revealed that it needed about R1.4 billion annually to operate “effectively”. However, DoT provides only R450m. Prasa he explained is “grappling with high operating costs and dwindling revenue.”

Most of commuter rail subsidiary Metrorail’s past deficits, Montana said, had been funded from the “huge reserves that we have built over the years”. On the other hand, Metrorail had not been allowed to raise fares for more than five years despite “ballooning” operating costs. “This simply means that Metrorail services have become uneconomical,” he said, and liabilities related to pension, medical aid and staff leave remained “largely unfunded”.

Asked by journalists whether adequate funding was being provided to Prasa, DoT said allocations are “in line with the medium-term expenditure framework.”

Montana’s open letter, the DA suggests, is a “fairly ingenious piece of political communication” because, under the guise of a letter to the DA, Montana has achieved “a methodical and quite powerful plea to the minister of transport for more money”.

Montana refuted claims by the DA that Prasa had wasted money. He was referring to the party’s complaining about “a blatant wasteful expenditure of R584,810.92 by Metrorail for a Women’s Day celebration held in August 2009.”

Certain managers at Metrorail, Montana said, had been instructed to repay “wasteful expenditure” linked to the Women’s Day celebration. The acting CEO of Shosholoza Meyl, Viwe Mlenzana, was suspended late in January pending the outcome of a disciplinary hearing on “serious breaches” of the Public Finance Management Act.

Metrorail CEO Sisa Mtwa has been asked to explain his “failure to manage controllable costs within Metrorail”, as well as “poor train service performance”. Montana promised action against managers in the engineering department “who may have exceeded budgets for capital projects” without obtaining prior approval.

SHOSHOLOZA MEYL BLAMES TFRA succession of really serious delays to long-distance passenger trains recently – one involving a 10-hour late arrival – have been blamed by Shosholoza Meyl on Transnet

Freight Rail (TFR). The situation mirrors a long-standing headache in the USA, where government-owned passenger train delays are routinely attributed to the separately-owned freight lines over which they run. The difference in South Africa is that the same government owns and runs both passenger and freight services, whereas in America most of the tracks are owned and operated by private companies.

The local press has not helped anyone comprehend the complicated relationship recently contrived between the now separate state departments by sensational reporting claiming huge delays to “luxury” trains when in fact the early February delays affected trains that fell into anything but the luxury category. As a TFR spokesman explained, the 10-hour delay affected an “economy class” service from Cape Town to Durban, “economy” being the current euphemism for what used to be called third class. Our own investigations suggest that a pantograph tangling in the Free State overhead started this particular train’s misfortunes. Many hours passed before diesel locomotives could be sourced to rescue the stranded express.

The tourist industry is particularly worried about the problems with Shosholoza Meyl’s Premier Classe, which promises five-star service. Thornybush CEO Nic Griffin was quoted saying that while service on board is “impeccable”, delays attributed to TFR would ultimately lead to the failure of the facility: “The parastatal appears to be bogged down by poor maintenance and security, lack of infrastructure investment and weak management. We have chartered both the Premiere Classe and the Blue Train in the last four months at huge expense, but on each occasion the train has run between three and nine hours late. The overseas market simply will not support this poor service. The worst part is that nobody apologises or seems to care.”

LATEST ON SIMON’S TOWNThere have been no trains on the 6.3km final section of the Cape Town suburban line south of Fish Hoek since early November, when unusually high tides piled heaps of sand on the line and caused serious damage beyond Glencairn, where structure beneath the track was undermined. Repairs, certain to be costly, are unlikely to be completed for several months. As far as Glencairn however (3.6km beyond Fish Hoek), the track has been cleared, test runs were satisfactory and public service was restored late in February.

Fish Hoek resident Paul Kilfoil reports: “There has been major congestion at Fish Hoek station, not only with the buses going to Simon’s Town but also with trains jostling for platform space in the station. Fish Hoek station has four parking spaces for trains, but only three passenger platforms. In the past, every second or third train went on to Simon’s Town. So trains have been frequently delayed north of Fish Hoek (usually at the old abandoned Clovelly

Premier Classe train at Boughton near Pietermaritzburg. Shosholoza Meyl needs about R1.4bn annually to operate “effectively”, says parent Prasa’s CEO, but DoT provides only R450m. At this rate, how long can intercity expresses survive?Photo: Grant Fryer.

Jez Smith photographed 35.214 at Beaconsfield, Kimberley, in January, resplendent in purple- the new Shosholoza Meyl loco livery.


Tel: +001 (450) 424 4112 Fax: +001 (450) 424 4026



SALA TECNOLOGIA SUPERIOR EM CONTROLE

DE LOCOMOTIVASn Sistema SAL pode ser aplicado em qualquer marca ou

modelo de locomotiva, como GE, GM, Alstom, Bombardier entre outras.

n A Interface Homem Máquina pode ser programada em qualquer idioma.

n A instalação do sistema SAL é flexível e pode ser adaptada conforme os requisitos do cliente.

n Instalado e operacional em importantes ferrovias.

n Elimina aproximadamente 85% dos relés do armário elétrico. (Sujeito a marca/modelo da locomotiva)

n Painéis elétricos pré-montados, bases, suportes assim como cabeamento de controle é totalmente fornecido.

n Fornecimento dos transdutores e kit de instalação.

n Nossa engenharia fornece total suporte técnico por telefone, web ou local nas oficinas.

n 20 anos de total suporte ao sistema.

n Peças de reposição tipicamente fornecidas em 5 dias úteis.

n Aplicável em locomotivas de múltiplos motores (Gen-set)!!

n Sistema SAL é hoje no mercado o mais completo, avançado e econômico controle de locomotivas baseado em Microprocessador, incluindo monitoramento por telemetria GPRS!

MEDIÇÃO REAL DO CONSUMO DE DIESEL

CONTROLE DE EXCITAÇÃO DIGITAL (TRAÇÃO E DINÂMICO)

CONTROLE DA POTÊNCIA REAL

* REDUÇÃO DE ATÉ 85% DEPENDENDO DO FABRICANTE

CONTROLE LÓGICO TOTAL E REDUÇÃO DE RELÉS*TELEMETRIA GPRS

z e i tz e i tPROTEÇÃO DAS RESISTÊNCIAS DE GRADE

TACOGERADOR

INTERFACE HOMEM-MÁQUINA

REGISTRADOR DE EVENTOS

MEDIÇÃO DE VELOCIDADE VIA GPS OU TACOGERADOR

SISTEMA DE VIGILÂNCIA INTELIGENTE

ACIONAMENTO, PROTEÇÃO E CONTROLE DOS AUXILIARES(COMPRESSOR, SOPRADOR, VENTILADORES, GERADOR AUXILIAR, ETC)

CONTROLE DE ADERÊNCIA EPROTEÇÃO DOS MOTORES DE TRAÇÃO

PROTEÇÃO TOTAL DO MOTOR DIESELMONITORAMENTO DE PRESSÕES E TEMPERATURAS

COMUNICAÇÃO DIGITALCOM PROTOCOLO ABERTO

GM

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SA RAIL NEWS

station, now a derelict, rusting hulk), sometimes for 10 minutes or more, if all three spaces in Fish Hoek are taken. Only when one of these trains leaves heading north can the southbound train move in.

“Extending trains on to Glencairn makes a lot of sense, as it will free up space in Fish Hoek. I cannot believe it will ever be a permanent solution, because the line between Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town is single-track all the way until Simon’s Town station itself. There are no sidings, so there is only room for one train at a time, unless they get parked “in tandem” (which seems unlikely). Simon’s Town station is like Fish Hoek - four tracks and three platforms, so there is plenty of parking space. These spaces were used overnight in the past to park trains in readiness for the early-morning commuter rush in to Cape Town.”

TRANSNET BRANCH-LINE CONCESSIONINGTender notice in Johannesburg Sunday Times, 14 February 2010:

“Transnet: Request for proposal - provision of transaction advisor to branch-line concessioning.

“Transnet is seeking a transaction advisor to assist in the concessioning of branch lines to private operators. The skills and experience required covers a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to project planning, financial analysis and modelling, rail infrastructure and operations, BBBEE and negotiations. “

[For the benefit of non-South African readers – BBBEE stands for Broad-based Black Empowerment Enterprises. – Editor]

RINGROLLERS HEAT TREATMENT EXPANDSIncreased demand, coupled with the need to reduce lead times to market, has seen Ringrollers, a DCD-Dorbyl Group company, invest in new equipment and processes. “We embarked on a phased expansion programme in 2007 and at the end of July 2009 we commissioned our new heat treatment facility as one of the phases,” general manager Stephen Nel explains. “This is a significant investment and is in line with our drive to provide better service and lead times to customers.” Research into the heat treatment plant started five years ago because Ringrollers wanted to move away from the traditional oil quenching process. “The primary considerations for this move were environmental and safety but repeatability, and therefore enhanced quality, also played a role,” Nel says.

