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3. The Railways Africa magazine, complete editions
of which, for some time now, can be found at
www.railwaysafrica.com, has been exceptionally
well received in digital format.
So much so that this very successful, popular and
completely free service has now been made a
permanent arrangement, as of November 2010, with
the opportunity to provide more in-depth coverage
including rich media content, more images, video
and interactive material.
Railways Africa will be printed once a year and
released in April at our Railways and Harbours
Conference and Exhibition – the next one taking
place on 6 to 8 April 2011 at the Johannesburg Expo
Centre. More information about this event and this
special edition can be found on our website.
Digital presentation offers up-to-the-minute
dissemination and is without doubt the way of
the future: environmentally friendly, cost-efficient
– for both reader and publisher – and no carbon
footprint either. You can’t get more politically correct
than that!
Stay tuned for more and we hope you enjoy the
journey with us as Railways Africa evolves over the
next few months.
Notwithstanding nearly a month on
strike, a fired railway CEO, four nasty
derailments on the ore line and the
inter-departmental bicker with Prasa, it
moved record volumes of coal. Acting
group CEO Chris Wells deserves
government recognition for this, and
the wherewithal to get the rest of the
backlog out of his hair.
For almost 20 years, South Africa has
been a democratic country. This means
we get the government we elect but –
unlike some other democratic countries
– doesn’t seem to mean we vote it out
of power if it bungles home affairs,
health, education, policing,
broadcasting, SAA and one or two
other things. Like electricity – and
transport. In his annual report, the Rail
Safety Regulator (RSR) deplores the
“unacceptably high”rate of derailments.
Accidents, he points out, cost Transnet
Freight Rail (TFR) R576m in the 2008-
2009 financial year, and Metrorail
R60m – not including indirect costs
caused by delays and cancellations.
Average cancellations, incidentally,
amount to 10 trains every day (= 3,650
a year) due to accidents and “ security
incidents” such as cable theft. The
Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa)
commuter system, according to RSR
CEO Mosengwa Mofi, is a “major
concern”, battling with infrastructure
and rolling stock “in a poor state (40%
of the fleet more than 37 years old and a
third constantly out of service)”.
Battling is the word. It’s a mystery that
people still manage to get to work in
one piece.
The signalling system, Mofi says, “is at
the end of its economic life, with only
14% of the 162 signalling installations
not having exceeded their design life.”
This is frightening – you don’t want to
even think about the implications. And
when you have done nothing for how
long – sixteen years? – catching up with
the backlog is a formidable business,
let alone trying to move forward.
Comment
Contents
Rail Welding 2
Satellite Tracking 6
Opinion: The Wider World 8
Industry Comment 14
Visit to Bloemfontein 18
Industry News 20
Africa Update 22
SA Rail News 30
Mishaps & Blunders 34
Railway Heritage 46
Train Travel 48
End of the Line 52
Semi-Stationary
Welding
> Page 2
Prasa vs Transnet
> Page 8
First Gautrain
Breakdown
> Page 30
Zimbabwe Derailment
> Page 34
The Long Trek to De Aar
> Page 48
“Buckeye” Restored
> Page 47
However, however - R900 million is to be
spent on signals in terms of a new tender
just announced – and not a moment
too soon. This country of course has a
real problem when it comes to actually
getting things done. Plans are made,
budgets drawn up, vast sums of money
allotted - but not, incredibly, spent. In
his late-October, medium-term budget,
finance minister Pravin Gordhan talked
of most (he did say “most”) provincial
health departments failing to spend
money allocated to them for the revival
of “collapsing hospitals”.
Then there is money earmarked for
one or other important purpose that
disappears unaccountably along
the way. It happens all the time – the
Auditor-General’s recurrent “qualified”
reports are so repetitive, he must be
running out of carbon paper. Which
doesn’t go far in explaining why Minister
Gordhan wants R6.8bn to increase
salaries within government. From the
track record in most departments –
and municipalities – one would think
downward salary adjustments might
more accurately reflect the quality of
performance. At least the money will
get spent – he can be confident of that.
Happily there is some welcome news
for hard-pressed local suppliers: the
proposed business case for new rolling
stock has been approved in principle.
Let’s hope the approval translates into
reality and someone gets on with it. We
can’t be far off a crisis point, one where
desperation takes over and ready-made
stuff has to be imported - losing us yet
more jobs, worsening unemployment
and stimulating crime.
At least Transnet improved its results
in the six months to 30 September.
Phillippa Dean
November 2010 RAILWAYS AFRICA 1www.railwaysafrica.com

4. SUMMARY
Around the world, stationary welding plants are used to
supply high-quality long rails up to 800m in length. These
rails are of sufficient quality to ensure ultimate dependability
and low maintenance costs. In markets with limited existing
infrastructure, the operation of such welding plant is
frequently not an economical proposition and yet when
building new lines, maximum quality is still of the essence,
right from the outset. Vossloh Rail Services (VRS) has
therefore developed its semi-stationary welding technique
to allow short rails to be welded into long ones close to the
construction site. These long rails measure up to 400m in
length and are of a very high quality - on a par with that
produced by stationary welding plants. Also, this technique
simplifies rail logistics and speeds up the rate of rail
infrastructure construction. The outcome: fresh possibilities
of building new and upgraded lines even in remote areas
or desert regions, economically and to the highest possible
safety standards.
MOMENTUM FOR THE RAIL MARKETS
The Arabian Gulf nations are busy expanding their rail
networks. Over the next twenty years, triple-digit, billion-
dollar amounts will go into rail transport. In March 2010,
the United Arab Emirates signed a strategic partnership
agreement with Deutsche Bahn AG for the planning,
construction and operation of a rail system. In November
2009, this same company had been awarded multi-billion
dollar contracts for building a passenger and goods rail
network in Qatar.
The Mediterranean countries are another region where
rail construction is booming. The Sirt-to-Benghazi project
involves the construction of a 554km high-speed line
along the Mediterranean coast, linking the biggest cities in
Libya and set to form part of an international transport axis
in North Africa. Rossiiskie Zheleznie Dorogi (RZhD – the
Russian State Railway) was awarded this contract.
Also planned is a high-speed line between Tangiers
and Casablanca in Morocco, in association with Société
Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF - the French
national railway) while Turkey saw the first section of a
planned high-speed line between Ankara and Eskisehir
commissioned in March 2009. By 2023, this is set to be
extended to a total 4,000km.
MOBILE WELDING
Just how economically new rail lines can be operated
and maintained is a subject largely decided as early as
the construction phase. A major factor is the quality of the
rail welding work. The rule is: the more standardised the
technique, the higher the quality.
In the industrialised countries, long rails up to 400m in
length are normally welded according to a common
standard at the stationary rail welding plant from where
they are shipped to the construction site. In countries
where rail welding plants are rare, shorter rails measuring
18 to 80m each are frequently welded manually into long
lengths as the tracks are laid. This has many disadvantages
for the customer:
• Short rails directly dispatched from the rolling mill must,
for production reasons, be shortened by a metre at each
end in order to arrive at an exact horizontal rail geometry.
For a rail length of 25m, this means 8% of the steel is
scrapped. Added to this, for each welding seam the rails
must be precisely positioned in the track - extra work that
takes up a lot of time. This method of welding frequently
leads to delays across the entire construction project.
SEMI-STATIONARY WELDING
Vossloh Rail Services (VRS)
• In the case of mobile welding, the target geometry of
the rail cannot be as closely controlled as in stationary
welding. This means that the geometric fit at the weld
joint suffers and hence the quality of the weld as such.
Also, such an uneven weld joint impairs ride comfort
and shortens maintenance intervals for the entire
permanent way.
• Welding is generally done out of doors and so rain, wind
and bad light can obstruct the work and decrease the
quality of the weld seams.
For all these challenges, a semi-stationary welding line
offers the right solutions. It merges the flexibility of on-site,
long-rail production with the high quality standards typical
for stationary rail welding plants.
SEMI-STATIONARY WELDING
A semi-stationary welding unit is designed for large
construction sites where for reasons of cost efficiency or
technology, it is not possible to deliver long welded rails
from a stationary welding plant to the construction site.
It allows for short rails from 18m to 120m in length to be
welded together close to the construction site to form up
to 400m long rails. The result: welded long rails to the
highest standards of quality with no construction site
obstructions. Quite the contrary, the pace of construction
is speeded up thanks to such long-rail production
independent of the site location. Moreover, the loaded
volumes can be perfectly adapted to site requirements. This
even applies to regions not yet linked to the rail system,
supplied by road truck shipments.
Furthermore the finished welds may be reworked after
cooling off by applying straightening and grinding
technologies as known in stationary rail welding plants
to reach an exact horizontal rail geometry. This eliminates
the necessity to shorten the rails at the ends as described
above.
The semi-stationary welding line takes care of the
complete process chain: from pulling short rails off their
transport units and feeding them into the welder, through
aligning and welding them into long welded rails, and
finally to reworking the welds. It simplifies site logistics
and maximises seam quality, irrespective of rail profile and
steel grade.
The welding plant is set up close to the site and has its
own power generation unit, allowing it to operate
independently.
TWO MODULES FOR ONE SOLUTION
The semi-stationary welding plant from Vossloh Rail
Services has two modules basically, the loading/
transporting and the welding module (see Figure 1).
The first short rail (of rolled steel) is winched (Figure 2)
from the transport unit into the loading module which
performs all the subsequent feed motions. Once the weld
ends of the following rails have been ground for contact
(Figure 3), these rails are tied to each other using special
straps.
The feed crawler (Figure 4) carries out all the feed
operations within the welding plant. With its vertically
adjustable rollers it ensures secure fixing and positioning
of the rail, at the same time retaining the ability to move
it forward or backward. The rail is then pushed into the
welding module and afterwards onto the long-rail haulage
unit. Special guide mechanisms prevent the long rails from
being diverted sideways while being pushed forward.
RAIL WELDING
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 20102 www.railwaysafrica.com

