Ra feb 2010 mr

CONTRIBUTORSRichard Ågren

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EDITOR Rollo Dickson

DESIGN & lAYOUTCraig Dean

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Towards the end of 2009, South Africa’s ever-vacillating Department of Transport (DoT), having only recently relaxed maximum permissible vehicle mass regulations, announced sweeping new strategies to limit the conveyance of commodities by road. The broad objective is to force the use of rail instead. The country’s roads, apparently, are in such poor shape that some may fall apart within five years, due to lack of funds for maintenance.

The condition of many branch lines, unfortunately, is little better. Few of those closed during recent years are candidates for revival unless virtually rebuilt from scratch. From the moment when trains stop running, the vandals and thieves move in, helping themselves to sleepers and station roofs, cutting rail into stealable lengths; not infrequently burning or smashing anything they cannot cart away.

Contents

Comment

Among facts of life that few seem to grasp, traffic once lost to the road is extremely difficult to win back. Were DoT serious in its intent, an instant embargo should have been placed on further branchline closures.

No such luck. After a Transnet Freight Rail working on 18 January 2010 to clear remaining rolling stock, we are told, there was to be no further activity on the line running south from Pietermaritzburg to Donnybrook.

Extending 302km to Matatiele not all that long ago, with its own branches to Underberg and Kokstad (and not forgetting the former narrow gauge east of Donnybrook), this too appears to have joined the growing list of minor lines in South Africa that have seen their last train.

February 2010 RAILWAYS AFRICA 1www.railwaysafrica.com

Opinion: Pete the Pundit 2

Africa UpDate 6

SA RailNews 14

Gautrain Construction UpDate 22

Railway Signalling & Interlocking 28

Mishaps & Blunders 30

Middle East UpDate 35

End of the Line 36

Cover: Class 39-200Photo: Craig Dean

Home truths on gauge> Page 2

First train reaches Chipata > Page 12

Rift Valley developments> Page 6

Gautrain construction > Page 22

Tunisia: Electric for diesel> Page 12

Simon’s Town line closed > Page 16

opinion

PETE THE PUNDIT shares one or two home truths on

GAUGEWith the obvious exception of North Africa - notably the western bit - most of the once-proud railways on this continent are in a sorry state. Someone has to bear the blame for this, and the politicians have lost little time finding scapegoats. In Kenya and Tanzania, in addition to concessionaires who – in three whole years or less - failed dismally to resurrect thousands of kilometres of totally run-down track, broken locomotives and decrepit rolling stock, the metre-gauge is currently the favourite culprit. Everything, well-heeled ministers explain to the gullible poor, will now have to be rebuilt on “standard gauge”. Nigeria, attributing its 3,505km of almost completely inoperable (by 2006), derelict railway to the burden of “Cape gauge”, bravely decided to rebuild completely on 1,435mm.

alternative of transport could transport as much as possible from the colonies for the comforts of the mother country markets, and colonial defence, the rationale of colonisation was adequately served.”

In other words, the 1,067mm gauge was chosen as the cheapest means of pirating the wealth of the Western Cape (where the 1,067mm gauge in South Africa began), and shipping it back to Britain.

Another version of this story - one which happens to be historical fact as distinct from politically correct claptrap – sees matters somewhat differently. The original lines – to Wellington via Stellenbosch in 1863 and to Wynberg in 1864 – employed the 1,435mm (4’8½”) gauge that DoT favours. But in 1873 in Cape Town, a Parliamentary Select Committee of three decided by 2 votes to 1 that the gauge should be changed to 1,067mm. The dissenting vote came from C Abercrombie Smith, chairman of the committee, who was the Colonial Commissioner. Abercrombie – the colonialist - was the one wanting to retain 1,435mm.

*Ten years earlier the same minister (then responsible for Public Enterprises) somewhat less visionarily disregarded warnings that failure to build more power stations would land Eskom and the country in huge trouble by 2007.

Even South Africa, which should know better, has climbed on this ill-informed bandwagon. At the 2005 Africa Rail conference, former transport minister Jeff Radebe – keen to make his name saving South Africa’s crumbling railway from extinction - proposed a dramatic, home-in-one solution: a change in gauge.

“Policy pronouncements of this magnitude are areas of strategic insight and visionary competence reserved for a few,” the Department of Transport (DoT) was quick to point out in an admiring, 90-odd-page follow-up “discussion document”.*

Radebe didn’t touch on the reasons for South Africa choosing 1,067mm gauge in the first place, an omission which his department was quick to rectify:

“In the true tradition of colonial extraction and control, there was no concern from the British colonialist to construct expensive rail systems in colonies. As long as the cheapest

The amazing Landwasser viaduct, one of the major engineering achievements on Switzerland’s Rhatische Bahn – an all-electric metre-gauge system that crosses the Alps into Italy.