Ringrollers extended its facility by an additional 500m2 at the end of 2008 to accommodate the new heat treatment facility. To facilitate the movement of materials, a 20 ton overhead crane was installed.

“We identified specialist international polymer heat treatment systems company, Houghton, as the preferred supplier for the polymer quenching technology,” Nel says. “Use of this technology in South Africa has been limited, so Houghton was the ideal supplier.”

Houghton assisted Ringrollers in identifying a company able to design and build the furnaces and the associated infrastructure and equipment. “They recommended Hi-Tech from Turin in Italy as their preferred supplier. Apart from being a leader in the design of high-efficiency furnaces, Hi-Tech also has some unique material handing solutions,” Nel says. An order for furnaces and materials handling equipment was placed with Hi-Tech in March 2008, while Houghton designed the quench tank and the agitators, the latter being essential to the polymer quenching process.

“Previously residual stresses were problematic and the new plant ensures that rings are kept flat during the entire process, which will allow us to deliver rings without residual stresses. This will ensure rings do not distort during the subsequent machining process,” Nel says.

Ringrollers, the largest manufacturer of rings in the Southern Hemisphere, is ISO 9001:2000 and OHSAS 18001 accredited and also carries accreditation from British Rail and Deutsche Bahn, as well as approved supplier status from numerous domestic and international companies.

Fish Hoek station (“3 metres above sea level”), showing the three platform faces.

A large ring being removed from the heat treatment furnace.Free State branch-line: Fouriesburg,253km north-east of Bloemfontein.Photo: Jacque Wepener.


CONSTRUCCIONES Y AUXILIAR DE FERROCARRILES, S.A. J.Mº Iturrioz, 26 20200 BEASAIN GUIPUZCOA SPAIN

TFNO: +34.943.880.100FAX: +34.943.189.120

GM354 CAF_RA_March 2010_Full PG Ad.indd 1 2010/03/05 05:27:43 PM

FEATURE

FLINT CONSTRUCTION (PTY) LIMITED equips the KONKOLA COPPER MINES (KCM) – KONKOLA DEEP MINING PROJECT (KDMP) – HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-CAPACITY TRAMMING SYSTEM – 875m LEVEL

Flint Construction (Pty) Limited via its Zambian subsidiary Railcon Zambia Limited was privileged to be chosen as the preferred rail contractor on the above project by Konkola Copper Mines (KCM)

Flint Construction (Pty) Ltd managing director Keith Flint believes the company was chosen on the basis of its long history of producing quality workmanship and maintaining the high safety standards set by KCM. Having started at KCM in 2000, Flint rehabilitated some 17km of underground haulage on the Konkola Mine in Chililabombwe and its sister mine Nchanga in Chingola, while the mines were still part of the Anglo American group.

Flint’s Railcon presently has a workforce of some 210 people on site of whom only 7 are expatriates - which is indicative of the good skills levels of the Zambian workforce on the Copperbelt.

The project differs somewhat from the typical South African underground track laying project in that Flint had to supply its own locomotives and rolling stock, a lamp room for 250 personnel and change houses, as well as operating and maintaining two crushers underground to produce sized stone.

Some of the salient features of the project are:

• Total length of haulage – 11.6km• Depth below shaft bank – 875m (2,900 feet)• Maximum design tramming speed - 20km/h• Maximum design load per train – 300 tons• Tramming capacity design limit – 6,000,000tpa • Permanent way – 40kg/m (continuously thermit welded)

on 12 ton pre-stressed concrete sleepers at 750mm spacing on crushed stone ballast, all behind a concrete retaining wall

• All ballast and concrete stone required for the project was crushed underground on site

• OHTE – suspended from hanging wall• Installation of lighting system, mini subs and

transformers• Installation of service pipes

As KDMP is essentially a “Brownfield’s” project with a newer/deeper mine being constructed over the existing infrastructure, there have been severe logistical constraints, given that three major projects are all vying for shaft time, namely the shaft sinking contractor, the developing (mining) contractor and Railcon, with KCM still trying to maintain a level of ore production from the shaft. With roughly 50% of

Flint Construction’s site office.


FEATURE

the proposed new rail system being installed in the new haulage, the balance of the system will be constructed in the existing haulage which still needs to be slyped to accommodate the bigger rolling stock. The existing haulage is presently being used as an access and service route with the first of the completed track being in the new haulage.

Due to delays in the new haulage development ends (mining side), only some 10% of the project has been completed to date. Project roll-out should accelerate in the second quarter of 2010, as the mining contractor hands over completed haulage to Railcon.

Since the inception of the KDMP high-speed project, the KCM management has elected to award Railcon Zambia Limited the contract to maintain the entire mine’s underground rail system on no 1 shaft.

As a company, Railcon now has personnel working 24/7 on all levels of the mine and has managed not only to reduce the number of derailments substantially but also increase tramming efficiencies on the shaft.

On a sadder note it is recorded that the surface rail system is no longer in use. Konkola used to receive acid tankcars (one every month or so) - the last being some eighteen months ago. Though the feeder line from the Chililabombwe station to the mine is still in good condition, most yard tracks within the mine’s premises have been lifted or

abandoned. Our understanding from Rail Systems of Zambia (the present operator of Zambian Railways) is that the section of track from Chingola to Chililabombwe is in poor condition. Konkola Copper Mines’ management has expressed interest however in using the line to move product from Konkola to Chingola. For anyone who drives the length of the copper belt and is subjected to the heavy road freight traffic, this would surely be a welcome move.

Of interest to anybody using the level crossing at Konkola Copper Mine, the rail installed by Lennings Rail Services when upgrading this section of track was purchased via a third party from stock which Flint Construction (Pty) Ltd uplifted from the Hlobane-Natal Ammonium (Nyati) Colliery rail link in Northern KwaZulu Natal, which was closed in 1998/1999.

Hi speed haulage at 800m North. Hi speed haulage at 900m North.

Hi speed haulage at 1000m North. Hi speed haulage at 1200m North.

Some of the major supporting suppliers of major plant equipment for this project included:

• Gallison – ore cars, rock flow tips and chutes• Trident – locomotives and transformers• Thermitrex – Thermit welding equipment• VAE – Turnouts• Murganite – OTHE equipment• Duraset – Prestressed concrete sleepers


PARK STATION TO ROSEBANK PARK STATION The station roof and concourse slabs as well as the platforms are all substantially complete. Internal brickwork and plastering is well advanced at both concourse and platform levels. Good progress is being made with wall tiling, together with mechanical and electrical (M&E) installations. Three of the six levels of deck slabs have been cast at the parkade structure.

Reinstatement of Wolmarans Street is complete and the road was reopened to traffic on 16 January 2010. Preparations for reinstatement of utilities and roadworks at Smit Street have commenced.

Tunnel excavation from Park Station is complete, with breakthrough to the tunnel from shaft E2 achieved on 11 September. This significant milestone marked the completion – in 2½ years - of almost 16km of tunnel excavation on the project. Civil works in this section of tunnel continue.

All tunnel excavation - a total length of approximately 15.5km from Park Station to Marlboro Portal - was completed in September 2009. Civil works and tracklaying within the tunnels between the portal and Sandton Station are complete and installation of associated electrical and mechanical infrastructure is well advanced. Within the remaining tunnel section to Park Station, civil works continue, including final lining, invert slabs, cable duct installation and walkways.

The underground works include the construction of seven emergency access shafts at intervals along the single-track rail tunnel between Park Station and Sandton. These shafts will provide access by emergency services personnel to the tunnels below. At the bottom of some shafts, safe havens are being constructed where passengers can detrain and gather in the event of an emergency. Work is still in progress at each of these shafts.

Emergency shaft E1 (Hillbrow): Excavation and shaft lining at shaft E1 (80 metres deep) has been completed. Work in the safe haven and technical rooms

located at the bottom of the shaft continues. Construction of the surface head-house structure is to commence shortly.

Emergency shaft E2 (the Wilds, Houghton): Excavation of the shaft to its final depth of approximately 50 metres is complete, as is the 236 metre adit (cross passage). Construction works continue in the safe haven and technical rooms at the bottom of the shaft.

Emergency shaft E3 (Riviera): Shaft construction is complete. The head-house structure on the surface is well advanced and M&E installations are in progress. Being a shallow shaft with direct access to the surface, there is no safe haven necessary at the bottom.