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6. The welding module is equipped with an AMS 50/200
Supra Flex from Schlatter (Figure 5). The machine will
perform hourly up to eight high-precision, automatic flash-
butt welds, the state-of-the art welding method established
in stationary welding plants. The rail welding plant is partially
roofed and illuminated, and hence the welding work is
protected from weather conditions and can also be done at
night and still produce maximum quality. Two long rails are
welded side by side in alternating sequence; while one is
welded, the other is positioned precisely in place.
The work done by the welding module is subject to, and
monitored by, electronic process control. Also provided is
a bending press for further regular destructive tests. Having
passed the modules described, the welded long rails now
find themselves on the long-rail haulage unit where they are
precision-machined, straightened, ground and have their
welding seams inspected for acceptance. Two layers each
of twelve long rails are pushed onto these haulage units. For
a rail length of 400m, such haulage units will therefore carry
up to 9.6km of long rails.
BRITISH REFERENCE
The VRS semi-stationary welding plant was put to and
passed the acid test in the construction of the Channel
Tunnel Rail Link, also referred to as High Speed 1. This is
a line connecting St Pancras, London, with the Eurotunnel
(and onward to Paris) and is the only high-speed line
in Britain operating at up to 300km/h. Because of the
high speeds, very high quality long rails were required,
particularly regarding the welding metallurgy and geometry.
High-speed construction work was also a must. Altogether
320km of long rails were produced. For this purpose,
in each case rails 108m long were welded together to a
length of 324m in 2001 and 2002. The general contractor
for the project was ThyssenKrupp GfT Gleistechnik. VRS
built not only the semi-stationary welding plant but also
provided the long-rail haulage units.
RAIL WELDING
AUTHOR
Dipl- Ing Andreas Pohlmann (48) is
head of production and authorised
signatory at Vossloh Rail Services.
Following an apprenticeship as a
mechanic at Deutsche Bahn and
after graduating in mechanical
engineering at Hamburg University
of Applied Sciences he worked from
1990 to 1992 in production planning
at MBB/Deutsche Airbus GmbH.
Since 1992 he has been employed
at Stahlberg Roensch GmbH Co
KG, which since 1 January 2010, has
belonged to the Vossloh Rail Services business unit.
He can be contacted under:
Werkstrasse 6, 21218 Seevetal,
Phone: (+49-4105) 5853-11, Fax: (+49-4105) 5853-42,
Email: andreas.pohlmann@vrs.vossloh.com
Figure 1: Stationary welding plant from Vossloh Rail Services has two modules
(from bottom to top), the loading module with the haulage crawler and the
welding module.
Figure 2: The first short rail (rolled length) is winched from the transport unit into
the loading module (1). The following rails are fastened to each other with the aid of
special straps.
Figure 3: Before insertion into the crawler, it is necessary for the rail to be manually
ground for contact at both welding ends.
Figure 4: The crawler handles the entire feed movements within the unit. It also
ensures secure fixing and positioning of the rail along with the possibility of moving
it forward or backward.
Figure 5: The welding module features an AMS 50/200 Supra Flex from
Schlatter. The machine will perform hourly up to eight high-precision mechanical
flash-butt welds.
Figure 6: After welding, the rails are pushed onto the haulage unit where they are
arranged in two tiers each comprising 12 rails. On the haulage unit the welds are
straightened and precision-ground before they undergo a final quality inspection.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 20104 www.railwaysafrica.com

8. Africa is a unique region with many challenges when it
comes to the transport of goods. Low network connectivity,
limited numbers of skilled personnel, high costs, poor safety
and security, and inferior information systems are some of
the main issues that affect the transporters of goods.
For many landlocked countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia,
Malawi, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo,
road transport is the most important mode of transport
for long distance freight, as rail has historically not always
been able to meet the logistics demands of the region. The
challenges of the rail system critically affect the region,
especially for the import and export of goods such as fuel,
food and raw materials.
African Rail Company (ARC), a Swiss-based company
with operational hubs in South Africa, Zimbabwe and
Mozambique and provider of a highly integrated rail-
focused supply chain management service, experiences
the challenges of operating in the region on a first-hand
basis.
As a transporter of fuel in and out of Zimbabwe, Zambia,
Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo through
the Mozambican port cities of Maputo and Beira, ARC
wanted to find a way to provide more information and
accountability to its customers, improve the efficiency of
is operation and finally reduce idle times of its rail wagon
fleet.
According to Dave Beek of ARC, “Railway wagons only make
money when they are moving and carrying products.”
MISSING EN ROUTE
Previously, ARC could not easily track and monitor the
location and status of the fuel tankcars once they had left
the station and were on route to their destination. Often
location information provided by local rail operators of the
status of ARC’s wagons was received twenty-four hours
later. ARC wanted to find a way to be able to assure their
customers that their cargo was arriving on time. They also
wanted to know the exact location of their empty wagons
so they could quickly get them filled and carrying product
again.
ARC first began by adding personnel en route, to keep its
control centre informed on the whereabouts of each train.
However, their only means of communication was via
cellular phone networks which - according to Mr Beek –
do not cover the lengthy rail lines comprehensively, there
being few towns, all widely dispersed.
SATELLITE TRACKING
Unhappy with the results achieved using extra personnel,
ARC decided to try monitoring vehicles using GPS
tracking devices. Having previous experience with
satellite tracking, Mr Beek knew that devices commonly
employed in road trucking - which send information using
the same communication networks used by cellphones
- could not provide the reporting capabilities required
by ARC. In addition, cellular network connection and
roaming fees, which would be incurred every time wagons
crossed cellphone network borders, would render typical
tracking devices cost-prohibitive to operate. A more cost-
effective and specialised solution was required.
TRUE SATELLITE TRACKING
In early 2010, ARC started a trial project with thirty GPS
tracking devices that used satellite communication
networks instead of the land-based cellular system. The
devices were installed on every other tankcar travelling
between Maputo and the interior. All the equipent and
web-based software was provided by GlobalTrack, a
South African global-based turnkey solution provider for
worldwide asset monitoring.
For the ARC project, GlobalTrack installed its BAT-
340 tracking device that uses satellite communication
technology provided by Canadian SkyWave Mobile
Communications. The battery-powered equipment is
specifically designed for remote asset management and
has been used to monitor both fixed and mobile assets
where external power is not available.
Each BAT-340 tracking device calculates its position using
information from GPS satellites and sends the information
to GlobalTrack’s servers through satellites owned by UK-
based Inmarsat plc. With an internet connection and a
login ID into GlobalTrack’s secure web-based application,
WebTrack is able to pinpoint the exact location, speed, and
heading of each individual tankcar.
In addition to current location information, WebTrack allows
ARC staff to review historical data concerning all assets on
a computer screen or from reports tailored to specific
needs. Reports can be scheduled to be created at pre-
defined times and sent to an unlimited list of e-mail
addresses, or can be produced at any time as required.
Information relating to current location, distances travelled,
travelling times, and direction and speed is available
around the clock with a couple of mouse clicks.
Based on ARC’s requirements, the GlobalTrack devices
were programmed to report their position every six hours,
or at any time this information was needed or requested.
SATELLITE TRACKING
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 20106 www.railwaysafrica.com

9. SATELLITE TRACKING
If ARC requires the reporting frequencies of the tracking
devices to be changed, engineers can quickly reprogramme
the units without leaving the office. Physical access to the
devices - which may be located anywhere in a very large
area – is not necessary.
BATTERY-POWERED DEVICE
In addition to the global communication capability, low cost
and ease of use, one of the best features of the product –
says GlobalTrack chief operating officer Hein van
Spaendonck - is that it can be installed on unpowered rail
wagons and remain in operation for long periods of time.
“The BAT-340 has built-in batteries that can last up to
thirty-six months without recharging or replacement, based
on four messages a day. The low power consumption of
our units is essential, because we did not want ARC to be
required to change batteries on the tracking units. Also,
connecting to external power sources is not possible.”
To instal the product, GlobalTrack designed and
manufactured special brackets for the tracking devices.
The brackets and the device were securely affixed to the
top of each tankcar where they provide peak performance
and are protected from tampering.
According to Mr Beek, by installing GPS tracking devices,
ARC is now able to pinpoint the location of their wagons
quickly on demand, thereby improving logistics operations
meaningfully. ‘They are also able to provide a service to
their customers that sets them apart from their competition
– the ability to proactively inform each client exactly when
their shipment is going to arrive.
“One final benefit is that we are able to pinpoint the
location of empty tankcars at all times, and get them back
on the line transporting product,” Mr Beek explains.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES
The BAT-340 tracking devices are sufficiently powerful to
provide a number of additional services for rail companies.
With virtual perimeter fences or geofences, owners could be
notified when wagons were within 10 kilometres, or any other
distance, from rail stations. They would be able to proactively
inform customers that their shipments were on the point of
arrival. Geofences would also provide the opportunity to
calculate how much time wagons spend at rail stations and
border crossings – allowing the customer to optimise wagon
use by reducing time spent at each of these stops.
With the on-board GPS accelerometer, owners could be
immediately notified whenever their wagon started and
stopped – alerting them to any unusual or unscheduled
stops.
GUARANTEED RETURN ON INVESTMENT
The financial pay-back of the project has been very easy to
prove. Hein van Spaendonck estimates that ARC recovered
the cost of their initial investment of thirty tracking devices
within four months, simply by being able to move the trains
more quickly. The increase in customer satisfaction and
value are an extra bonus when calculating the return on
investment.
ARC was so pleased with results from the pilot project that
they have agreed to instal another set of BAT-340 tracking
devices on their tankcars, and other rail wagons in the near
future.
Reflecting on the project, Hein van Spaendock says, “There
are plenty of opportunities for satellite technology to increase
the efficiency and productivity of companies transporting
goods in Africa”.