The reasons for changing the gauge were based on hard facts, limited availability of funds and similar practicalities. To extend the line into the mountains beyond Wellington, planning engineer R Thomas hall recommended 1,067mm because it would cost far less in terms of earthworks, tunnels, etc.

Admittedly the objective of pushing the line through to Kimberley had a lot to do with exporting precious stones. To diamonds however, one railway gauge is much the same as another.

The new-look history lesson from DoT didn’t stop with the colonialists: “The inheritors of the Colonial State, the Apartheid State, did not concern itself with changing the gauge as the interest of the apartheid state fed off the carcass of the colonial one. Both had no concern for the general public and broader national economic goals. The gauge therefore continued, to the detriment of technology advancements and changes.”

Cape Town’s station in the 1870s. The colonialists built the impressive structure and laid the rails to 1,435mm gauge – not exactly evidence of frugality in outlay.

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opinion

Fortunately for everyone, “The end of the apartheid state ushered in a Democratic State which has access to international markets’’. This was great news – but something in the new order must have gone badly wrong. The Department conceded: “The rail network system in South Africa [at present] is in a serious state of decline....There has been no investment in new infrastructure for the past 20 years.” [ie since 1986].

This of course is more nonsense. In 1988, a brand-new railway was opened to Cape Town’s Khayelitsha and new high-tech, stainless steel commuter trains were introduced soon afterwards. In 1987, a large order for class 11E 5,850hp electric locomotives arrived, followed by the first advanced dual-voltage 3-phase locomotives (the class 14E) in 1990 and the first dual-power electro-diesels (the class 38) - in 1992. During this time, 125 new class 10E, 10E1 and 10E2 locomotives were placed in service, and continuously welded rail was completed on all main and suburban commuter lines. By 1987, 6,000 route km of line were under sophisticated, centralised traffic control (CTC) signalling. In 1989 a world record was established on the internationally acclaimed Sishen-Saldanha line by running the longest and heaviest train ever.

Admittedly, since 1994 (does that date ring a bell?) barely 4.5km of new commuter lines have been constructed, and no new locomotives or passenger trains have gone into service. Now which government must take responsibility for that?

“NIGHTMARE” PROBLEMSDoT’s document succinctly sums up problems that arise where different gauges come together: “linked to the standard system, Cape gauge has break-of-gauge nightmares such as transhipment delays and costs related thereto; Break-of-gauge has related break-of-loads nightmares, where loads that were on wide gauge wagons cannot fit into the smaller wagons, or if the trip is from wide gauge to narrow gauge, wagon space is wasted.”

True indeed, though this is not a problem confronting South Africa - not now, not in the past, not in the future either, assuming that neighbouring Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Namibia, who all use “Cape gauge” too, are not talked into doing something silly. Not only is there 100% gauge compatibility at present, permitting unobstructed through-running between these five neighbouring countries and South Africa: unhindered running of rolling stock without cargo transhipment is possible to many places much further on, eg Kabwe in Zambia, Tanzania’s Dar-es-Salaam and lubumbashi in the DRC.

South Africa’s railways in 2009 were characterised by the lamentably deteriorating service, dissatisfied customers, under-maintained trains, badly vandalised stations and a disconcerting accident record – a sorry list of phenomena largely attributable to inadequate funding and management, and nothing at all to gauge.

Incidentally the term “Cape gauge”, used uncomplimentarily in the DoT document, did not originate in South Africa and had nothing to do with colonialism. It derived from the initials of Carl Abraham Pihl, chief engineer of the Norwegian State Railways, who used 1,067mm for a line 100km north of Oslo in 1862 – to save on cost. South Africa was the sixteenth country to follow his philosophy of using an economically modest formula. Today we continue to use “Cap gauge” in good company, for example: New Zealand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, much of Japan and two states in Australia.

“More locomotive power needed for the Cape gauge to negotiate steep terrains,” says DoT - but these Transnet class 11E locomotives are more powerful than anything operated on standard gauge in England today. A fleet of these entered service in 1987 – ie well within the “nil investment” period DoT claims for the years after 1986. The Umfolozi viaduct is every bit as good as any in the world on 1,435mm gauge.