Emergency shaft E4 (Houghton): Shaft construction is complete. The head-house structure on the surface is well advanced and M&E installations will commence shortly. Being a shallow shaft, 16m deep, with direct access to the surface, there is no safe haven necessary at the bottom

ROSEBANK STATIONBackfilling over the station-top slab and the adjacent cut-and-cover at the northern end is in progress. Reinstatement of Oxford Road above the station structure will follow in the next few months. Platform structures, brickwork and plastering are all substantially complete, with painting and plumbing at both platform and concourse levels well advanced. Wall tiling continues within the station. Elevators have been positioned within the station box and M&E installations are in progress.

GAUTRAIN RAPID RAIL LINK

GAUTRAIN CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS

Preparing to reinstate Oxford Road : backfilling above the Rosebank Station roof-slab.


At the parkade structure on the corner of Oxford Road and Baker Street, columns and beams are being cast for the first floor of the parking deck.

ROSEBANK-SANDTON-MARLBORO Emergency shafts E5 (Dunkeld, Rosebank), E6 (Illovo) and E7 (Rivonia Road, Sandton): Construction is in progress on the technical rooms at the bottom of these shafts, and also on the safe haven at the foot of Shaft E5.

SANDTON STATIONAt 45 metres (15 storeys) below ground level, Sandton station is Gautrain’s deepest. Station construction work is well advanced in the cavern section between the south and north shafts, as well as within the shafts themselves. This includes construction of the various platforms, the technical rooms and operational rooms, together with the escalator and lift shafts and stairways located within the shafts. M&E installations are in progress and escalators linking the station entrance to the underground platforms have been installed. Tracklaying within the station is complete and tiling of platforms has commenced. At the end of January, erection commenced on the structural steelwork frame that is to form the station entrance structure on the corner of Rivonia Road and West Street.

Construction continues on the adjacent multi-level parkade structure.

MUSHROOM FARM PARKThe temporary shaft at Mushroom Farm Park was provided to give access for tunnel construction in both north and south directions. All work carried out from this shaft has been completed and site establishment facilities have been removed. Backfilling of the shaft has been completed, and the community park reinstated, landscaped and upgraded.

MARLBORO PORTALTracklaying within the dual tunnel section linking Marlboro Portal to Sandton Station is complete and the installation of associated railway infrastructure, such as signalling and communications, is well advanced.

MARLBORO PORTAL EASTWARDSViaducts 1A and 11 crossing the Jukskei River and Far East Bank Drive are both complete, with track and catenary in position.

Between Marlboro Portal and the N3, the various culverts, retaining walls, the three bridges over Zinnia Drive and final layerworks are all complete and track has been laid.

Construction work and railway installations in this area are

substantially complete, apart from some finishing works and landscaping.

MARLBORO STATION

At Marlboro Station, concrete works, brickwork, painting, structural steel, roof cladding and platform parapets are all complete. Internal finishes are well advanced, including floor and wall tiling and painting, as well as glazing of the external walls of the concourse and over-platform links. Tiling of the platforms has begun. The electronic display boards are being tested, and ticket vending machines installed. Track has been laid through the station and installation of associated railway equipment is in progress.

Work continues at the bus terminal. On the parking deck, kerb laying is in progress, together with construction of the boundary around the station site.

Construction and backfilling has been completed on a series of underpasses where the two pairs of railway tunnels cross beneath the N3 highway alongside the Marlboro Drive bridge - just to the north of Marlboro station, both carriageways of the N3 have been reinstated to their original positions.

Reinstatement of temporary access ramps, closure of the additional bridge span and landscaping remains to be completed.

MARLBORO-DEPOT-MIDRANDViaduct 2 over the Modderfontein Spruit and two adjacent bridges over the future Frankenwald and Maxwell Roads are complete, together with the erection of noise barriers along this section. Track and overhead electrification is in position on all three structures.

Midrand DepotThe administration buildings for both train and bus depots are finished and the installation of equipment for the operations control centre in the train depot administration building has been completed. This will manage signalling, telecommunications, automatic fare collection, traction power and overhead distribution, cctv cameras and maintenance, using high technology systems. The train maintenance workshops, including electrical and mechanical installations, are all complete, as are other depot facilities, including the washbay for cleaning the trains, sand-filling equipment, stabling platforms, track lighting and entry gates.

Construction is in progress on the bus maintenance depot, located in the area previously occupied by the precast yard (now dismantled). Construction of the workshop, canteen, vehicle wash facility, fuel bay and apron slabs is in hand, together with refurbishment of the bus administration building - previously used as site offices for the precast yard.


Tunnel from Marlboro Portal at Sandton Station.

Testing of the electronic display boards at Marlboro Station.



TracklayingThe laying of stabling sidings at the depot, including overhead electrification and all associated railway installations, such as the signalling system, is complete, energised and operational. Main-line tracklaying and ballasting, together with catenary installation, is proceeding northwards from the depot, using specialised, highly mechanised equipment. Rails are welded into 216 metre lengths and transported on specially equipped wagons. Once placed in position on concrete sleepers, they are welded together to form a continuous rail.

Tracklaying is complete from Sandton Station to the airport on the east-west line and to Dale Road in Midrand on the north-south line. The surface sections of these have been energised electrically and are fully operational.

Rolling stock assembly and testingFollowing a specialised construction and assembly process at Bombardier Transportation’s facility in Derby, UK, Gautrain’s first shipment of two completed rail coaches arrived in Durban on 29 November 2008. After further deliveries, testing of the first complete four-car trainset began during February 2009. The first 15 coaches, together with body shells and major components for the rest of the fleet, were manufactured in Derby, and all have been despatched to South Africa. Following a successful skills transfer programme, local technicians are working on the assembly of the remaining 81 coaches at the Union Carriage and Wagon Partnership in Nigel. By the end of January 2010, 49 vehicles had been delivered to the Gautrain depot.

Dynamic testing of trains has been under way during the past year on the approximately 7km from behind Linbro Park to Midrand, which has served as a test track. Test running commenced recently on the airport branch. MIDRAND-CENTURION-PRETORIAVIADUCT 3North of the depot, Viaduct 3 over Allandale Road and the adjacent bridge over the future K60 road are both complete, as are all other bridges, construction works and railway installations up to Dale Road in Midrand, with only minor finishing works outstanding.

MIDRAND STATION At Midrand, station building work is well advanced. Roof cladding to the platforms is substantially complete and is in progress above the concourse. Interior tiling and finishing works continue, together with M&E installations. Platforms are substantially complete and tracklaying is in progress.

Retaining walls, earthworks and drainage for the parking areas are well advanced and layerworks and surfacing

continue.

From the Midrand area northwards, civil construction up to the Technopark area at Centurion is approaching completion. Drainage, layer works, duct installation, noise barriers and fencing continue. All these works are well advanced along extended lengths of the alignment. Catenary masts have been erected and tracklaying is progressing northwards from Midrand Station.

VIADUCT 4 Viaduct 4, which crosses Rietspruit and Olifantsfontein Road South, is complete.

CENTURION AREAVIADUCT 5 OVER THE N1 & BEN SCHOEMAN Viaduct 5 carries the elevated line through Centurion, forming the link between the balanced cantilever viaducts crossing the N1 highway at John Vorster interchange in the south and the Ben Schoeman highway at the Jean Avenue interchange in the north. It supports the elevated Centurion station platforms, located approximately midway along its length. The deck spans of this viaduct comprise precast concrete segments, erected using purpose-built steel launching girders and then stressed together to form the deck spans.

During January 2010, the final span at the southern end of Viaduct 5c was completed, linking this to the balanced cantilever viaduct at John Vorster interchange. At the northern end of Viaduct 5c, where construction of the two remaining piers is in progress, erection of the ten remaining deck spans will continue once these piers have been completed.

Construction of supporting piers and abutments at both the John Vorster and Jean Avenue balanced cantilever viaducts is complete. Work on the in-situ balanced cantilever deck sections on top of the piers at each of these viaducts is in progress.

CENTURION STATIONThe elevated Centurion station platforms are located on Viaduct 5, immediately adjacent and parallel to West Street. The concourse buildings and parking area are at ground level. The viaduct piers and deck spans on which the station platforms are being constructed have been completed.

Erection of the precast platforms and parapets on the viaduct is finished and platform roof cladding is well advanced. Station building works, platform access stairs and lift shaft construction are all substantially complete. The structural steel curtain-wall framing to the concourse area is in progress. Finishing trades within the concourse

Temporary butt-welding yard on the alignment between the Midrand and Centurion stations.

Aerial view of Centurion Station on top of Viaduct 5.