10. PETE THE PUNDIT on
PRASA vs TRANSNET
AND SOME INSTRUCTIVE STORIES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WIDER WORLD
The unprecedented disagreement between Transnet and
the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) dominated
railway news in the country from mid-August, when all
intercity passenger trains ceased running without prior
notice. The crisis followed the recent transfer of Shosholoza
Meyl – the long-distance main-line service – from Transnet
to Prasa. Prasa complained Transnet was not looking after
its rolling stock properly; Transnet said Prasa didn’t pay
its bills.
The fundamental reason for separating passenger train
operation from freight was to have each working – and
costed out – independently. It seemed a great idea in
theory, removing the opportunity for passenger rail to run
in blissful disregard of financial reality, confident that the
profitable freight division would pick up and pay the bills.
The move proved blissfully over-optimistic, with the
proverbial chickens falling over themselves in getting home
to roost. (Towards the end of October, it was announced that
the problems were being resolved, under direction from the
two different cabinet ministers to whom Prasa and Transnet
each report. )
Another concept involving the divorcing of different parts
of a railway – a very fashionable concept in recent years –
sees infrastructure placed under separate management
from actual train operation. Here too the theory is good, but
theory and practice part company all too often; in the rail
arena, many case histories can be quoted that demonstrate
this point.
The most adamant opponents of this so-called vertical
division of responsibility are the railways of North America,
and it is no coincidence that they are privately-owned – and
profitable.
It is instructive at this point to recall that the American
rail companies discarded passenger operation several
decades ago. Rapidly expanding air travel had killed
long-distance profitability, leaving two options: either the
government came in to subsidise passenger trains or it ran
its own. Choosing the latter course, Amtrak was created.
The upshot has been a distinctly unhealthy situation, with
intercity “expresses” notorious for their unbelievably poor
timekeeping, frequently running two, three or even more
hours late.
Amtrak blames the privately-owned companies over whose
lines its trains have to run, the popular belief being that the
freight trains get priority. Does this sound familiar?
PRIVATE SECTOR FOR ANGOLAN RAIL
According to director of the National Railway Institute Julio
Bango, the government of Angola is keen to encourage
private sector participation in the country’s “railway
business”. Addressing the press in Luanda following a
meeting between transport minister Augusto Tomás and
the board chairmen of each of the country’s railways, he
said the government is open to partnerships with private
Angolan and foreign companies wishing to cooperate,
provided they comply with requirements.
There is “no exclusivity for state companies,” Bango
stressed. Opportunities are open for all willing to intervene
in the railways controlled by his institute (NCFA), which is
responsible both for certifying equipment in use and the
licensing of operators.
The railways represented at the meeting were Caminhos
de ferro de Benguela (CFB), Caminhos de ferro de Namibe
(CFN) and Caminhos de ferro de Luanda (CFL).
AFRICAN RAILWAY
Tom Sutcliffe of the London Independent, reviewing the
“odd, endearing” film African Railway shown recently on
BBC4, marvelled at the claim that it was filmed, produced
and directed by Sean Langan, but who seemed to be
doing “catering, transport, costume, sound and local
research as well.”
Langan had little joy in the “eerily depopulated
headquarters of Tazara [the Tanzania-Zambia Railway] in
Dar-es-Salaam”, as he couldn’t find anyone to talk to, such
as the resident Chinese advisers. “Chinese expert number
one ….. cannily referred the interview request back to
Beijing.” He had more success with the Tazara managing
director, who explained that “Tazara would one day be
the finest railroad in Africa”. Sadly he was not given the
opportunity to pursue this admirable aim – “he lost his job
two weeks later.” In another office, Langan found “traffic
managers tracking their wayward trains with pencil and
paper. Having no direct contact with the drivers themselves
the only way to find out where the trains were was to ring
a station and ask them whether anything had gone past in
the last few hours.”
OPINION: THE WIDER WORLD
Shosholoza Meyl – “a pleasant experience”. Photo: Craig Dean of Railways Africa.
Chinese-built Tazara coaches. Photo: Richard Grönstedt.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 20108 www.railwaysafrica.com

11. It is no way to run a railway, Sutcliffe concluded -
“millions of dollars of foreign investment having somehow
evaporated into the blue African sky”. Along the line itself,
Langan discovered that 20 hour delays were routine. “The
old colonial model - railways running from the interior to
the sea like surgical drains, sucking the commodities out of
the country - has been replaced by a new colonial model,
in which the same thing happens but the Chinese pay
the bills.”
WORLD’S LONGEST RAILWAY TUNNEL
After 14 years of drilling beneath the Swiss Alps, construction
workers have broken through in the building of the new
Gotthard – a £6 billion, 57km bore which will rate as the
world’s longest railway tunnel. Boring machines have been
tunnelled through the mountains from two directions: in the
north from Erstfeld, near Lake Lucerne, and in the south
from Bodio, near Switzerland’s border with Italy. The new
tunnel is scheduled to open in December 2017, with trains
travelling at 250km/h, shortening travel between Milan and
Zurich by an hour. The original 14.4km tunnel near the
summit of the spectacular Gotthard Pass, completed in
1882, continues in use.
DELHI AIRPORT LINE MISSES DEADLINE
According to the Business Standard, Delhi’s showcase
new airport express metro line missed its completion
deadline and was not ready in time for the Commonwealth
Games. The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS)
asked for clarification regarding certain deficiencies
observed following an inspection of the corridor on 27
and 28 September. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)
asked Reliance Infrastructure (R-Infra), the concessionaire
responsible for implementation, to urgently comply with
the requirements of CMRS. DMRC said the concessionaire
has not been able to conduct speed trials on the line. An
R-Infra spokesman was quoted saying: “We are closely
working with DMRC and other relevant authorities for a safe
and early start of the world-class Airport Express.”
A later report by The Times of India said Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation (DMRC) has imposed a fine on concessionaire
Delhi Airport Metro Express Pyt Ltd, a subsidiary of
Reliance Infrastructure, for failing to meet the deadline to
start operations on the line by 31 August 2010.
TURKISH LRT STARTS WITH A SPLASH
Despite a “massive derailment” and five days of unceasing
rain, the 16km Samsun light rail system in Turkey was
launched on schedule with a splatter of blood from a
sacrificial lamb. The proceedings were slightly marred
by demonstrators protesting about the lack of signalled
pedestrian crossings. They threw eggs at the first tram.
Eight trams set off altogether with about 2,000 people
scrambling on board to enjoy a free ride. A ten-minute
frequency of free trams was maintained for the rest of the
day, with every vehicle crammed to the roof.
QUEENSLAND RAIL SHARE OFFER
The Queensland State Government has officially launched
a share offer for the Initial public offering of its 1,067mm
gauge railway, QR National. The price range for the share
offer will be between A$2.50 and $3.00 a share, with
individual investors to pay no more than $2.80 per share.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said QR National is
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November 2010 RAILWAYS AFRICA 9www.railwaysafrica.com