South African proposals for track widening threaten the current uniformity of gauge which makes through-running possible in the whole of Southern Africa – such as this Rovos Rail excursion seen in Zimbabwe, en route from Cape Town via Botswana and Zambia to Dar-es-Salaam on Tanzania’s east coast. Photo: Richard Grönstedt

Ironically, changing our gauge would immediately give rise to all the “nightmares” that DoT fears. Gauge widening throughout the whole of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Namibia and the DRC – if this is what the department actually has in mind - would be a truly unimaginable undertaking with formidable implications – even for the World Bank, generally careful with its money but known to do foolish things in Africa.

On another tack - it would be disastrous if an ambitious, countrywide South African gauge-changing project were to be started, run out of money halfway, and be left half-done.

As for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, clarity is yet to emerge on the likely cost of their planned change to 1,435mm and exactly how the billions of dollars needed are to be found. Also, the preliminary estimates of cost appear to concentrate on infrastructure. how much, one wonders, will completely new 1,435mm gauge locomotives and rolling stock dent financial resources?

Will the dreams take knocks like that in Nigeria, whose envisaged new 1,435mm gauge network (with a contract worth $US8 billion already let) was summarily scrapped, once reality surfaced?

To paraphrase a well-known politician from the colonial era: “By blaming mismanagement, failure to maintain and general incompetence on gauge, politicians can fool some of the people some of the time, but they can’t fool all the people all the time”.


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

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ALGERIAALGERIAN CONTAINER ROUTE LAUNCHED Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviares (SNTF - the state railway of Algeria) has launched container transport by rail between the Port of Algiers and the dry port of Rouiba, about 20km east of the capital. Railway lines in the harbour have not been used for many years, and this is the first time that container trains have been operated in the area. Accompanied by executives, transport minister Amar Tou watched the first loaded departure.

mines envisaged in Namibia and Botswana, and other bulk freight. The development, to be implemented through the Spatial Development Initiatives, will link Walvis Bay in Namibia through Botswana to the industrialised Gauteng region in South Africa. It will offer a major rail transport alternative to trans-Atlantic markets for Gauteng and Botswana, at the same time increasing regional integration and economic growth for the three countries.

ERITREA

BOTSWANATRANS-KALAHARI MEETINGThe transport ministers of Botswana (Frank J Ramsden), Namibia (helmuth K Angula), and South Africa (Sibusiso Ndebele), issued a joint communiqué on 13 December, following a meeting in Windhoek to discuss the proposed $US1.4 billion Trans-Kalahari railway. Three companies interested in the project made presentations at the meeting, where it was agreed to await the outcome of the pre-feasibility study scheduled for completion by May 2010. Pointing out that the concept was first mooted nearly a century ago, the ministers said they “appreciated the initiatives taken by the private sector and assured our governments continued commitment to private sector involvement in the project”.

A call for expressions of interest will be published to allow bidders to compete in accordance with the best international practice. The line will be used for transporting coal from

An early (1950s) Algerian diesel-hydraulic loco, Belgian-built.

Eritrea’s unique railway was begun in 1888 on 750mm gauge, then changed to 950mm. In addition to the remarkable pre-World War II (1938) 0-4-4-0 Mallet steam locos, an elderly Littorina passenger railcar dating from the mid-thirties is still serviceable. A second similar vehicle has been stripped for spares. Photo: Richard Grönstedt

ETHIOPIALIGHT RAIL FOR ADDIS ABEBAThe Ethiopian ministry of transport and communications is planning a light rail network in the capital city, Addis Abeba. It was announced on 1 January that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between the ministry and a foreign company which is to lay rails in selected streets of the metropolis. No further details were provided, except that a total route distance of 30km is envisaged.

KENYARIFT VALLEY DEVELOPMENTSOn 15 January, according to Jaindi Kisero in the Saturday Nation (published in Nairobi), a new shareholders’ agreement was discussed at a lively board meeting of Rift Valley Railways (RVR).

In the previous week, the governments of Kenya and Uganda reportedly directed the company “to get its house in order” following reports that Egyptian-based Citadel Capital had bought 49% of South African-based Sheltam’s 35% interest in RVR.

In terms of timelines set down by the two governments, shareholders were required to recapitalise the company by putting in at least $US10 million by 25 January.

The railway station in Addis Abeba. Service along the metre-gauge line is currently suspended. Photo: Dietmar Fiedel


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It is understood that a meeting to decide whether to cancel RVR’s concession was scheduled for 27 January in Kampala.

In the event of the concession being cancelled, Kisero writes, the Transcentury group risks 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.

Kisero continues: “According to the government directive, the shareholders must sort out their differences within 14 days or face termination of the problematic railway deal. They must migrate all their shares to a new special-purpose vehicle known as the Kenya Uganda Railway holdings (KURh) registered in Mauritius. In addition, they have to recapitalise the company to a level that will give two international lending institutions, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and KFW of the Netherlands the comfort to release some $100 million they committed to the concession several years ago.