Tel: +001 (450) 424 4112 Fax: +001 (450) 424 4026



SALL’UNITÉ DE CONTRÔLE “SUPÉRIEURE” DE LA

LOCOMOTIVEn Le système SAL s’installe sur n’importe qu’elle locomotive

construites tel que GE, GM, Alstom, Bombardier & autres.

n L’interface Homme Machine (MMI) sera programmée pour afficher n’importe quel langage.

n L’installation du système sera adaptée et dessinée spécifiquement aux demandes du client.

n Installé dans les Chemins de fer de Classe 1 sur des locomotives EMD & GE il fonctionne avec succès.

n Il élimine approximativement 85% des relais. (Selon le manufacturier de la locomotive)

n UM, pupitre de commande, des capteurs pour la chambre du moteur, des dispositifs et les ensembles de filage sont fournis.

n Les transducteurs et la quincaillerie requis pour le montage sont fournis en ensembles.

n Un système de support complet par téléphone, conférence web ou sur place avec notre ingénierie.

n Un support total de 20 années.

n La quincaillerie subordonnée est échangée en moins de 5 jours.

n Applicable à tous les technologies de Locomotive Moteur-Multi (Groupe électrogène).

n Le SAL est le système le plus avancé et complet, et à coût effectif de système de surveillance intelligent de locomotive par microprocesseur et Télémétrie avec GPRS sur le marché aujourd’hui!

MESURE LA CONSOMMATION RÉEL DE CARBURANT DIESEL

CONTROL D’EXCITATION DIGITAL (DURANT LA CHARGE ET LE FREINAGE RHÉOSTATIQUE)

CONTROL COMPLET DE LA PUISSANCE

* SUJET AU MANUFACTURIER DE LA LOCOMOTIVE

LE CONTROL LOGIQUE TOTAL DÉCROIT LE NOMBRE DE RELAIS JUSQU’À 85%*TÉLÉMÉTRIES PAR GPRS

z e i tz e i t

PROTECTION COMPLÈTE DES GRILLESDE FREINAGE RHÉOSTATIQUE

ALTERNATEUR D’ESSIEU

INTERFACE HOMME - MACHINE

ENREGISTREUR D’ÉVÈNEMENTS

MESURE DE LA VITESSE ET LIMITATION UTILISANT GPS ET/OU UN GÉNÉRATEUR D’ESSIEUX

SYSTÈME DE SURVEILLANCE INTELLIGENT COMPLET PAR MICROPROCESSEUR.

PROTECTION ET CONTRÔLE DES ÉQUIPEMENTS AUXILIAIRES, (COMPRESSEUR, VENTILATEUR, GÉNÉRATEUR AUXILIAIRE, ETC)

CONTRÔLE D’ADHÉSION ET PROTECTION DES MOTEURS DE TRACTION

PROTECTION COMPLÈTE DE SURVITESSE DU MOTEUR, SURVEILLANCE DE LA TEMPÉRATURE ET DE LA PRESSION

SYSTÈME DE COMMUNICATION DIGITAL AVEC UN PROTOCOLE OUVERT

GM

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At the adjacent parkade structure, most of the final eighth-level deck had been cast by the end of January. Parapet wall installation to the perimeter of the structure is in hand.

MARLBORO-AIRPORT

Civil construction work is complete along the whole of the airport branch. This includes eleven bridges, three viaducts and a number of other structures, including the platforms for a future station at Modderfontein. Remaining work is limited to final finishing and landscaping in some places.

VIADUCTS 13 & 14 Viaduct 13 over Centenary Way in Modderfontein and Viaduct 14 over Zuurfontein Road are both finished, with trackwork and catenary in place on both.

By the end of January, twin-track lines were in place along the entire length of the east-west route from behind Linbro Park to the airport station. Electrification was complete and operational.

VIADUCT 15 & RHODESFIELD STATION At 1.5km, Viaduct 15 – now complete - is the longest on the east-west line. It supports both the Rhodesfield and airport station platforms and carries the double track over the R21/R24 road network. Tracklaying and overhead catenary provision are complete.

The Rhodesfield station platforms are elevated, located approximately one third of the way along Viaduct 15, directly above the existing Metrorail lines running between Isando and Kempton Park.


have commenced, while mechanical and electrical installations inside the technical rooms continue. Earthworks and dynamic compaction of the parking area are in hand and layer works are in progress.

VIADUCT 6 OVER EEUFEES ROADAt Viaduct 6, piling at the southern abutment is in hand, and four of the six deck spans have been completed.

SALVOKOP AND PRETORIA Near Salvokop at the approach to Pretoria, construction of the cut-and-cover structure crossing beneath the Ben Schoeman highway is complete.

PRETORIA STATION Concrete and building works at Pretoria station are well advanced, with work on the associated technical and operational facilities in progress. Internal finishing work continues. Platform construction is finished. The platform and concourse roof cladding is substantially complete. Curtain wall framing and glazing are approaching completion. Mechanical and electrical installations have commenced. Parking area construction has started in the area formerly occupied by the McCarthy building, which has been demolished. Refurbishing of the coach washing shed, which has historic significance, is to commence shortly.

PRETORIA-HATFIELDVIADUCT 7 The deck to the section that will carry the Gautrain lines across Nelson Mandela Boulevard is well advanced and parapet erection is in progress. Pier and trestle beam construction continues on the remaining sections of this “Y-shaped” structure that crosses above the existing Metrorail tracks, together with placing of the M-beams for the bridge decks.

Between Gautrain’s Pretoria and Hatfield stations, a number of road bridges crossing the existing Metrorail railway have been lengthened, to accommodate the new tracks which will run parallel. These include bridges at Ridge Road, Grosvenor Road, Cilliers Street, Bourke Street, Walker Street, Walton Jameson Road, and Lynnwood Road. Finishing work continues on some of these. Extensive lateral support work in the cuttings, together with the earthworks and construction of retaining structures necessary to widen the existing embankments, are in hand.

HATFIELD STATION Lateral support and excavation of the southern embankment is complete, and construction of the station itself has commenced. Foundation construction and structural works for the concourse and platform areas is in hand, together with work on the concourse slab that will extend above the platforms.

Hatfield Station under construction.


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The track slab, platform structure and platform roof at Rhodesfield are complete, including cladding. The station entrance, concourse and parking area are at ground level on the eastern side of the existing lines. Concourse building works and platform accessways are substantially complete, escalators have been positioned and installation of equipment in the technical rooms is in progress. Internal finishes are well advanced and technical equipment and M&E installations are in progress. Platform tiling will commence shortly and installation of the glazed facades is in hand. Work on the parking area continues and construction of the stormwater attenuation pond is finished. Tracklaying and overhead catenary provision are complete.

Foundation construction and columns for a new Metrorail station, immediately adjacent to the Gautrain facility, is in progress and track has been laid. This will provide commuters with a convenient transfer link between the Gautrain and Metrorail systems.


Rhodesfield Station on Viaduct 15.

Gautrain test running: trains arriving at the airport station.

O R TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STATIONThe platform structures, structural steel platform canopies and roof cladding are complete, including the installation of tinted glass closure screens. Construction proceeds on three sets of emergency access stairways at the ends of the platforms. Finishing work within the station concourse shell is substantially complete, as are electrical and mechanical installations. Platform tiling is to commence shortly. The public address system, ticket vending machines and fare gates have been installed and are being tested. Track through the station as well as overhead electrification is complete, and trainset test running has begun.

The station concourse is located at the eastern end of viaduct 15 and is directly linked to the departures level of the adjacent new central terminal building, one level below.


at the site of the accident and were expected to remain so for several more days. As a result, no long-distance train services were able to run in the immediate area. However, a limited bus service was available between Brussels and Lille, in northern France, where passengers could board London-bound trains. The high-speed service to and from Amsterdam remained suspended and only a handful of trains ran to and from Paris.

According to press reports, it was Belgium’s worst rail crash since 1954. In a similar head-on collision between two commuter trains near Brussels in 2001, in which eight people died, it was speculated that “language problems” between Flemish and French-speaking signalmen may have been a factor.

US RAIL HARD HIT BY WEATHERRailways in the north-east of the United States were brought to a halt in early February by the worst weather in decades. Washington’s metropolitan system closed down all surface portions of its system, retaining service only on the underground sections. Amtrak cancelled 18 intercity trains between Washington and New York, and also between Washington and various destinations in the south. Maryland also reported major disruptions in its metro subway system.

BUSINESS CLASS TRAINS ATTACKEDWindows were smashed when the Pretoria-Johannesburg “Tshwane Business Express” was stoned at Kempton Park, apparently because it was given priority over ordinary Metrorail commuter trains following a power failure. In another incident, angry commuters forced their way into the Business Express when there were problems with the regular suburban trains, which were running late. According to a press report, they “packed the Business Express like sardines.”

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

FATAL DERAILMENT NEAR BRUSSELSOn 15 February, two peak-hour Belgian electric commuter trains collided head-on near the station at Buizingen in the Halle district, south-west of Brussels. Altogether 18 people were confirmed dead, 55 badly hurt and 89 with minor injuries.