12. expected to be one of the nation’s 50 largest companies
listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. QRN managing
director and CEO Lance Hockridge said the company
was proud of its 145 year heritage and excited about the
opportunities for future growth. “QR National plays a critical
role in the Australian economy today and is well positioned
for future growth. QR National has invested approximately
A$3.4 billion of capital across the operating divisions over
the last three fiscal years and had pro forma net assets
of approximately A$6.8 billion as of 30 June 2010. This
investment is expected to drive the future growth of the
company,” Hockridge said.
CHILTERN THE MOST PUNCTUAL
The most punctual train operator in the UK in September
was Chiltern Railways, according to a report by Network
Rail. Ironically, Chiltern is owned by the German national
rail system Deutsche Bahn. Running services between
Leamington, Warwick, Warwick Parkway and London
Marylebone, it was the highest performing train company
with 97.3% of trains running on time between 22 August
and 18 September. Chiltern Railways trains are categorised
as late if they arrive five minutes after the scheduled time.
The company is working on a £250 million project to
reduce journey times to London by 20%.
TRIAL RUNNING - DUBAI METRO’S GREEN LINE
On 13 October, the Ruler of Dubai - Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid al Maktoum - launched trial running on the
Dubai metro’s new Green Line. He travelled from Dubai
Healthcare City to the eastern terminus at Etisalat. He was
accompanied by Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, RTA Chairman CEO
Mattar Al Tayer, senior government officials and the Dubai
Metro technical and engineering team.
Tracklaying on the 23km Green Line is now complete, and
electro-mechanical equipment installation and station
finishing works are progressing well. The Green Line is due
to open in August 2011.
A further five stations on the Red Line entered service on
15 October - Jumeirah Lake Towers, Nakheel, Sharag DG,
First Gulf Bank and Business Bay. The western section from
Ibn Battuta to Jebel Ali with three stations will open later.
To meet an anticipated increase in demand on the Red
Line, 22 trains are now deployed during peak hours, running
at six-minute intervals, while 16 trains will operate during
off–peak hours at eight-minute intervals. Operation has
been extended by an hour on Thursdays and Fridays, with
trains running until midnight.
LONDON TUBE TRAINS DEVELOP CRACKS
The London Underground system has removed a number
of trainsets from service after engineers discovered
suspected cracks in certain equipment. According to the
London Daily Mail, the Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT)
union claims the problems are directly related to “finance-
driven changes to maintenance schedules”. The union
released pictures of brake blocks which had been worn
away though the trains were said to be still in service.
The period between brake inspections on tube trains has
been extended from 14 to 28 days to save money, the
RMT alleges. TfL deny the claims and accuse the union of
“scaremongering”.
CHINESE LOAN FOR HS SILK RAILWAY
According to director-general Süleyman Karaman of
Torkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari (TCDD – the
Turkish State Railway), Turkish and Chinese companies are
to jointly construct high-speed lines in Turkey. In terms of
an agreement signed between China and Turkey early in
October, China is to advance loans for the construction of
a “Silk Railway” high-speed line between Edirne and Kars.
“We are planning to construct lines for high speed trains
between Ankara-İzmir, Ankara-Sivas, Sivas-Erzincan,
Erzincan-Trabzon, Sivas-Malatya, Elazığ-Diyarbakir,
Eskişehir-Antalya and Konya-Antalya on this line,” Karaman
told journalists. “$US45 billion is needed for Turkey’s
target to construct 6,000km of high-speed lines and
4,000km of conventional railway till 2023. Within the scope
of the agreement signed with China, this country will
finance $US28 million of this target.”
UAE TENDERS LAUNCHED
The Union Railway Company (URC) is inviting expressions
of interest for contracts to supply track materials for the
United Arab Emirates’ first railway. Four contracts, covering
ballast, rail, points and crossings, and sleepers, are being
let for the Shah Habshan Railway, a 264km line from the
Gulf Coast Port of Ruwais to the Shah sour gas field.
URC requires around 650,000 precast concrete sleepers
suitable for a 32.5 tonne axle load, together with 84 sets
of points and crossings, 50,000 tonnes of UIC 60 E2
standard-grade rail and 5,000 tonnes of UIC 60 E2 heat-
treated grade rail, and 1.5 million tonnes of ballast. All
these materials must be delivered between March 2012
and June 2013. Full commercial rail services are planned to
start in 2014.
Union Railway says prequalified suppliers should be
capable of being nominated for the corresponding design
and build packages, which will be awarded in the second
quarter of 2011. The deadline for expressions of interest
was 31 October 2010, with prequalification documents
available for purchase from 1 November.
PHILIPPINES NORTH-RAIL PROJECT
The Philippines government is to renegotiate its multi-
million-dollar 80.2km North Rail project contract with
China because of “technical and legal problems”. Originally
expected to cost $US400 million, with financing from a
Chinese loan, the latest estimate is close to $600 million –
following redesign to comply with international standards.
The project contractor, Chinese National Machinery and
Equipment Group, had already received $150 million in
OPINION: THE WIDER WORLD
Dubai metro. Map courtesy Railway Gazette International.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201010 www.railwaysafrica.com

14. advance payments from the Philippine government in
respect of a 32km stretch of line. A University of the
Philippines study quoted by the Manila Standard said the
North Rail project violated the country’s procurement
laws because the contract was awarded to the Chinese
contractor without public bidding.
MORE DOUBLE-DECKERS FOR ISRAEL
On 11 October, Israel Railways’ (ISR) general manager
Yitzhak Harel confirmed the award of a $US195m contract
to Bombardier Transportation for a further 78 push-pull
double-deck coaches. The supplier of ISR’s first generation
double-deck vehicles for the expanding suburban routes
around Tel Aviv, Bombardier was selected ahead of a
rival bid from Finmeccanica of Italy.
The order comprises 10 six-car trainsets, together with
a further 18 vehicles to expand the current double-deck
sets from five to six coaches. Including one coach with
full disabled accessibility, each trainset will provide 800
seats. Deliveries are expected to begin in November 2011
for completion by April 2012.
According to Harel, ISR is concentrating on double-deck
rolling stock to accommodate rapidly-growing numbers
of passengers, with the strong annual growth seen in
recent years showing no sign of abating. Double-decking
avoids the need for extensive platform lengthening. Large
doorways ensure rapid boarding and alighting.
NEW TRAM SYSTEM FOR JEDDAH
The Saudi city of Jeddah is to build an elevated light rail
system worth $US5.6 billion, part of a new mass transit
project including 816 buses and a tramway for tourists.
This is according to an announcement by Prince Khalid
al-Faisal, governor of the Makkah region which includes
Jeddah.
The new light rail will complement a high-speed railway
currently being planned to link Makkah, Jeddah and
Medina. The government is expected to choose between
the French and Spanish consortiums who submitted bids
for the project.
SIEMENS TO SUPPLY EUROSTARS
According to the London Financial Times, Siemens have
been awarded a $US836 million contract by Channel
Tunnel operator Eurostar, despite efforts by the French
government to prevent the order. The 10 Velaro trains will
be fitted with equipment to handle many of the different
electrification and signalling systems on Europe’s railways,
thereby allowing Eurostar to run direct services to a wide
range of destinations, including Amsterdam and Cologne.
The new trains will potentially cut journey times on
existing routes between London and Paris and Brussels,
and increase passenger capacity from 750 per train to
900. As well as the new order, Eurostar is to undertake a
refurbishment programme for its existing 28 trains, to give
them the same interior appearance as the new fleet. That
work will be carried out by SCNF.
BRAZIL TENDER LAUNCHED
Brazilian urban rail company CBTU has launched a
$US165 million tender to provide 15 four-coach 3kV DC
electric trainsets to operate on the 1,600mm gauge in
the Pernambuco state capital Recife. Bids are due on 8
November. The successful tenderer will have 45 months
to complete contractual obligations. The new trains are part
of scheduled improvements to Recife’s metro system to
prepare the city to host the 2014 World Cup.
RAILAMERICA TO OPERATE OTTAWA VALLEY LINE
RaiLink Canada Ltd, a subsidiary of shortline and regional
freight rail operator RailAmerica, has entered into a long
term deal with the Canadian Pacific Railway to operate a
portion of the Ottawa Valley line in Canada, which primarily
transports pulp and paper products. Rail America ended
its previous lease with Canadian Pacific over the Ottawa
Valley line in December 2009. As part of the termination
agreement, the company continued to operate 251km
of line between Sudbury and Mattawa in Ontario, and
between Mattawa and Temiscaming in Quebec. It agreed to
continue working the section for five years, with an option
for a further extension.
RailAmerica currently operates 11,680m of track in 27 US
states and three Canadian provinces.
NEW CHINA-LAOS LINK
Construction is to start at the end of October on a new
railway from southern China to Laos. The 530km line will
connect Xishuangbanna city in the southern province
of Yunnan to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The project is
part of the proposed Trans-Asian railway network, which is
expected to pass through 28 countries in Asia, including
Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
EUROPEAN UNION RAIL DIRECTIVES
On 17 September 2010, the European Commission adopted
a proposal to provide better rail services for passenger
and freight users by: increasing competition on the railway
market; strengthening the power of national regulators;
and improving the framework for investment in rail. The
proposal for a Directive establishing a Single Rail Area is
an exercise in legislative simplification and consolidation
with the merger of the three directives in force and
their successive amendments into one coherent text. It
also aims to tackle key problem areas undermining the
effective functioning of the railway market. European
Commission vice-president responsible for transport
Siim Kallas was quoted saying: “Europe is at the forefront
of railway technology. We are in the top tier of modern
rail networks. But, and it is a big but, Europe needs and
deserves better rail services. We need to deliver better
quality, better reliability, more choice and more innovation
to passengers and freight users. That’s what this
package is designed to do. My aim in all of this is more
competition in passenger and freight services. That will
be good for passengers, good for freight users, good for
very high quality rail equipment producers and good for
the environment.”
Three key problem areas are addressed in the Directive:
1. Competition issues
The proposed Directive aims to increase competition in
the rail market through more transparent market access
conditions and providing easier access, for example by:
• requiring improved access (and in certain cases
guaranteed access) to rail-related services such as
OPINION: THE WIDER WORLD
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201012 www.railwaysafrica.com

15. OPINION: THE WIDER WORLD
maintenance facilities, terminals, passenger information
and ticketing facilities etc for freight and passenger
trains;
• establishing explicit rules on conflicts of interest and
discriminatory practices in the rail sector;
• requiring more detailed “network statements” - documents
published annually so that potential newcomers can
see clearly the characteristics of available infrastructure
and conditions for its use.
2. Strengthening regulatory supervision
The proposal strengthens the power of national rail
regulators, including proposals for measures such as:
• extending the competence of national regulators to
rail-related services. Previously, problems relating to
access to rail-related services were not always in the
powers of the national regulators.
• requiring the independence of national rail regulators
from any other public authority;
• strengthening the powers of the national rail regulators
(with in terms of sanctions, audit, appeals procedures
and ex-officio investigating powers) and establishing
the obligation imposed on these bodies to cooperate
with their counterparts on cross-border issues.
3. Strengthening the framework for public and private
investment
The single use crucible
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The new rules on infrastructure financing and charging
aim to develop a harmonised “financial architecture” to
encourage investment. Measures proposed include:
• requiring national long-term strategies and multi-
annual contractual agreements between the state
and infrastructure managers (linking funding to
performance, and business plans). The aim is to give
market players more predictability on the development
of the infrastructure and more incentives to improve
their performance;
• requiring more precise and smarter infrastructure
charging rules. Better implementation of the charging
principles contained in the existing legislation should
lead to lower track access charges for rail transport
operators in many member states. The new charging
rules (with the introduction of noise-related modulation
as the rail equivalent to external cost charging for
road transport, discounts for interoperability) should
also stimulate private investments in greener and
interoperable technologies.
Together with this proposal, the commission adopted
a Communication presenting its strategy to complete
the development of the Single European Railway Area,
outlining additional initiatives that the Commission could
launch in the next five years. A consultation will take
place on this basis. A detailed study on opening the
market for domestic passenger traffic is also published.