“According to the legal document that has been prepared to make it possible for the migration to KURh - so called ‘deeds of amendment’ - all six shareholders must raise capital in KURh in proportion to their shareholding in RVR.” The other shareholders of RVR are Centum of Kenya (10%), Mirambo ltd of Tanzania (15%), and Prime Fuels ltd of Kenya (15%).

“The Egyptians have said they are ready to inject the required $50 million in the concession. Transcentury has also said it is ready to fork out the needed cash.

“last month, the london-based private equity fund helios Capital also jumped into the fray saying it was ready to pump $50 million into the concession. In a letter by its managing director, helios said it - together with its technical partners, America latina logistica of Brazil - had successfully conducted a commercial and financial due diligence and developed a detailed turnaround plan for RVR. helios also said that it had engaged with both the IFC and KFW and that it was prepared to invest the money.”

Kenya freight train hauled by class 93 GE-built loco, dating from 1978.


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NEW KENYAN RAILWAY “ON COURSE”Kenya’s planned new standard gauge railway is “on course”, transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere says. Evelyn Njoroge of Nairobi-based Butterfly News quotes him explaining that the agreement with Rift Valley Railways (RVR) initially blocked the proposed development. It stipulated that the two governments could not construct a line within 35km on either side of the existing railway. Eventually agreement was reached that a new line may be constructed without restrictions.

It had been hoped to start building the new line in June 2009, “after the government pledged to fast-track the signing of the bilateral agreement with Uganda to ensure that it becomes operational in the next two to three years,” Njoroge writes. Mwakwere, she added, is confident that the project is “on schedule”. Some three months ago, advertisements had been placed, inviting companies to submit expressions of interest, and bids are currently being evaluated, Certain firms, the minister said, “had volunteered to conduct the feasibility study and design at their own cost.”

According to Njoroge, the government is seeking “a private partner to help it raise the Sh196 billion (about $US2.5bn) it requires to fund the new railway whose total construction costs are estimated at Sh300 billion (about $US4bn).” Mwakwere said that the line will initially be diesel-electric powered but this would be switched to a fully electric line once the country’s energy capacity and supply is reliable.

“The line will also extend from Kampala to the north past Gulu and into Southern Sudan and to Kigali, Rwanda and Bujumbura to the west.”

LIBYALIBYAN RAILWAY President of Rossiiskie Zheleznie Dorogi (RZhD – the Russian State Railway) Vladimir Yakunin visited libyan Railways chairman Said Mohammed Rashid on 5 December to inspect progress with building the new 554km Surt-Banghazi railway. Altogether a workforce of 3,500 from libya and Russia is involved in the four-year construction phase, and housing for more than 400 is nearing completion at the future Ras lanuf station. Some of the heavy construction and railway equipment has been delivered, including a track-laying machine, flat wagons and a 100 tonne crane.

The route parallels the Mediterranean coast, with six major and 24 minor stations. The double-track line is to be operated initially using 16 diesel locomotives currently being built by GE Transportation, but it is intended to electrify eventually, to permit speeds of 250km/h.

Yakunin points out that Russia has more than 170 years’ experience building railways in harsh environments, “through tundra and desert, across mountainous areas and the broadest rivers.” The China Railway Construction Corporation holds a series of contracts covering the 625km section of the coastal railway west from Surt to Al Khums, Tripoli and Ras Ejder on the Tunisian border, and an 800km link running inland from Misratah to iron ore deposits near Sabha.

MALAWIJAPAN TO AID MALAWIThe Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica), together with Malawi’s ministry of transport and public infrastructure, are to appoint consultants to undertake a feasibility study on reinstating the long-inoperable connection from Mozambique’s Sena line to the railways of Malawi. There have been no trains on this line since 1983, when the Mozambique civil war began. The Japanese government is to provide a grant of up to $US2.5 million for the study which is to include repairs to the flood-damaged Chiromo Bridge in the district of Nsanje.

Rehabilitation of the line will restore Malawi’s access to the port of Beira.

EMD diesel loco ex Taiwan in Malawi.

MOZAMBIQUESENA LINE ALMOST COMPLETEReconstruction work on the 574km Sena line from the central Mozambican port of Beira had reached a point only 24km from the Moatize coal basin in the western province of Tete by the end of December 2009. The Maputo daily “Noticias” quoted Tete provincial transport director Paz Catruza saying that, despite a slight delay caused by a number of “technical and material constraints”, the reconstruction teams would reach Moatize municipality during January 2010. Rehabilitation of the stations at Nyamawabue, Sinjale, and Doa in Mutarara district, as well as Cambulatsitse, Cateme, and Moatize itself, in Moatize district, is included in the project.