One train was from Leuven, travelling to Braine-le-Comte. The other was from Quievrain, en route to Liege. Altogether, about 300 people were on board the trains. It was speculated that one of the two ran a red signal. Light snow was falling at the time. Extensive damage was caused to track and overhead, resulting in widespread disruption, with many long-distance services in Western Europe delayed. Trains to south-western Belgium, Paris and London were cancelled. All services on the affected line as well as nearby lines, including the Eurostar to and from London, Thalys services from Paris, and trains to south-western Belgium, were cancelled for the day due to the extent of the wreckage.

Services were further dislocated when drivers embarked on wildcat strike action, alleging the accident was due to “poor working conditions”. By 17 February, international rail services to and from Belgium were still disrupted though local lines were running almost normally. Eurostar said the emergency services and investigation team were still

One objective of our regular feature reporting and commenting on rail mishaps is to provide information and object lessons from Africa and abroad, in the hope that – in some cases at least - this might help avoid recurrences.

Metrorail’s Business Express.


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

FATAL DRIVE OFF CAPE TOWN BRIDGE ONTO RAILWAYOn 7 February, two men in a bakkie travelling on the N1 in the direction of Cape Town are thought to have swerved to avoid hitting a vagrant. The vehicle hurtled through a large gap in a bridge railing near the Joostenberg Vlakte off-ramp and flew through the air for several metres before landing on its roof on the main-line electric railway. Both men are believed to have died instantly. According to a press report: “The vehicle was completely squashed by the impact and rescue workers had to cut the bodies out of the mangled wreckage.”

SANTA FE: 22 OFFOn 18 February, 22 wagons in a freight train on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railway derailed near the city hall in Santa Fe (New Mexico, USA). Ten were tankcars, some of which were carrying propane. Two tankcars were punctured, spilling an “asphalt-based oil” and solid waste, and residents in the area were evacuated as a precaution.

The city’s mayor says he is concerned at the speed of trains through the municipality, recalling that 12 wagons of the Union Pacific Railroad derailed in August 2009, only 10km to the west of the present incident. The cargo included toxic chemicals.

The municipality received a letter some years ago, in which BNSF said it intended to increase train speed through the town to 90km/h. BNSF spokesman Joe Faust told the press that rail speed limits are set by the Federal Railroad Administration, but pointed out that trains do not necessarily travel at this figure.

CAR ABANDONED ON TRACKS: DRIVER JAILEDA resident of Beaver Dam, Kentucky, who drove onto the railway on 29 January, abandoned her vehicle when it became stuck on the track. Within minutes it was hit by a train. Kentucky State Police arrested 37-year-old Christina Moore, charged her with DUI (driving under the influence) and found accommodation for her in the Ohio County Jail.

WARRENTON DERAILMENT DIVERTS BLUE TRAIN On 11 February, the Blue Train and two other Cape main-line passenger expresses were diverted via Bloemfontein due to a goods train derailment at Warrenton, 70km north of Kimberley. The Blue was held for some time at Hennenman, 42km south of Kroonstad, due to catenary theft. Eventually diesel locomotives took it forward.

During the previous week, catenary theft occurred between Hennenman and Geneva, also between Whites and Welgelee, affecting both Up and Down lines. In the Bosrand area, wires were stolen on the Up line.

According to our correspondent, the thieves avoid taking the actual contact wire which is grooved for attachment

purposes and unique to the railways. If found at a scrap yard, the police are immediately aware that it is stolen. Cunning thieves confine their attention to the ungrooved feeder cables.

STELLENBOSCH CYCLIST SURVIVES SPAT WITH TRAINA 20-year-old University of Cape Town student from America was hit (from behind) by a Metrorail commuter train near Stellenbosch. She was cycling with friends at a crossing near Lynedoch about 11:00 on 6 February. Somehow she failed to see the train pulling away from the station.

Tasso Steyn, head of operations and logistics at the Stellenbosch Fire and Rescue Department - the first rescue worker to arrive, along with a paramedic – said: “She’s really very lucky. I’ve never in my life met someone who was hit by a train and lived to tell the tale.” The student sustained a badly broken arm in the accident, but no other injuries.

MARITZBURG AFTERMATHIn a November 2009 derailment at Pietermaritzburg station, three electric locomotives overturned and 18 wagons left the rails, causing extensive damage to track and overhead infrastructure. Every line through the station was affected, blocking all traffic on the KwaZulu-Natal main-line. During cleanup operations, two rerailed wagons ran away and derailed further down the line. After 24 hours’ work, one track was reopened and traffic movement resumed.

Eight empty Union Pacific wagons went off the line during shunting operations in Salt Lake City, Utah, early one day in November.

Three months after the accident at Pietermaritzburg, derailed wagons still litter the scene.

Vegetation growing through wagons derailed at Pietermaritzburg last November. Both photos: Grant Fryer.


EUROSTAR’S CHRISTMAS BREAKDOWNS Kevin Smith, reporting in the International Railway Journal (IRJ), has explained what went wrong beneath the English Channel on 18 December:

“Extreme weather conditions in northern France caused five trains to malfunction inside the tunnel that evening. A ‘unique’ fine and dry snow is believed to have penetrated the power cars’ door screens and seals before melting in the tunnel’s 25oC environment and interfering with the trains’ electrics.

“Problems escalated while the 19:37 Eurostar service from Disneyland, the first failure, was removed from the tunnel by special Eurotunnel diesel locomotives. With only one line through the tunnel in operation, snow collected on the roofs of four subsequent trains while they were held open to the elements at Calais. They also broke down shortly after entering the tunnel.

“Described by both Eurostar and Eurotunnel as an ‘unprecedented event in the 15 years of Channel Tunnel rail services,’ 1,364 passengers on two of the incapacitated trains were eventually evacuated through the service tunnel. Thousands more passengers were left waiting at London St Pancras, Brussels and Paris as 146 Channel Tunnel train services, capable of carrying 700 passengers each, were suspended over the next three days (19-21 December).

“After the trains were tested to ensure their suitability to run, limited operations were instituted between 20 and 24 December. No new tickets were issued, and many travellers were advised to stay away as Eurostar attempted to clear the backlog of frustrated passengers hoping to complete their journeys in time for Christmas.

“Many questions still remain unanswered,” IRJ’s Smith continues, “about exactly what happened that evening and why, and whether the response of Eurostar staff to the breakdowns, which has been publicly criticised by Eurotunnel officials, was appropriate.

“With a report on the incident from an independent inquiry, headed by former Eurotunnel commercial director Christopher Garnett, expected to be published by the end of January, senior press officer for Eurostar communications Richard Holligan declined to comment on accusations from Eurotunnel that the response of train staff was inadequate and that safety rules were ignored.

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

RODENT’S MEAL DELAYS 99 UK TRAINSDuring January, a rodent that chewed through a one-inch high-voltage cable on Britain’s west coast main-line delayed 99 trains. Twenty services had to be cancelled. Network Rail has embarked on a two-year program to strengthen the railway’s rodent defence system by laying armoured steel replacement cables.

[The journalist who reported this commented: Maybe some cats would be a cheaper option! – Editor]

INDIAN DERAILMENTS FOLLOW BLASTSOn 10 February, rail lines were blown up in India’s Sundargarh district for the second time in 48 hours, derailing eight wagons of a goods train. The rebels responsible are fighting for communist rule in a number of Indian states. On 8 February, the line was blown up between Bhalulata and Jareikela stations, derailing two wagons of a goods train, disrupting train services between Howrah and Mumbai. The Utkal Express, Mumbai-Howrah Mail, Azad Hind Express, Gitanjali Express, Ahmedabad Express, Sambaleswari Express and Tata-Alleppey Express were all halted by the incident, according to the Times of India

WEATHER CLOSES PERUVIAN LINEPeru’s popular tourist railway to Machu Picchu is to be closed for at least two months following torrential rain and mudslides. Late in January, many tourists were stranded after the line was washed away in eight places. Though the line is privately owned and operated, the government is to help with repairs. The train to the city of Cuzco is the only means of transport on the last leg of the trip to the Machu Picchu ruins, and closure of the line and the resultant decrease in tourist traffic could cost Peru’s economy as much as $US800 million, equivalent to 0.63% of gross domestic product.

TIED TO LINE: LOSES LEGCarolyn Frost, editor of The Bolander (Western Cape) was outraged. Maybe you will be too: “The inhumane dumping of a pregnant dog, found tied to railroad tracks near Wellington last Friday, has resulted in a wave of outrage nationally (and it wouldn’t surprise me if it has made international ripples as well). It defies comprehension that a person could take (presumably) a pet, and try to solve an unwanted pregnancy in this heinous manner.