16. INDUSTRY COMMENT
DEFINING A USEFUL SYSTEM
As South Africa’s railway rolling stock ages, or exits service
prematurely, it is useful to consider from where the next
generation might come. The global supply industry is ever
obliging, so whatever rolling stock a railway wants and can
fund will be forthcoming. However, should it be unaffordable
- because the price is inordinately high, or because it might
be inherently uncompetitive - then it threatens sustainability
and one should revisit the objective.
In general, transport systems require corridors between
O-D (origin-destination) pairs, and vehicles to carry
their payload. They range from loosely defined air and
maritime corridors, to precisely defined railway tracks. The
vehicle profile (height and width) stems from its intended
purpose and its relation to the infrastructure that supports
operations. To facilitate movement, one must also define a
guidance and support interface and, of course, propulsion
and control systems.
Though trite, it is important to state that humans - and
the goods they value - come in a limited range of sizes.
Characterising adults by just one dimension, Wikipedia’s
62-country Human Height data reveals a tallest/shortest
ratio of 1.20.Track gauges in their respective countries
range from 914mm to 1,676mm, a widest/narrowest ratio
of 1.83. The prime determinant of passenger coach height
is clearly less variable than railway track gauge: countries
with narrow gauge railways do not transport dwarfs. Similar
reasoning characterises freight - valuable goods typically
come in ISO containers, arguably the most standardised
item on earth. Operators double up when corridors demand
high throughput - double decking for passenger trains,
and double stacking for container trains. Doubling up
notwithstanding, high-capacity railways require a modest
vehicle profile compared to other modes, because they can
increase capacity by coupling many vehicles into a train.
History has handed down a plethora of diverse railway
vehicle profiles around the world. First principles suggest
they should all have been the same.
Essentially track comprises rails, sleepers and ballast. The
width of the latter is generally similar to vehicle width. Like
vehicles, the number of tracks (single, double, sometimes
more) drives both capacity and minimum formation
width. Allowing space for electrification masts, drainage,
maintenance access, communication cabling, and so on
- and not forgetting stability of deep cuts and high fills -
defines the requisite infrastructure cross-section.
The foregoing groundwork makes it possible to define
the cross-section boundary of a railway system without
reference to the vehicle-infrastructure interface. This is no
surprise: the interface is internal to the system boundary
(route and train lengths are simple extrusions of the
system cross-section). Why is this definition of use? Because
two of rail’s three genetic technologies, which rest on the
lateral and vertical components of wheel-rail interaction,
originate at this interface. Correctly pitched, the vehicle-
infrastructure interface makes rail a formidable competitor.
Incorrectly pitched, it renders rail unsustainable. Let us
explore the interface further.
PERTINENT INFRASTRUCTURE CONSIDERATIONS
Rail’s three genetic technologies: Bearing (ability to
carry heavy axle load), Guiding (ability to run at high
speed), and Coupling (ability to
couple many vehicles), distinguish
it from all other transport modes.
They enable rail to service market
spaces that other modes challenge
with difficulty, namely Heavy Haul, Heavy Intermodal,
Very High Speed Intercity, and Heavy Metro. The latter
case warrants separate discussion later. Successfully
exploiting rail’s inherent competitiveness presupposes
high demand corridors in which it can maximise return
from expensive, high-performance guideways.
The wider the track gauge, the greater the lateral stability
against overturning forces, buckling forces, and cross-level
deviations. The Bearing and Guiding genetic technologies
therefore approach their maximum potential on standard
gauge. Returns on track gauge increments do nevertheless
diminish. Thus while broad gauge might be marginally
superior to standard gauge, the latter supports sufficient
inherent competitiveness.
Now consider railway infrastructure subsystems as a
function of track gauge. First, signalling and communication
are independent of track gauge. So indeed are all parallel-
to-track subsystems, eg drainage, and maintenance roads.
Although originally narrower, many current South African
railway vehicles are almost as wide as their standard
gauge counterparts. Hence, track gauge should
not influence track-centre distance and associated
electrification and signalling overhead structures, more
so considering contemporary clearance requirements for
passing trains at high speed, or maintaining one track while
running trains on an adjacent one. Second, track gauge
might marginally affect some infrastructure subsystems.
For example, narrow gauge traction motors are smaller
than their standard gauge counterparts, so one might
(facetiously) argue that electrification feeders and
substations should cost less for the same axle load and
adhesion level. Third, for representative axle loads, track
gauge directly affects sleeper length, ballast quantity, and
formation width, and hence the quantity of earthworks.
For standard gauge, these items reputedly raise the cost
per kilometre by some 7% compared to narrow gauge.
However, when considering the complete picture, expect
the overall construction cost premium for standard gauge
track to be diluted to less than 7%.
ROLLING STOCK CHALLENGES
Rolling stock bears the brunt of insufficiently wide track
gauge. Like infrastructure, much equipment is gauge
independent. However, more than infrastructure, track
gauge strongly affects rolling stock cost and performance.
Ideally, research and development costs should be spread
over high production volumes. Suppliers therefore tend
to reuse existing standard gauge designs for other track
gauges, and only adapt them where unavoidable. Most
standard gauge equipment adapts readily to broad gauge
by means of longer axles and wider bogies. Even the widest
gauge, India’s 1,676mm, is only 17% wider than standard
gauge. This means that RD for standard gauge, which
represents 61% of all world trackage, 64% of tons lifted,
and 50% of passenger journeys, can also serve broad
gauge - which represents 23% of all trackage, 26% of tons,
and 20% of journeys. Together, they represent 84% of all
trackage, 91% of tons, and 70% of journeys.
A Railway Systems Perspective on
Rolling Stock
Dave van der Meulen, managing member, Railway Corporate Strategy CC
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201014 www.railwaysafrica.com

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18. INDUSTRY COMMENT
Narrow gauge (914-1,067mm) railways, which represent
16% of world trackage, lift merely 9% of tons. Interestingly,
they convey 30% of world passenger journeys. However,
of that, Japan carries 70%: The remaining narrow gauge
railways carry only 9% of world journeys, the same share
as freight. They are self-evidently less productive than
standard or broad gauge railways, and unable to procure
RD to raise their competitiveness.
Whatever the track gauge, trailing rail vehicles all use
similar running gear and underframe components, such
as couplers, brake actuators, brake discs, control valves,
drawgear, foundation rigging, pneumatic equipment, slack
adjusters, wheels, and more. Track gauge therefore only
affects relatively low-cost structural items, namely axles,
bogie bolsters and frames, and brake beams. For coaches,
air conditioning, catering facilities, door mechanisms,
lighting, pneumatics, seating, toilets and more, are
independent of track gauge, as is the body shell, which is
specified for crashworthiness and ride comfort. Standard
gauge can offer greater length, width and height, while
the cost of essential items is spread over more passengers,
yielding a lower cost per passenger. Similarly, for
wagons, body plating must resist abrasion, corrosion and
penetration, so its thickness is independent of track gauge.
Standard gauge load/tare ratio is substantially higher,
so the cost per payload ton is proportionately lower. The
abovementioned essential components weigh the same
and cost the same, whatever the track gauge. Therefore,
narrow gauge railways pay for standard gauge
performance, but do not get it. For locomotives, please
refer to the September/October article in this series.
Heavy metro is the only application that bears careful
thought regarding standard gauge. Its prime requirements,
namely high throughput capacity, are characterised by
single-deck vehicles, short station dwell-times, relatively
low speed, and high acceleration and retardation. A high
proportion of axles driven by relatively small traction
motors supports the latter requirement. Narrow gauge
can competently support low-speed, single-deck vehicles
with small traction motors. Standard gauge’s essential
advantage is its competitive supply market, an important
consideration for greenfields projects. However, for
incremental expansion of existing operations, the cost of
changing gauge is likely to outweigh the benefit of more
competitive rolling stock pricing.
WHAT ABOUT PERFORMANCE VERSUS COST?
While standard gauge track may cost marginally more
than narrow gauge, standard gauge performance is
higher by the ratio of track gauge, namely 1,435mm/1,067mm
= 1.34 or more. Consider the following parameters,
presented as the ratio standard gauge attribute/narrow
gauge attribute: Heavy haul axle load, 40 tonnes/30 tonnes
= 1.33; centre of gravity height, 2,438mm (8 feet)/1,800mm
= 1.35; coal wagon load/tare, 5.86/4.15 = 1.41; heavy haul
traction motor tractive effort, 118kN/78kN = 1.51; high-
speed traction motor power, 1,600kW/1,000kW = 1.60; and
maximum permissible speed, 380km/h/130km/h = 2.92.
A premium of 7% or less on infrastructure seems trivial in
relation to the higher rolling stock performance achieved.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
South Africa finds itself in the unenviable situation that,
while railway user requirements are essentially independent
of track gauge, but progressive technical solutions are
found on standard gauge, its legacy vehicle-infrastructure
interface has rendered much of its railway system
uncompetitive at best, and unsustainable at worst.
This situation is the long-term outcome of the absolute
necessity of the utmost economy in the construction
of colonial railways (Parliamentary Select Committee
1873). In the domestic market, it has shifted an inordinate
portion of the national transport task to competitors such
as private cars, taxis and trucks, which solutions are sub-
optimum in market spaces where railways should be fully
exploiting the strengths of their genetic technologies.
In the export market, it has shifted market share to c
ompetitor countries. The explicit short-term objectives of a
colonial power, who built its own high-performance railways
to standard gauge, have now become diametrically opposed
to the long-term objectives of a developing country.
As globalisation reduces the number of railway suppliers,
and competition among them drives performance up
and costs down, how long will it be tenable to continue to
burden South Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa, with railways
and rolling stock predicated on precepts long past their
sell-by date? Narrow gauge railways no longer benefit from
active RD at the vehicle-infrastructure interface. At less
than 10% of world traffic, they have become marginalised,
beholden to high-cost batch production for their rolling
stock requirements, rather than to low-cost standard
gauge series production. It is now time for stakeholders
to realistically and seriously firm up on the role they
want railways to play in South Africa, and then align their
endeavours around achieving that objective.
COMPELLING INSIGHT FROM ORIGINAL RESEARCH
www.railcorpstrat.com
Though many South African locomotives running on 1,067mm gauge are superior
in size, power and performance to those running on a number of 1,435mm gauge
lines in the world, there are inherent limitations in perpetuating dependence on
non-standard norms. This 25kV 50Hz AC example, a Co-Co of class 11E rated at
5,800hp, heads long coal trains on the heavy-haul line to Richards Bay. The first
of these impressive units entered service in 1985.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201016 www.railwaysafrica.com