Early resumption of both passenger and goods traffic is expected.

The revised deadline for completion of the line was extended from December 2009 to the end of January 2010. According to Director of the Sena line Reconstruction Brigade Candido Jone, quoted in “Noticias”, the contractors - Indian consortium Rites and Ircon International - ran out of material and the target of 1,400 metres a day was not met for some time. The production of reinforced concrete sleepers in factories at Dondo and Sena fell behind because of a shortage of steel, which is imported from India.


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After the relaid line reaches Moatize, finishing touches to track alignment, the drainage system and the rehabilitation of bridges will continue throughout 2010, Jone explains.

Since the 6mta capacity of the rehabilitated Sena line will be insufficient to meet export coal requirements in the near future, a connecting link from Moatize to Malawi is planned, to provide access to the northern port of Nacala by 2015. An additional new railway is envisaged from Mutarara to the Nacala line, bypassing Malawi.

NIGERIALAGOS MASS TRANSIT RAILWAYAccording to the lagos state government, the design for the city’s N170 billion ($US1.2bn) mass transit rail project has been completed. Enjoying World Bank financial assistance, it will include a 7.75km viaduct, a 3km coastal elevated track and a 610m bridge over sea water. Trains are to run at 100km/h.

It is hoped to complete construction, providing jobs for about 4,000 Nigerians, in three years. State governor Babatunde Raji Fashola says the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) is ready to begin work. The first construction phase, he told journalists, will be the 27.6km Blue line from Okokomaiko to Marina, adding that Nigerians working on the london underground were keen “to come back home and run an efficient rail system”.

With regard to the proposed Red line rail, the state is waiting for Federal Government agreement to use its existing rail corridor to link Iddo through Agbado and Ijoko in Ogun State.

RWANDA“RWANDA NEEDS FAST-TRACKING”Ministers of Infrastructure from Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda agreed at a meeting in December to establish a “roadmap” of legal and regulatory framework to govern the proposed railway construction project linking the three countries.

A feasibility study carried out by an American firm concluded that the proposed new 1,700km standard-gauge line from Dar-es-Salaam is both economically and financially viable, at an estimated cost of $US3.5 billion. “Donors”, it is said, “have equally endorsed the initial findings.” The three countries intend to engage “strategic partners”, mainly from the private sector to invest in this “profitable project.”

According to comment in the Rwanda press, “whereas we welcome the step that our respective Infrastructure ministers have reached, there’s need to re-emphasise the imperative for a speedy implementation of each step agreed upon. If the private sector is shying away from the project, our respective governments should not be held hostage but rather mobilise resources to kickstart the initiative.”

[ Old Chinese proverb: Consultants’ promises of profitability sometimes burn investors’ fingers. - editor ]

SUDANRED SEA TO THE ATLANTIC A new rail project has been launched to link the Red Sea at Port Sudan with the Atlantic Ocean at Dakar in Sénégal. Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is quoted saying that the political will behind the project was confirmed during the first ministerial meeting on the scheme at Khartoum, Sudan, in December 2009. Cooperation activities by OIC in Turkey and Islamic countries, he added, increase trade potentials, while the OIC Economic Summit hosted in Turkey “opened new horizons”. New projects aimed at creating common trade areas and boosting cross border trade, are “on the way”.

TANZANIARITES CONTRACT TO BE REVOKEDThe 25-year railway management agreement between Tanzania and Rail India Technical and Economic Services (Rites) is to be officially revoked in February, Permanent Secretary in the Tanzanian Ministry of Infrastructure Development Omari Chambo has told the parliamentary committee on public accounts in Dar-es-Salaam. In the three years since taking over operations, the government says, the company has “underperformed”.

UNIVERSITY RAILWAYFollowing “extensive planning”, the University of Dodoma (UDom) has announced its intention to construct a railway network to shuttle students and visitors both on and outside its campus. The proposed system will link all five schools within the university campus to the main rail station near the centre of Tanzania’s capital city. UDom vice-chancellor Professor Idris Kikula told the Dar-es-Salaam Daily News on 27 December that lines are to be constructed alongside roads already in place on the campus as well as beside a 6km stretch outside the university.

According to Kikula, the idea was prompted by the university being an “expansive area”, and the fact that the current student enrolment of 14,000 is projected to reach 50,000 in the not too distant future. The institution covers an area of about 6,000 hectares, on which residential halls, lecture rooms, hospital, administration and other areas are widely spread.