“The two people who discovered the hapless dog (having just come from doing volunteer work at the local SPCA), rescued her moments before another train thundered over the spot where she had been tethered. One of her front legs had already been severed, but other than that, she was intact.

“Fortunately she’s in good hands - a private vet in Wellington is seeing to her wellbeing and restoration to health. The National Council of SPCAs has emphasised that if an animal is no longer wanted, it can be brought to them with noquestions asked.”

This previous derailment at Pietermaritzburg station occurred on 3 April 2007.

Five loaded coal wagons came off the track on 12 November in Richmond, Virginia. Amtrak passenger service between Newport News and Richmond was disrupted.


“Keefe says that it took approximately 30-60 minutes for the emergency evacuation procedure to be completed because only two doors were used to exit the train. He was though critical of Eurostar staff who allowed passengers on one of the trains to take their luggage with them during the evacuation. This he says inevitably delayed the process and caused further confusion at Folkestone when a bag check was undertaken by police as passengers were transferred to an unstaffed Eurostar train to complete their journey to St Pancras.

‘We were supposed to evacuate people, not suitcases,’ Keefe says. ‘There were 640 people on that train, all situated in a confined space. The consequences of that were increases in the amount of time it took people to get off the train. The last thing we wanted was for cross passengers to be held up as people carried their luggage up and down stairs, which can be enormously difficult.’

“Keefe says that Eurotunnel has cooperated fully with the inquiry, including holding regular meetings with Garnett and, like Eurostar, submitted a log of the evening’s events, including all the information about the breakdown of the trains and the response of staff. As the operator awaits details of the inquiry’s findings, he says that Eurotunnel hopes any recommendations made will prevent a similar incident in the future.”

‘It is in everyone’s interests to find out what happened and why Eurostar trains broke down to prevent this from happening again,’ Keefe says. ‘Eurostar is our biggest customer so it is not in our interest for them to be unable to provide an adequate service for passengers.’ - Kevin Smith, reporting in the International Railway

Journal (IRJ). www.railjournal.com

AMTRAK STUCK IN SNOWAt about 02:40 on Friday 5 February, Amtrak’s Capitol Limited - bound for Chicago from Washington with 115 passengers - made an unscheduled stop outside Connellsville, Pennsylvania, a former coal-mining town 91km south-east of Pittsburgh. This followed a “powerful mid-Atlantic storm” that grounded flights, shut down highways, and left downed trees and power lines blocking the line. There was a further problem: the crew had worked its maximum allowable hours, but highway closures prevented replacements from reaching the train.

The coaches had heat, electricity and food to last until Saturday lunch. After that, Amtrak sent out to the nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, which supplied dinner for the passengers. The dining car chef meanwhile stocked up at a local grocery.

Some distance behind the passenger express, a freight train derailed in Cumberland, Pennsylvania.

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

“Holligan did, however, admit that the train’s ‘winterisation’ system failed and that modifications have since been made to prevent similar breakdowns in the future. He also defended Eurostar’s response to the situation and the treatment of the stranded passengers. The company announced on 19 January that it would pay up to £10 million in compensation to around 100,000 passengers caught up in the fiasco, including a full refund, additional free journey, £150 in cash and any reasonable expenses.”

‘While the disruption was ongoing, passengers without a place to stay who were away from home were able to claim for a three-star hotel and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses,’ Holligan says. ‘We ensured we took care of our most vulnerable passengers and repatriated 7,200 using chartered coaches and ferries. We were consistent in our message throughout the disruption - that if people did not have to travel they should not, and that they would receive an exchange or refund of their tickets.’

“While Eurostar oversaw the handling of passengers during the incident, Eurotunnel, as the tunnel operator, was responsible for the technical aspects of the incident. It presided over the rescue operation, including the removal of each of the Eurostar trains, and worked closely with emergency services personnel who led the passenger evacuation process.

“Spokesperson for Eurotunnel John Keefe said that it took longer than expected to implement the emergency evacuation procedure because the five trains broke down almost simultaneously with each having to be removed one at a time.

However, he dismissed claims made in some media outlets that people were stuck in the tunnel for 15 hours as ‘rubbish’ saying that such estimates of time might only be contrived from overall delays of the trains travelling between Paris and London.

“Keefe says that an evacuation is only considered ‘when conditions on the train are no longer sustainable for passengers,’ and that every effort was made to restore power on the trains before passengers were removed.

‘On the second Eurostar that broke down at 21:40 GMT, those passengers were only stopped in the tunnel for around an hour and a half before the evacuation process began. The driver initially tried to repair the train with the technical procedures on board. When they then lost power just after 23:00, the driver requested evacuation at that stage.’

Exceptionally bleak weather was a challenge to UK train operations at Christmas.

Amtrak passengers at a station stop in the Rockies.


MIDDLE EAST UPDATE

total high-speed investment by 2010 is seen at almost $12 billion,” Kantarci says.

DUBAI METRO CARRIES 7M IN 4 MONTHSThe Dubai Metro carried 7,592,066 passengers in the four months following its launch in September 2009, according to the latest statistics released by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Ramadan Abdullah, director of the rail operation department at the rail agency, said Dubai Mall station opened on 3 January, one day before the official inauguration of the tallest tower in the world. Ramadan said the Mall of the Emirates was the most used station, recording 1,265,646 passengers between 9 September 2009 and 1 January 2010. The second most utilised station was Khalid bin Al Waleed with 1,111,301. Al Ittihad Station followed next with 1,007,564, Al Rashidiya with 766,908, Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station with 766,472, Deira City Centre with 749,930, Financial Centre with 652,149, Al Rigga with 539,692, Al Jafiliya with 407,878, Airport Terminal 3 with 294,004 and Dubai Mall with 30,522.

The Metro has experienced high usage on Fridays, official holidays and public events such as the two Eids and National Day celebrations.

SAUDI LRT PLANSThe Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), Saudi Arabia, is planning to launch tenders for the construction of a $US3 billion, 39km light rail network early in 2010.

The system is to be built in two phases, in the form of two separate lines, and is scheduled for completion by 2017. The first will extend 25km north to south with 23 stations. The second, 14km, will run east-west with 13 stations. Construction has started, with site clearing and excavation for both lines already done.

Consultancy teams working on the project include Beirut-based Dar al-Handasah, France-based Semaly, Omrania and Associates of Saudi Arabia and Canada-based IBI Group. In November 2009, a $US163 million contract for the supply of rolling stock was awarded to Compañía Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain.

AMBITIOUS ISRAELI TRANSPORT PLANSThe lack of fast, efficient transport from Tel Aviv to other parts of Israel has long been recognised as hampering the country’s economic growth. The government, it is understood, is expected to announce an ambitious

Middle East UpdateSAUDI HARAMAIN PROJECT ON TRACKThe Haramain railway project is on track, the Saudi Railway Organisation (SRO) says, following the completion of procedures to invite tenders to begin the second and final phase of the project. This covers the construction of the 450km electric railway, signal and communication systems and the supply of high-speed trains, as well as operation and maintenance of the line. A spokesman said SRO expected to receive technical and financial offers from five prequalified consortia.

MAJOR TURKISH RAIL INVESTMENT Torkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari (TCDD – the Turkish State Railway) plans to invest about $US12 billion over the next decade in constructing its high-speed rail network, a major aim being to shift more traffic off the roads.

Board director of TCDD’s vehicle-production unit Muammer Kantarci says rail currently carries 3% of passenger traffic and 5% of freight traffic. The country’s first high-speed railway, a $US4 billion electrified double line that links the capital Ankara to the western city of Eskisehir, opened in March 2009. Construction of a further high-speed link (from Eskisehir to Istanbul, costed at $1.27 billion) has begun. A Chinese consortium won the tender. Altogether, a 2,297km high-speed network is planned, representing an investment of $10.4 billion. “Together with 74 items of rolling stock, the

Turkey’s high-speed lines: existing and planned. Map courtesy Railway Gazette International.

One of the Dubai metro’s impressive stations.

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programme shortly that will involve spending some $US13.5 billion on roads and railways over the next 20 years.

Existing train services are good along the heavily-populated coast, but inland the situation is very different. The new line to Jerusalem, originally scheduled to open in 2013, is unlikely to be operational before 2018 at the earliest. The light rail system in that city is running about four years behindhand.