20. The Wepeners recently paid a visit to the Free State capital.
Jacque reports:
“The guys from Sandstone were busy at the motive power
depot on the narrow-gauge locos in the shed, but we
missed seeing Lucas Nel. Not much has changed steam-
wise (1,067mm gauge) since our last visit. All the locos are
still there, secure and locked up. Even the scrapped ones are
still as we saw them last year.
“On the diesel side however, the rows of serviceable locos
have disappeared while the lines of unserviceable and
scrapped locos have grown. At this rate, TFR is soon going
to run out of locos ...
“Blue class 35 no 224 appears to have been destroyed.
Looks like either a head-on or a rear-end at speed. Hope
the crew managed to jump... On the scrap line we saw
orange ST 34 697 ‘LOG Tracao’ (previously in South
America) , orange 35 282, SAR maroon 35 471, orange 37
xxx, blue 35 301 and other blue 35s in various states of
disrepair.
“Idling away in front of this sad lot was RRL 33 02 (looking
very smart), so they now have two 33s. Remember these
numbers as they might be seen again in a different livery
somewhere near you quite soon... Plenty of steam-heater
cars are also here on the scrap line, mostly in blue, one
orange and a distance further, all on its own, a gulf red
steam car stands rusting. A red and grey baggage van
‘Breakdown Train De Aar’ is also staged here. Further down,
two diesel hulks are being reclaimed by nature.
“In the Shosholoza Meyl
part of the loco, purple
34 102 34 108 were
to be seen. Another
two purple class 34s
were standing in the shed.
Here too are several blue
steam cars awaiting their
fate as the passenger
trains get less and the
generator cars take over.
Three class 34s were
shunted for refuelling.
Orange 36 068 was idling
away at the other end of
the loco.”
[Forty years ago, locomotives came in or were despatched
here every five minutes around the clock. Altogether 179
were allocated to this shed, which supplied power for
more than 300 daily train arrivals and departures. – Editor]
VISIT TO BLOEMFONTEIN
SEEN AT BLOEMFONTEIN
Photos: Jacque Wepener.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201018 www.railwaysafrica.com

21. Specialists and leading supplier of maintenance, repair, upgrade and manufacturing services in Southern Africa
for AC, DC and diesel-electric units.
LOCOMOTIVE BUSINESS
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GM514_TREPresslink

22. INDUSTRY NEWS
The company Portquip Africa was recently
tasked with the replacement and welding
of 30kg/m rail on a container gantry crane
operated by Douala Terminals International
in the port of Douala, Cameroon.
This was a challenging task as the
rail in question was situated over 35m
above the ground, with the boom of the
gantry overhanging the quay wall by 30m. The existing
rails were severely cracked and had proved impossible to
repair due to the difficult access. Thermit welding of the
new rails was selected to ensure a maintenance-free track.
After considering the safety and technical risks associated
with welding the 9m rail sections on a narrow platform on
situ, it was decided to Thermit-weld the new rail sections on
the ground and then lift four completed lengths, averaging
35m, on to the boom and bridge girder.
The rails were raised using a rope and pulley system,
ingeniously attached to the crane spreader which provided
the lifting force. Slinging points were up to 17 metres apart
on the rails, which amply demonstrated the strength of the
Thermit weld in bending.
Portquip Africa was highly satisfied with the quality of
the training of their personnel as well as the quality of
Port of Douala Gantry Crane Rail Change
Booyco Engineering reports an increased demand for its
24V DC ventilation unit. Developed for use in locomotive
cabs, this functional equipment provides an alternative to
air-conditioning systems where there are budgetary and
space constraints.
Engineered for simple installation and ease of use, the unit
is designed to be flush-mounted on the roof, and swivelled
out when in operation. This allows it to be stowed away
when not in use and is an advantage given the confined
space in most locomotive cabs.
The ventilation unit has three speeds and an air-flow
capacity which ranges from 410m3
per hour to 550m3
, at
low and high speeds respectively. The unit is compact,
features a robust housing and is locally manufactured by
Booyco Engineering.
DEMAND FOR FUNCTIONAL COOLING UNIT
Booyco Engineering’s
compact 24V DC
ventilation unit
the product supplied by Thermitrex. The project was
completed safely and within budget and afforded
Portquip Africa the confidence to undertake similar
projects in the future. Quoting project manager Matthys
Wessels: “Although each crane is different and may require
different rigging techniques, this has convinced us that
Thermit welding in a controlled environment is the best
technical solution when changing container crane rails”.
6 – 8 April 2011
EXPO CENTRE – JOHANNESBURG
WWW.RAILWAYSANDHARBOURS.COM
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201020 www.railwaysafrica.com

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24. strange mix of English, Portuguese and Chinese signage
inside the carriages which are nonetheless clean and
modern with functioning toilets and a restaurant car. There
will be three different passenger classes on the Luanda to
Malanje service: ‘Primeira’, with reclining leather seats with
individual television sets; ‘Expresso’ with comfortable chairs
arranged in fours around tables and communal televisions;
and ‘Tramway’ the cheapest option fitted out with benches
to maximise passenger numbers.
“Ticket prices are yet to be announced but a CFL official
told the BBC he hoped the standard fare would be less than
the current price of a coach from Luanda to Malanje, which
is 2,500 kwanzas ($26). The CFL is the first of three train
lines to come back into full service and by the end of 2012,
Angola hopes to have all three fully operational again.
“The Caminho de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) is the longest
railway in Africa, stretching 1,344km from the port city of
Lobito on the Atlantic coast to the small town of Luau, on
the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There is
a small stretch of track in use between Lobito and Cubal
in Huambo province but the plan is to extend passenger
services to Huambo city by early 2011.
“In the very south of the country the Caminho de Ferro de
Moçamedes (CFM) which goes from Namibe on the coast,
through Lubango in Huila to Menongue in Kuando Kubango,
is also being renovated by a Chinese company.”
ANGOLA: HUAMBO SECURITY GUARANTEE
Angolan national police commissioner Paulo de Almeida
has guaranteed security along the Benguela Railway, aimed –
he explained during a visit to Huambo - at preventing disorder.
The line from the coast to the DRC, with rehabilitation nearly
complete, is due to reopen in 2011.
AFRICA UPDATE
ANGOLA
ANGOLA’S LUANDA RAILWAY IS BACK
From a BBC report by Louise Redvers:
“After decades out of use, Angola’s war-shattered railways
are coming back to life with new trains, tracks and stations.
The first section to open fully will be the 424km Luanda to
Malanje route, taking people and freight from the capital
up into Angola’s agriculture-rich central north-eastern
region. Already operating a peak-hour 30km commuter
service between central Luanda and its eastern suburbs,
the trains will soon be running the full length of the railway,
linking previously isolated rural communities with provincial
capitals.
“The fleet of diesel locomotives serving the Caminho de
Ferro de Luanda (CFL) are proudly painted in the Angolan
colours of red, black and yellow with a national flag attached
to the door of the driver’s cab. There are 16 new stations
along the line, all painted in bright pinks and oranges and
some with glass and steel fronts. They cut a stark contrast
to their bullet-marked colonial predecessors which stand
often just metres away from the new structures, as a
crumbling memory of Angola’s war-torn past.
“Rehabilitation of the line began in 2005 and has reportedly
cost $US350m. The track was laid by the China Railway
Construction Company which also built the stations,
importing most of its own labour to live in tented camps
along the side of the railway. One Chinese site manager told
the BBC that the work has been ready for over a year but
delays in payments from the Angolan government has
slowed down the handover. Angola recently admitted it had
fallen into nearly $7bn of debt with foreign construction
companies but has now started making repayments.
“Vice minister of transport Jose Joao Kuvingua however,
denied that there had been any delay with the railway’s
rehabilitation and said the deadline for the line to re-open
to passengers was, and still is, the end of December 2010.
Speaking to journalists invited on a trial run of the train from
Luanda all the way to Malanje, he said the restoration project
would bring huge benefit to the communities living along
the route.
“As the train pulled into each station and stopped to allow
the vice minister and CFL officials to inspect the tracks
and stations, people gathered at the platform’s edge with a
warm welcome.
“In N’Daladtando, the capital of Kwanza Norte province,
scores of children ran up behind the train chanting ‘comboio’
(Portuguese for train), while their parents discussed
the benefits of the railway. ‘It’s going to be much safer to
travel by train than by minibus-taxi,’ Joao Domingos, 36, a
labourer said. There are too many accidents on the roads
but the train will offer us an alternative.’
“For many, the return of the train serves as a reminder that
Angola’s long civil war is finally over. Like the track and
stations, the locomotives are also Chinese and there is a
ZenzaLuanda
Dondo
Malanje
Lobito
Benguela
Camacupa
Caaia Kuito
HuamboCubal
Luena
Namibe
Lubango Dongo Menongue
Chiange
Oshikango
Ondangwa
Tsumeb
Grootfontein
Chamutete
Luau Dilolo
DRC
ATLANTIC
ZAMBIA
BOTSWANA
ANGOLA
NAMIBIA
Km
300
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201022 www.railwaysafrica.com