The proposed line from Dakar on the Atlantic coast in Sénégal to Port Sudan, some 6,000km distant on the Red Sea.


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Kikula is optimistic that investors who have been approached will sell the proposal to the banks who would advance loans. “We are currently focusing on external investors but even local people can partner up to invest in the project,” he told the Daily News.

“But because it is primarily targeting students, it would be a low cost means of transport,” Kikula told the paper, adding: We’ll be happy if groundwork starts in 2010.”

ZAMBIAFIRST TRAIN REACHES CHIPATAThe first train has arrived in Chipata (formerly Fort Jameson) in Eastern Zambia, carrying ballast. There was excitement among the local population which gathered 6km from the Malawi border to witness the event. The line has been under construction for 27 years.

The extension west of Mchinji in Malawi to Chipata was conceived in 1982 as a bilateral two-year project between Zambia and Malawi. The portion from Mchinji to the border was completed in 1984, but the Zambian government lacked the necessary resources to complete its part of the work, and only 3.5km of track was laid. When the project was revived in 2006, it was found that the construction was inadequate and the rails were lifted. Unsuccessful endeavours were made to interest the private sector and in the end the Zambian government provided the necessary funds.

Zambia’s Eastern Chamber of Commerce (ECCP) has urged government to speed up the acquisition of land for a dry port at Chipata. ECCP chairman Timothy Nyirenda stresses the urgent need to construct a dry port for the storage and transport of heavy-duty goods.

Dodoma University plans a campus railway

TAZARACHINESE LOAN FOR TAZARAThe Chinese government is to lend $US39 million to the Tanzania-Zambia railway, known as Tazara, to help it out of its financial crisis. Tanzania’s infrastructure development minister Shukuru Kawambwa told the press: “China spent about $US500 million to build Tazara’s infrastructure in the 1970s, so it has agreed to extend the loan to rehabilitate it.”

Impressive semaphores are to be seen at Tazara’s vandalised stations, says Richard Grönstedt (who took the photo), but they do not work.

TUNISIAFrom October 2010, new electric trains will gradually phase out diesel traction between the main railway station in Tunis’ Place Barcelone and hammam El Chatt, 17km south of the city. Sets with a capacity of 2,500 are to be introduced by Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (SNCFT - the Tunisian National Railways). They will be capable of 120km/h. Trains are to run at a four-minute frequency in peak hours, covering the journey in about two-thirds of the present time. Many road bridges have been built to eliminate level crossings.

Diesel-hauled train from Gabès to Tunis (422km) at Bir Bou Regba, junction for a branch running via Hammamet to Nabeul. Photo: Richard Ågren

ZIMBABWEMASVINGO PASSENGER TRAIN RETURNSPassenger train service between Gweru and Masvingo (197km), suspended the past six months for $US35,000’s worth of coach refurbishment (six vehicles) and track rehabilitation, resumed on 11 December 2009. The timetable makes it possible for people to travel from Gweru in the morning, do business in Masvingo, and return the same day. Travellers from harare or Bulawayo connect with the restored branch-line service at Gweru. According to National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) public relations manager Fanuel Masikati, quoted in The Chronicle, rails imported from China are being used for track renewal and slippers (sic) are being manufactured at Fort Concrete in Gweru.

Dieter Fiedel photographed the Gweru-Masvingo mixed train in 2007.

The first train from Malawi reaches Chipata, Zambia. The 30km line has been under construction for 27 years.


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South African Rail News

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NEW DIESELS FOR S AGE Transportation has signed a contract with Transnet in South Africa to supply 100 new diesel-electric locomotives. Ten units are to be built in Erie and Grove City, Pennsylvania. In addition, 90 locomotive kits - also manufactured in Pennsylvania – will be sent to South Africa for assembly to meet localisation requirements stipulated in the contract. The locomotives will be built at the end of 2010 and delivered in early 2011.

GE’s model C30ACi, the first AC diesel-electric locomotive to be introduced to sub-Saharan Africa, will have an

housing area, the lawns and gardens are overgrown, the streets potholed, the houses drab with scrap cars and junk in the driveways. It is disgusting. A number of houses appeared to be unoccupied.

“In the early years Esselen Park was the pride and joy of the railways. It was immaculate, it had its own resident horticulturist, complete with a team of garden labourers. It had a shop, barber, post office, library, bar, snooker room, gym and a bioscope. All that is gone.“Oh good, we’ll be able to have tea on the journey. They’re putting in the milk”.