BOSPHOROUS TUNNELTorkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari (TCDD – the Turkish State Railway) is seeking consultants to analyse options for freight traffic that will run between Europe and Asia through the newly constructed Marmaray tunnel beneath the Bosphorus, the waterway connecting the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

IRAN-IRAQ LINKA new 51km railway linking Khorramshahr in south-western Iran with the southern Iraqi city of Basra is under construction. Rahahane Djjomhouriye Eslami Iran (RAI – the Islamic Iranian Republic Railways) director general for international affairs Abbas Nazari told the Mehr news agency on 30 January that nearly 90% of the first phase of the project inside Iran (about 16km) has been completed. He said the project will allow for improved travel routes and transport of goods between Iraq and the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

RATP TO ASSIST SAUDI ARABIAThe Saudi Public Transport Company (Saptco) has teamed up with an affiliate of France’s Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens [RATP] to bid for public transport projects, it has been announced. On 30 January, Saptco signed a “strategic cooperation agreement” with RATP Developpement that would “enhance the two firms’ competitiveness in operating and the maintenance of integrated public transportation networks.”

In its statement, Saptco added that this “is in preparation for existing and future opportunities and projects in the kingdom and in Gulf countries which are witnessing a growing development in the field of public transportation.”

Saudi Arabia is spending $US400 billion in the five years to 2013 on development projects which include several involved in transport -- notably tramway, high-speed trains and metros -- in existing or planned cities in the kingdom.

Saptco has signed a “strategic cooperation agreement” with RATP Developpement that would “enhance the two firms’ competitiveness in operating and the maintenance of

The Saudi Railways Organisation has ordered eight 200km/h diesel multiple-unit sets from Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA (CAF) in Spain.

MIDDLE EAST UPDATE

integrated public transportation networks,” the Saudi firm said in a statement on the bourse website.

The two firms are to bid for projects in Saudi metropoles such as Mecca, Riyadh and Medina as well as in cities that are under construction.

TURKEY TO IRAN TO PAKISTANTurkey and Pakistan have agreed to a $US20 billion upgrading of a lengthy international rail route to improve freight transport between the two countries as well as on to Europe. The five-year scheme aims to cut travel time between Islamabad and Istanbul via Tehran from 11 days or more to three or four. The existing 6,566km track requires considerable upgrading, comprising 1,990km in Pakistan, 2,570km in Iran and 2,006km in Turkey.

An August 2009 container train trial trip from Islamabad took two weeks to reach Istanbul, running via the south-western Pakistani province of Balochistan, then Iran. Islamabad hopes it will be possible to start passenger service on the route.

$US3BN IRAQI RAILWAY PROJECT The Iraqi transport ministry is to invite foreign companies to build a $US3 billion rail network around Baghdad. It intends to revive a 1980s plan by an Italian company to build a loop line around the city, and construct two principal passenger stations.

Head of the state railway’s projects department Hilal al-Quraishi, says the work will take four years: “It is a huge project. It will connect all the lines heading to the provinces and neighbouring countries. Freight trains will not enter Baghdad itself but load and unload a short distance south of the capital at a dry port.”

Two main passenger stations will be built as part of the project, one in the west and one in the east of Baghdad.

The planned capacity of the network will be 23 million passengers per year and 46 million tonnes of freight.

DUBAI AIMS TO UP RAIL’S MARKET SHAREDubai is determined to increase the number of people who use public transport from the current 6% to 30% by 2020.

To realise this aim, continuous improvement is planned for all modes of transport including the Dubai metro, trams, buses, taxis and marine transport.

CAF of Spain has supplied 14 light rail vehicles for the new 11km tramway in Antalya, a Turkish town on the Mediterranean. The line connects at Ismetpasa with the city’s original tram system.


WORLD MISCELLANY

COMPETITION FROM CHINA LOSES AUSTRALIAN JOBS Bradken, a rail industry supplier, is to close its manufacturing facility in Australia’s Newcastle on 9 April. The country’s strong currency coupled with competition from China are given as the reasons for the plant running out of work. The decision came as a shock to the firm’s employees and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union. “There was no warning this was coming,” Union organiser Daniel Wallace was quoted saying.

The Bradken group’s rail administration and engineering division is not affected by the decision.

“The facility was originally set up to do maintenance but we have been doing project work during the past few years, including some involving Queensland coal wagons,” Bradken rail general manager Andrew Allen explained. “Before Christmas we were unsuccessful in two major contracts, which we lost to China. One was for coal wagons in the Hunter Valley and the other for iron ore wagons in Western Australia.

“The Australian dollar has been quite strong for some time and that makes it harder to compete with overseas contenders. The contracts we were doing ran out, and it made no sense to keep on with an operation of that size when we have larger operations elsewhere in Australia.” The lease on the premises expires in March and a decision was taken to “hand it back to the owner”. Some employees would be offered other work in the group so the final number of redundancies was uncertain.

GAUGE CONVERSIONS IN INDIAOn 24 February, India’s minister for railways Mamta Banerjee announced a target for gauge conversion projects totalling 800km during the next financial year. Unlike the situation in several African countries, where 1,435mm “standard” gauge is the objective of ambitious politicians, India does not use 1,435mm anywhere. The projects in this year’s pipeline all involve changing mostly metre-gauge sections to the unusually wide 1,676mm, which is the Indian norm.

The lines planned for changeover are:

1. Barddhaman - Balgona of Barddhaman - Katwa;2. Krishnanagar - Santipur;3. Tirunelveli - Tenkasi of Quilon - Tiruchendur and Tenkasi

- Virudunagar;4. Mayiladuturai - Thiruvarur of Mayiladuturai - Karaikkudi;5. Bharuch - Samni - Dahej;6. Aluabari - Siliguri;7. Dindigul - Palani of Dindigul - Pollachi - Palakkad;8. Anandpuram - Talguppa of Shimoga - Talguppa;9. Chintamani - Chikballapur of Kolar - Chikballapur;10. Kaptanganj - Thawe of Kaptanganj - Thawe - Chhapra;11. Ratangarh - Bikaner of Sadulpur - Bikaner;12. Mavli - Nathdwara;13. Katihar - Tejnarayanpur;14. Sitamarhi - Bairgania of Jaynagar - Darbhanga -

Narkatiaganj;15. Bodeli - Chotta Udepur of Pratapnagar - Chotta Udepur.

As well as these, the minister said, the following conversions are proposed:

16. Chhindwara - Nainpur - Mandla Fort;17. Gwalior - Sheopurkalan with extension to Kota;18. Dholpur - Sirmutra with an extension to Gangapur city.

LONDON TUBE: POOR MANAGEMENT BLAMEDAccording to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee in the British parliament, “poor and inadequate” management by the Department for Transport (DfT) of Metronet - the company contracted to do maintenance on large parts of London’s underground railway - cost taxpayers hundreds of millions. A warning in 2004 by the National Audit Office (NAO) about overseeing tube upgrade work was ignored, MPs were told. Metronet, which wasresponsible for maintaining nine underground lines, went into administration in 2007.

Chairman of the committee Edward Leigh was quoted saying: “The taxpayer has lost up to £410m as a result of the DfT’s inadequate management of the risks arising from the Metronet contracts for upgrading the infrastructure of the underground. This committee finds it unacceptable that the department ignored the warning by the National Audit Office in 2004 to avoid a hands-off approach to overseeing the upgrades.

“The department’s assumptions were flawed from the outset. It was naive in assuming that Metronet would establish strong financial management and corporate governance. And its assumption that Metronet’s lenders would exert strong influence on Metronet’s governance and financial health in order to protect their investment was undermined because the department shouldered 95% of the lenders’ risks,” he added.

The way Metronet was handled by the DfT exposed it to “big financial risks”, Leigh said. “These mistakes must never be repeated on future large contracts and government departments must establish and exercise the right to intervene where problems of this magnitude occur.”

Topical items from around the world

“This is the third train we’ve overtaken today”.Photo: Richard Grönstedt.

AFRICAN SIDELINE


RAILWAY HERITAGE

Preservation is an essential part of the picture... by J. Batwell

REEFSTEAMERS, GERMISTONThis Germiston club is looking for big funding. Class 15F no 3052 needs 25 boiler tubes replaced, at a cost of R40,000. Class 15CA no 2056 faces a bill of R200,000 – for full replacement of all 30 flues. Meanwhile, former Springs-shedded prestige class 15F 4-8-2 no 3135 is now safe at Reefsteamers’ depot, but is far from looking like a “prestigious” locomotive today!

During November, class 12AR no 1535 and class 25NC no 3472, the club’s only working locos, undertook the steam workings in the Free State on the occasion of the popular annual Cherry Festival. Subsequent to the festival, loco no 1535 blew a small tube on a Magaliesburg working leaving the club at the year-end with only 25NC no 3472 operable for its own as well as SANRASM’s country trains. The GMAM Garratt no 4079, on loan from Sandstone, has its regulator out. Reefsteamers is setting its sights on putting class 15F no 3046 into service in 2010.

GARRATTS AT SELEBI PHIKWEIt is reported that a New Zealand consortium (a break-away from Main Line Steam Trust) has expressed interest in the two surviving ex-NRZ class 14A Garratt locos at the Bamangwato Concessions Ltd depot in Selebi Phikwe, Botswana.