25. Specialists in refurbishment, repair and upgrade of wagons and major supplier of new wagons to the heavy haul
coal and iron-ore fleets with tare ratios as high as 5:1, as well as wagons for cement, car carriers, intermodal
and fuel tankers.
WAGON BUSINESS
Tel: +27 (0)12 391 1304 Fax: +27 (0)12 391 1371 Email: sales@transnet.net
GM515_TREPresslink

26. Sabha, in the centre of the country. Outside Tripoli, a sleek
model train sits on newly constructed tracks. Inside, in first
class, white sofas line the cabin. Business class has shiny
blue chairs arranged around tables.
The government says the completed network will employ
more than 1,000 Libyan technicians. One of these is Shukri
al-Arab, who studied electrical engineering in Yugoslavia.
NIGERIA
NIGERIA TO DIVERT CHINESE LOAN
The Federal Government of Nigeria wants to divert the
$US500m loan secured from the Chinese government to
finance the Kano-Abuja railway project. Instead, according
to a letter to the Chinese ambassador from minister of
finance Dr Olusegun Aganga, the government wishes to
use the money to finance the National Public Security
Community System Project. The letter said: “As indicated
during the meeting with Mr Lei, the National Public Security
Community System Project has been designed to address
security challenges which are sine qua non for the socio-
economic development of the country”.
The Daily Trust recalls: “The Kano-Abuja railway project was
negotiated by the late President Umar Musa Yar’adua with
the Chinese government in 2008 during his visit to China.
The project is part of the portion of Lagos-Kano railway
project proposed by the [previous] Olusegun Obasanjo
administration but reviewed by the late Yar’adua.”
A source told Daily Trust that Mr Aganga wrote the letter
without consulting the ministry of transport under which
the project was initiated. He said the minister of transport,
Yusuf Suleiman, was at the council meeting last Wednesday
[15 September] to challenge the directive but the issue
was not entertained. The decision by the late President
Yar’adua to put off the Lagos-Abuja railway project was
based on abuse of due process in the agreement. ‘The loan
was negotiated on condition that the Nigeria government
will pay the count part funding of $70.5 within three years
and the China Eximbank will provide $470 million as
contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).”
“Source said the Nigerian government paid the first count
part fund in 2009 but it did not affair (sic) in the 2010 budget.
‘The failure by government to make provision of the count
part funding in this year’s budget indicated that already it
was planned to stop the project,” the source said.
“Dr Aganga’s letter read, the source said: ‘the minister is
yet to travel for the negotiation due to some undisclosed
reasons.’”
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
EGYPT
CAIRO METRO COACH ORDER
Egypt’s national authority for tunnels has awarded a
consortium of Mitsubishi, rolling stock manufacturer Kinki
Sharyo and electric equipment supplier Toshiba a contract
worth around ¥18 billion to supply 88 passenger coaches to
the Cairo metro system in 2012-13.
HIGH-SPEED LINE
The Egyptian government is considering building a high-
speed railway between Alexandria and Cairo (208km) and
also a new 77km line linking Cairo to Tenth of Ramadan
City. The projects would be financed through issuing
bonds secured by state assets. Egypt changed its laws in
December to allow utilities and other quasi-government
organisations to issue bonds directly.
LIBYA
LIBYA’S NEW RAILWAY
Libya is the only country in North Africa without a railway. “I
believe a railway that links the Arab nation from Egypt until
it reaches Morocco is more important than water supplies
to a city or a region,” Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi said
in a 1993 speech.
Construction began in 2008 on lines running east to west
along the country’s Mediterranean coast and south to
AFRICA UPDATE
Martin Welzel photographed former South African 32 050 in Lubumbashi nearly
20 years ago. The class 32 locos were GE type U18C 1-Co-Co-1 units rated at
1,975hp. They entered service originally between 1959 and 1961.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201024 www.railwaysafrica.com

27. Building the future
Ultra long rails
GM536_VAE_Presslink

28. It is reported that “final touches” are being made on feasibility
and route studies for the proposed railway from Isaka in
Tanzania to Kigali in Rwanda. The estimated cost stands
at between $US3 and 4 billion. Extensions to Bujumbura in
Burundi and the Eastern DRC are foreseen as coming later.
The existing metre-gauge railway from Dar-es-Salaam is to
be rebuilt on 1,435mm gauge as a parallel project.
At a “final preparatory review meeting” in Dar in October,
financial commitments already given by friendly countries
and development partners were to be assessed to ensure
enough capital has been raised to proceed with tendering,
which will be followed by the selection of contractors and
actual construction.
[It is still not clear how entirely new rolling stock is to
be funded and procured, both for the new line as well as
the 1,100km regauged Tanzanian Central route. – Editor:
Railways Africa.]
SUDAN
RUSSIA TO BUILD SUDAN-KENYA RAILWAY
According to a reliable source: “A conference between the
New Sudan Foundation, ThyssenKrupp GfT Gleistechnik,
Ayr Logistics Ltd and MosMetrostroy has concluded with
a comprehensive agreement to commence construction of
the proposed railroad from Juba, which will eventually
connect the Southern Sudan with the Indian Ocean seaports
of Mombasa and Lamu in Kenya.
“Since the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement
between the regime in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement in January 2005, the new Sudan
Foundation, chaired by Dr Costello Garang Ring Lual, has
pursued this ambitious infrastructure project to link the
Southern Sudan with her neighbours Uganda and Kenya.
ThyssenKrupp GfT Gleistechnik, seeing the huge potential
for rail traffic across Eastern Africa, backed the vision of
Dr Costello and Ayr Logistics Limited, then came on board
to raise the massive financing, thought to be the in the
region of at least $US3 billion.
“Sources from Berlin confirmed that with the required
venture capital now fully underwritten and available, the
parties came together for a formal meeting in the German
capital to put pen to paper. Added information was also
provided that Russia’s MosMetrostroy has been selected as
the major contractor, having extensive experience in building
and rehabilitating railroads across the vast stretches of
Russia. They, too, will financially back the project.
“ In a related development, it was also learned that the New
Sudan Foundation, alongside the building of the railroad,
will also develop complementary projects like access
roads, depots, freight terminals, power stations, and hotels,
among others, along the railroad in Southern Sudan,
bringing much needed extra infrastructure to the Southern
Sudanese region. As previously reported, the Southern
Sudanese population will vote in a referendum in early
January next year, where they are expected to vote
for independence from the North to become Africa’s
youngest nation.
TANZANIA
MTWARA RAILWAY PLAN
During the years that followed World War II, the British
colonial government initiated a so-called Groundnut
Scheme to stimulate the economy in the south-east of
what was then Tanganyika. A railway was built inland from
the small port of Mtwara, about 35km north of the border
with Mozambique. It extended around 190km westwards to
Nachingwea, with a 40km branch south to Masasi.
AFRICA UPDATE
PORT HARCOURT MONORAIL
Work has begun on the Port Harcourt monorail project.
N11 billion has already been released as part of the Rivers
state government’s equity for the construction of the system
which is being built under a public private partnership
arrangement. The monorail will be the first of its kind in
West Africa.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Governor Amaechi’s media
adviser and publicist David Iyofor stated that the monorail
will provide mass transport within the Port Harcourt
metropolis, decongest the roads in the city, provide a
competitive mass transport solution to the city and create
job opportunities.
The project has a projected cost of $US318 million, with an
equity division of 20% to the Rivers state government and
80% to TSI Holdings Ltd.
The first phase of 19.5km is expected to be completed
two years from the day of its foundation-laying ceremony
performed by President Goodluck Jonathan during his
official visit to Rivers State in May. The proposed routes
for the first phase are “Aggrey Road through Station Road-
Azikiwe Road and Aba Road to Water Lines Junction.”
“It is intended to use the electrically driven Intamin P30
Monorail Train, designed and most suitable for commuter
services in cities as seen in some parts of Europe,” Iyofor
said.
FIRST CLASS IN NIGERIA
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has introduced
first class coaches on trains running in Lagos. According
to NRC managing director Adeseyi Sijuwade: “The
introduction of these coaches will go a long mileage in
correcting the impression that the train is an exclusive
means of transportation for the poor. It will also reduce the
number of vehicles on the road as more vehicles owners
will embrace the train service which is as good, safe and
pocket-friendly as other means of transportation, while
they park their cars at home.” NRC is undertaking a total
modernisation of its infrastructure. It has resumed train
services in Kano and hopes to do the same in other cities
such as Port Harcourt, Jos, Enugu and Maiduguri.
RWANDA
RWANDA RAIL PLANS ON TRACK
Bujumbura
TangaMuheza
Kilosa
Manyoni
Singida
Kaliua
Mpanda
Moshi
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201026 www.railwaysafrica.com