(A cartoon in Punch, 100 years ago)

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, aimed at lower life-cycle costs, improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

According to the GE Transportation announcement, “This contract is especially relevant in the light that South Africa has not placed an order for locomotives in approximately 20 years.”

[ Not quite. Some 75 new class 10E1 and 10E2 locomotives were placed in service in 1989-90, followed by the class 14E and 14E1 dual-voltage units after 1990, and 50 class 38 electro-diesels in 1992; not to mention the class 19E in 2009. It is true there were no new straight diesels during this time (GE was remiss in failing to make this distinction clear) – and in fact even the 50 class 38s had diesel engines. – editor ]

“In later years the horticulturist only looked after the college gardens. The occupants of the staff houses were obliged to look after their own gardens and sidewalks. This place too was always neat and well kept.

Delivery of the 50 class 38 electro diesels- effectively 3kV DC electric units with on-board diesel engines – commenced in 1992.

ESSELEN PARKRetired railways communication technician William Smith recently revisited Esselen Park Training College, formerly a prestige, showpiece complex that reflected the high standards of instruction it provided in countless rail-related fields, from locomotive-driving to trains operating and signalling.

“I was shocked to see the condition,” he writes. “The once beautifully kept lawns and gardens were overgrown and unkempt; the buildings looked drab and uninviting. The once immaculate swimming pool was half-empty and the surrounding lawns and shrubs were overgrown. In the staff

Esselen Park railway training college. Kaalfontein station is seen on the right.

“The residents’ recreation club had a restaurant/bar, bowling green, tennis courts, lapas etc. You must see it now - the building is in a state of neglect, broken windows etc. The wire mesh around the tennis courts is missing and grass in growing in cracks in the paving; I did not even bother to get out of my car to look at the bowling green which was hidden by overgrowth. This place is fast beginning to look like most wayside railway stations.

“I once lived and worked there and was saddened by the scene I was confronted with.”

[ According to press reports, advanced plans by coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to base the Bafana World Cup team at the “Esselen Park School of Excellence” have been shelved due to the complex being so badly run down that it will take about R16m to renovate. - editor ]

Esselen Park railway training college: the main building.


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SOUTH AFRICAN DIESEL LOCOS Approval has been given for control upgrades of 75 class 34 GE diesel locos and 75 class 37 GM diesels. The GEs will be fitted with the Brightstar control system. Four class 36 are being converted for remote control operation. Two of the GM 36.200 series are to follow. If successful, TFR anticipate converting a further 40 locos.

Dr John Middleton of the World Bank in Washington DC, writing in his private capacity following a business visit to South Africa towards the end of 2009, refers to the 3,300hp class 39.200 series under construction at Koedoespoort Works, Pretoria. locos 39.201-207 had been on test on the Belfast-lydenburg-Steelpoort line “Where four of them are producing better performance than five class 37s (3,200hp each). The unique 39.251, which was the prototype for the 39.200 series, is believed to have been sold to leasing company RRl who are using it on a mine somewhere. It is rumoured that TFR were unhappy with this loco which was rebuilt from 37.010 by a local consortium. In December, 39.201-18 were sent to Richards Bay/Phalaborwa for working through trains. This involves running under the wires, but frees up electric locomotives for use elsewhere. “

SOUTH AFRICAN ELECTRIC LOCOS A package of upgrades is being done on class 7E locomotives. The traction motors have always been problematical and tests are being done with traction motors from both India and China.

Approval for a further 127 class 18E rebuilds has been granted. These will be in the 18.500-525 and 18.600-700 series. The new number series is believed to indicate somewhat less comprehensive rebuilds as a cost-saving measure. The original 18E orders 18.001-18.425 involved a complete stripdown whereas the new batches are having less rigorous overhauls but still with the same upgrade

AFRICA 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.

4 - 6 March 2009Cape Town

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Esselen Park training college: the Railwayman’s Inn.

Esselen Park training college: one of the restaurants, frequently hired out for receptions.

A GE SG108, 1,170hp class 36 shunting loco at Newlands, Cape Town. Two similar units - 36.101 and 36.102 - are currently being converted for remote control operation

A GM SW1002, 1,120hp class 36.200 loco at Port Shepstone. Two similar units are to be converted for remote control operation. Photo: Peter Bagshawe.

Remotely controlled shunting locos, commonplace in the USA, are not new to South Africa. This Hunslet at Namakwa Sands’ Koekenaap yard in the Western Cape was photographed 15 years ago.


SA rAilnewS

package. On 25 October, 18.515 was noted ex-works at Koedoespoort. Old 6E1 shells marked up to 18.525 and 18.639 have been seen.