KENYAN STEAM LOCOS SAFELY SHEDDEDAlthough steam safari operations in Kenya came to an abrupt halt in 2006 when the railway was concessioned to Rift Valley Railways, the surviving working locomotives - 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 class 59 no 5918, 2-8-4 class 30 no 3020, and 4-8-0 class 24 no 2409 - are safely housed under cover at the main works shed in Nairobi for (hopefully) further runs in years to come. Meanwhile, the North British Locomotive Preservation Group (NBLPG) in the UK indicates in its newsletter that it would like to ensure the safe-keeping and on-going preservation of 2-8-2 “River” class no 2927 named “Suk”, currently located at Dar-es-Salaam in neighbouring Tanzania. Seen working a 2005 safari in our July issue, it was one of 11 class 29 locos built at the North British Hyde Park Works in Glasgow in 1955, under order no L45 for the East African Railways & Harbours Administration. These engines were very similar to the Nigerian Railways “River” class.

ZIMBABWE TOUR 2010UK operator Geoff’s Trains has firmed up its operational routes in Zimbabwe for the winter of 2010. NRZ Garratts of three different classes (14A, 15 and 16A) are being requested. Steam will head the safari train on the Bulawayo-Cement and Bulawayo-Plumtree lines. A class 15 will be in charge to Victoria Falls, where the Victoria Falls Safari Express will steam up its class 14A Garratt alongside. The tour managers are Geoff and Sheelagh Cooke (husband and wife), names synonymous with steam tours in Southern Africa since the 1980s. Hopefully the new government of national unity in Zimbabwe will ensure sufficient political stability to encourage enthusiasts to book out this tour.

SOUTH AFRICAN ENTHUSIASTS’ TOURGeoff’s Trains is marketing an 11-day South African tour embracing both 1,067mm and 610mm gauge steam traction during May 2010, beginning along the Cullinan branch with Friends of The Rail and the use of class 15F no 3117. Reefsteamers plan to run class 25NC 4-8-4 no 3472 to Magaliesburg. The tour is visiting Sandstone Trust’s narrow gauge farm railway and also taking in Paton’s Country Railway with its mixture of narrow and Cape gauge workings in KwaZulu Natal. An optional tour extension until 5 June - trips with the Eastern Cape’s Apple Express up the Langkloof (hopefully as far as Louterwater and including the Patensie branch) - will probably use two class NG15 locomotives, nos 119 and 124. At times the train is to run in two sections. Travelling outwards on one and returning on the other (a mixed in authentic SAR colours) will provide a maximum of photographic opportunities over four days. The George-Mossel Bay run is built in too.

UMGENI STEAM RAILWAY (USR) PIETERMARITZBURGWork on class GMAM no 4074 had to include the removal of the boiler for complete retubing with new elements and stays. As so often happens with major repair work, it turned out to be a bigger job than first thought. One of the tube plates was found to be dangerously cracked. The only way in which the cost of some R3.4 million could be raised was by donating the Garratt to the Ingwe municipal council, which is using foreign-sponsored funding on the project. A strict legal agreement stipulates that no 4074 must be returned to USR should it no longer be required on Creighton train operations at Paton’s Country Railway. This Garratt is due to be ready for Geoff Cooke’s tour.

Meanwhile, Wilf Mole of Sandstone may help USR in rescuing valuable assets stranded at Hilton. An estimated R245, 000 would be needed to reinstate the Cedara-Hilton line (about 8km), relocate the larger locos and steam crane to Pietermaritzburg by rail and the smaller ones by road. USR members have been moving important fittings and pipe work from the Hilton collection, which was originally intended to form the nucleus of a Natal Railway Museum.

DURBAN AND THE 150TH ANNIVERSARYTo recognise the 150th anniversary of the first train to run in South Africa (at Durban in 1860), the City Council is keen to relocate the original locomotive “Natal” from the main station concourse to the International Convention Centre, and also perhaps Dübs-built class H2 tank locomotive no 329 (of 1901) from Hilton, both for static display. Characteristic of the area for more than seven decades, the last H2 locos were only withdrawn from shunting duty in 1975.

Class 15F no 3135, a long-time Springs loco, is now in safe-keeping at Reefsteamers, Germiston. Photo: D Sanderson.

Reefsteamers is looking for R200, 000 for a full flue replacement of all 30 flues on loco no 2056. Photo: A McCarthy.

“Natal”, the locomotive that made transport history in South Africa 150 years ago.


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RAILWAYS ADVERT FINAL 9/12/08 10:02 Page 1

Diagram showing how four of the rail gauges used in different countries on the African continent can be arranged to use the same route by laying four rails on the same set of sleepers. By this means the expense of changing the gauge of a railway and its rolling stock is avoided.

1,435mm (4’8.5”)

368mm 1.067mm (3’ 6”)435mm1,000mm

END OF THE LINE

CORRESPONDENCENRZ SAFARI EXCURSIONSDear editorYes, a very noble idea from NRZ. I would like to believe that the Safari Train will be targeted to high-bracket tourists. What about the locals, including those from neighbouring countries? The right to host the world soccer tournament was announced years ago. NRZ should have started preparations then. It should have put in place special tournament trains from Zimbabwe as well as Zambia, the DRC, Tanzania……

Imagine the revenue which could have been collected. NRZ could have argued it did not have the cash outlay. Well public-private initiatives could have been sought. BBR [the privately run Beitbridge-Bulawayo railway] could have done this without problems. It just shows that forward thinking in terms of infrastructure development and identifying potential is lacking in the planning department of NRZ. Hopefully this is a wake-up call. Meantime one hopes the World Cup excursion trains are successful. Lastly the country is unique in that it still has steam locos. Why not expand the rail safaris to the maximum? - Samuel Mudehwe (by e-mail)

NIGERIA’S NEW LINE TO ABUJA Dear editorWhile Nigeria’s proposed conversion to standard gauge seems dead in the water, that does not mean that it is a silly idea to use dual-gauge sleepers on the new line to Abuja to allow future conversion to this gauge. Nigeria already has one short branch from IIRC Port Harcourt with dual-gauge sleepers. The isolated Warri line is already standard gauge. Should these lines ever link up, and lines to neighbouring countries be built, including an ambitious line across the Sahara from Libya, then gauge rationalisation should be given careful consideration.

As noted in previous issues of Railways Africa, triple-gauge sleepers are practical for the three most common gauges found in Africa, 1,000mm, 1,067mm and 1,435mm. - Shall Ford (Australia)

MAGADI SODA GAUGE QUESTIONDear editorReading the on-going details in the magazine of Kenya Railways throwing its weight behind the idea of a new 1,435mm gauge arterial railway, one presumes the likes of such a change in gauge would embrace the Magadi branch line to avoid transhipping? The Magadi Soda Company, which is Africa’s largest soda ash manufacturer, is one of Kenya’s leading export earners. The company recovers trona from one of the purest surface deposits in the base of the Rift Valley and converts it into sodium carbonate (soda ash) which it moves on its own 150km railway to access the Nairobi-Mombasa main-line, in order to reach the port. - John Batwell, Roosevelt Park

Magadi Soda Company locomotive.

COMMUTER GRIEF

(According to Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa CEO Lucky Montana, the trains are old, no fare adjustments have been allowed in five years and underfunding has left the railway in “dire financial

straits”.)

He said to me: “The train is late”.“So what is new?” I asked:

The rolling stock is getting on -Its sell-by date’s long past.”

“Too true,” he said, “but even ifIts hard to keep to time

You’d think they’d make a better jobOf cleaning off the grime.”

Transparency is all the rageExcept inside the trains.

The windows are no longer glass -One can’t see through the panes.

Even the graffiti’s old(At best it’s uninspired).

The koki scrawls are wearing thinThey’re out of date - and tired.

Metrorail, its chief confides,Is heading for a fall.

Unless the government coughs up cashDire writing’s on the wall.

- LRD

GAUGE WIDENINGDear editorA realignment of tracks, cutting out sharpish curves, more tunnels and bridges (instead of hugging the landscape) would probably achieve the same results as a shift to standard gauge - and cost much less. The main advantage of broader gauges is surely the ability to go double-deck or double-stack with greater stability. - Phil Collins (by e-mail)

NIGERIAN RAIL CONSTRUCTIONDear editorWell....it is all words and no actions...I think from concession stages to actualisations of the project....the Chinese should handle them...because no one trusts these government officials who parade themselves in Abuja...all they do is loot the treasury ..... not a committed one among them...I just pray the project is realised and managed by the Chinese because Nigerians lack maintenance culture in all the projects executed in the past. - Isaac Ade (by e-mail)


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railways africa march 2010

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