29. AFRICA UPDATE
In the words of a recent press report quoting a local
resident, “residents of Mtwara and Lindi regions are suffering
from a government decision made after independence to
uproot a railway line built by colonialists from Nachingwea
to Mtwara harbour. It is now history that the southern
regions had a railway line. We are using it to show our
grandchildren the route that the railway line passed through.”
Aspirant political office-bearers are currently promising to
press for the building of a new railway to Mtwara, to facilitate
imports and to export iron ore from Ruvuma and coal from
Mchuchuma. The plan would boost development in the
region and enhance economic activities.
TANZANIA ZAMBIA
LET’S INVEST IN RAIL – TAZARA
There is urgent need to invest in railway infrastructure to
complement the road network, Tanzania-Zambia Railway
Authority (Tazara) managing director Akashabatwa
Mbikusita-Lewanika told Southern African Development
Community (SADC) heads of diplomatic missions in Zambia
during their recent visit to rail facilities in Kapiri-Mposhi and
Mkushi. A reliable railway, he suggested, is the only means
for a country to attain optimum economic development.
Tazara’s average annual freight figures, Mbikusita-Lewanika
explained, averaged around 600,000 metric tonnes at one
time but these had dropped to only 300,000. The company
had faced “some challenges” in recent years “because of
dynamism in local, regional and global economies and the
politics and philosophies that evolved with time.” Economic
activity, notably in the mining sector, is growing rapidly,
he said, and rail infrastructure requires improvement to
accommodate this. Management is determined and confident
of turning Tazara around “through focused innovation.”
SADC’s diplomatic chairman Salomon Witbooi (who is the
Namibian High Commissioner to Zambia), travelled by train
with the other diplomats from Kapiri Mposhi to Mkushi.
Chingola
Lumbo
DODOMA
Copperbelt
Lake
Tanganyika
LakeMalawi
Cabora BassaZambezi River
Kafue River
Signals Chinese style on the Tanzania-Zambia Railway.
Photo: Richard Grönstedt.
November 2010 RAILWAYS AFRICA 27www.railwaysafrica.com

30. AFRICA UPDATE
Other envoys included South African High Commissioner to
Zambia Moses Chikane, Zimbabwean High Commissioner
to Zambia Lovemore Mazemo, Botswana High Commission
representative Tebelelo Bareki and the Tanzanian High
Commission’s Samuel Munatta.
ZIMBABWE
NRZ TO LAY OFF THOUSANDS
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is contemplating
reducing its workforce from 9,000 employees to “at least”
5,000, general manager Air Commodore (retd) Mike
Karakadzai told stakeholders at the annual consultative
workshop in Gweru on 7 October.
“As a parastatal, we acknowledge that the volume of the
human resource base does not tally with the business we
are handling at the moment and there is really need to right
size our human resource base,” The Chronicle quoted him
saying. Management is talking with stakeholders “to find the
best way forward”. He said the issue of staffing is sensitive
and has to be handled with care.
Karakadzai said the parastatal is working on a number of
programmes aimed at improving efficiency. “Our thrust
as an organisation is to try and increase the volume of
business we are handling while at the same time improving
on our efficiency. This will cut on costs and create a bigger
cake that can sustain the existing work force,” he said.
There are indicators from the business perspective that the
economy is improving,” Karakadzai continued, “ and as NRZ
we want to take advantage of this positive development to
increase both our passenger and freight volumes.”
Meanwhile, says The Chronicle, “NRZ is reportedly facing
a critical shortage of wagons at a time when there is a
very high demand for wagons from businesses that are
either exporting or importing goods through rail. Air
Commodore Karakadzai said out of a total of 9,000
wagons, only 3,600 were working, causing serious deficit
challenges. He said the parastatal needed about 5,600
for it to satisfy demand. ‘The wagons we have cannot
cope with demand hence this consultative meeting with
our stakeholders to try and find how best to address the
problem,’ he said.”
There is high demand for wagons from businesses that
export ferrochrome and other products. According
to Karakadzai, “There has been a sharp increase in
mining activity within the country and products such as
ferrochrome are being exported through Maputo and
Beira by rail. There is also an increase in imports such as
fertilizer.”
Among issues raised by stakeholders at the workshop
was the theft of goods in transit and NZR promised to
improve security.
Steam trains remain popular with both the local public and tourists in
Zimbabwe (NRZ). Photo: Geoff Cooke.
Tel: +27 11 794-2910 | Fax: +27 11 794-3560 | Email: info@yalejhb.co.za | Web: www.yalejhb.co.za
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201028 www.railwaysafrica.com

31. Specialists in the manufacturing and refurbishing of all types of railway wheelsets for the Southern African
region, using the latest technology in wheel-profiling portal lathes and laser measuring equipment.
WHEEL BUSINESS
Tel: +27 (0)12 391 1304 Fax: +27 (0)12 391 1371 Email: sales@transnet.net
GM517_TREPresslink

32. SA RAIL NEWS
SHOSHOLOZA MEYL: THE MINISTERS INTERVENE
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), being
a division of the national Department of Transport, means
it is the responsibility of public enterprises minister Barbara
Hogan. Transnet on the other hand reports to transport
minister Sbu Ndebele. On 22 October, both ministers
jointly called a high-level meeting with acting Transnet CEO
Chris Wells and Prasa CEO Lucky Montana.
After the meeting, minister Ndebele said the differences
between Prasa and Transnet had been “ironed out.”
The two, he added, “are working on a plan to ensure that
Shosholoza Meyl is back on track as soon as possible.”
Following the recent transfer of the long-distance
passenger train service Shosholoza Meyl from Transnet
to Prasa, it was intended that Transnet would continue to
maintain the rolling stock and locomotives. But Montana,
who stopped all intercity operations abruptly in mid-August,
complained about the quality and price of Transnet’s
service. Indignantly denying the alleged shortcomings,
Transnet said the “real issue” was a sum of R1.3 billion owed
to it by Prasa.
UNIONS CONDEMN TRANSNET-PRASA DISPUTE
Some long-distance train services suspended by the
Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) in August are still
not running, the United Transport and Allied Trade Union
(Utatu) told Sapa on 17 October. “In a few short weeks
South Africa has been plunged from its World Cup euphoria
to a country without an intercity rail service,” Utatu general
secretary Chris de Vos said in a statement. “With only a 10%
main-line service now running, thousands of passengers
must rely on alternative, more expensive transport.” He
blamed government for the problems “crippling” the
country’s rail system.
“Prasa announced in August it would suspend its
Shosholoza Meyl long-distance service and blamed
Transnet for the problem. Transnet accused Prasa of non-
payment of around R1.3bn for maintenance work performed,
while Prasa’s CEO Lucky Montana accused Transnet of
charging too much and doing a “lousy job” in maintaining
their locomotives.
‘We have said everything we’ve needed to say,’ Transnet
spokesman Mboniso Sigonyela told Sapa on 17 October.
In a statement posted on Transnet’s website in August it
said Prasa had discontinued its long-distance passenger
train services without consulting Transnet. ‘This was for
reasons that were within Prasa’s operational control and
despite numerous attempts by Transnet to warn Prasa of
the impending impact on service delivery,’ the statement
said. ‘it should be noted that the company [Transnet] has
set out constructive ways, including specific proposals, to
assist Prasa deal with some of its difficulties.’
“De Vos said President Jacob Zuma needed to step in to
resolve the problem. ‘[Zuma’s] inertia is creating fertile
ground for the rail executives that have placed their own
interests and egos ahead of the national need.’ Utatu
said Prasa and main-line rail travel was ‘imploding’ and
key rail services and jobs were disappearing. De Vos said
the continued deadlock would make it more difficult to
normalise the situation as staff lost their operating licences
after a specific period. Fifteen train drivers had already
resigned, he said. The union said the only ‘sign of hope’ was
the call by the portfolio committee on public enterprise’s
chairman Vytjie Mentor for government to intervene.
“Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) shared Utatu’s
views and concerns and had written to Zuma calling for
his intervention. Fedusa general secretary, Dennis George
said: ‘We, as a nation, should become more serious about
bringing to boot managers of parastatals who neglect
the public services they are paid to provide.’ Prasa was
not immediately available for comment,” the Sapa report
concluded.
MINISTER HINTS AT PRIVATE HELP FPR PASSENGER RAIL
In a written reply to a parliamentary question from Mannie
de Freitas of the Democratic Alliance, transport minister
Sibusisu Ndebele said an amount of “about” R1.3 billion
which Transnet says it is owed has been the focus of
major engagement by the two parties for several months.”
Prasa had proposed the appointment of a mediator to
“sort out” the issue, with “serious concern” being raised
about Transnet taking months to substantiate its claims.
The issue arose from the moving of passenger rail entities
– in particular Shosholoza Meyl – out of Transnet and
their consolidation into Prasa. Meanwhile, Prasa CEO
Lucky Montana has emphasised the entity’s precarious
financial situation repeatedly, warning that intercity services
will suffer total collapse in the near future if drastic measures
to improve financial support are not forthcoming.
FREE RIDES ON GAUTRAIN BUSES
October is officially “transport month” in South Africa. On 20
October, when “car-free” day was celebrated, everyone was
encouraged to leave private cars at home and use public
transport instead. All rides on Gautrain buses were free on
20 October, with no limit on the number of journeys taken.
FIRST GAUTRAIN BREAKDOWN
Gautrain was forced to break its own curious rule – no
passengers carried between Rhodesfield and the airport
– when its futuristic trains went on the blink west of
Rhodesfield in the afternoon peak on 20 October. Buses
filled in for trains along the section Sandton-Marlboro-
South African Rail News
Uneasy bedfellows: purple Prasa loco and orange Transnet loco hauling a
Shosholoza Meyl train on TFR track. Photo: Eugene Armer.
According to an I-Net Bridge report, the minister agreed
in his reply to de Freitas that there is a role for the private
sector in funding rail passenger transport.
RAILWAYS AFRICA November 201030 www.railwaysafrica.com