All of the 18Es so far have been rebuilt from series 6-11 (E1646-2185). however, a few from these series have now been overhauled as 6E1 and repainted purple for passenger services (E1654/57/58 and 1950).

SIMON’S TOWN LINE CLOSED

Class 6E1 loco 1367 hauling Shosholoza Meyl express. Photo Jacque Wepener

OUTENIQUA CHOO-TJOETransnet spokesman John Dludlu is quoted by The herald online saying that reaction to the November call for expressions of interest from private bidders to operate the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe would be made public once the process has been completed.

Western Cape finance, tourism and economic development MEC Alan Winde told the herald he hoped 2010 would be “The year that the Choo-Tjoe receives a new owner and is given the chance to cement its iconic status”. he is confident the Choo-Tjoe will form part of Fifa World Cup visitors’ tourism experience. “Transnet has prioritised the sale of the Choo-Tjoe’s operations between George and Mossel Bay, and assures us they will communicate with us as soon as any milestones are reached,” Winde said.

During a two-week period over the December holidays, he added, the Choo-Tjoe was almost fully booked: “This is particularly remarkable since its usual thrice weekly timetable was doubled to accommodate holidaymakers.” The majority of travellers on the train were South African, which could indicate renewed enthusiasm for heritage rail in the country, he thinks. In addition, foreign visitors to the Choo-Tjoe provided positive feedback of their experience.

The line between Knysna and George was badly washed away in several places by floods in 2006, the damage being aggravated by further heavy rains the following year. Initial estimates for repairs ran to more R100 million, a figure which would be inevitably higher today. The current steam-worked service is running between George and Mossel Bay, though diesels have had to be used recently due to a critical shortage of water in the region.

A steering committee has been set up to collate ideas on restoring the Knysna line. One proposal is to curtail the route to omit the badly damaged section at Kaaimans River, ie running trains between Wilderness and Knysna only. Unfortunately this would leave out the scenic bridge crossing the breakers at the mouth of the river, much photographed and known throughout the world.

[ The tracks at Wilderness station were lifted recently by contractors upgrading the area sewerage system. It is understood that the lines are to be reinstated on completion of the work. - editor ]

On 4 December 2009, Metrorail advised on its website: “Train service between Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town has been cancelled due to acts of nature, passengers will be conveyed by bus between Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town in both directions. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. Thank you.” Malcolm Bates photographed the line (still closed) at Glencairn in mid-January - rusty and largely buried in sea sand.

GUARD’S VAN COMEBACKGuard’s vans bringing up the rear of every South African freight train were standard practice until the eighties, when rows of them filled the “scrap” sidings up and down the country. Their discontinuation had two significant consequences: rural passengers lost the facility of the passenger compartments provided for their use, and the fireman (now driver’s assistant) took over responsibility for intermediate shunting, points changing etc.

The guard’s van – but without room for passengers – is currently making a comeback. It isn’t called a guard’s van and there is no guard. The purpose is to convey shunters. Apparently the drivers’ assistants are no longer entrusted with shunting duties and have reverted to more mundane tasks like making the driver’s tea.

Guard’s vans are back on goods trains. This one was tailing a load of mealies at Losdorings in the OFS. Photo: Jacque Wepener


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DüBS A - RESTORATION APPEALUmgeni Steam Railway’s (USR) Dübs class A tank locomotive will be 118 years old in 2010. In 1985, she hauled a trainload of dignitaries from Durban to the Point to celebrate 125 years of railways, so what better loco to celebrate 150 years of railways in South Africa this year?

Unfortunately the years have taken their toll on 4-8-2 “Umbilo” (NGR no 88, SAR no 134). All her 187 boiler tubes need replacing (at R400 apiece), as well as much badly corroded platework. An enthusiastic team is eager to get this loco running again, but funding of the necessary replacement components presents a major problem.

A donations board has been set up at Inchanga station, where the names of donors will be recorded as well as an indication of how the fund is progressing. Even a part sponsorship for a boiler tube would be appreciated.

Donations may be deposited directly into USR’s Nedbank account 1301259314 (Musgrave Branch code 130126). Please ensure that donations can be clearly identified by putting DUBS FUND and your name in the reference section.

WESTERN CAPE TRANSPORT PLANS According to a 14 January 2010 media briefing by Premier helen Zille and transport MEC Robin Carlisle, the Western Cape government has targeted 2014 for achieving a 10% shift from road haulage to rail freight and a 13% modal shift from private to public transport. This would result in a 60:40 private:public transport split into the central business district of Cape Town, compared to the current 69:31. To realise these objectives, rail transport is to be promoted, rapid trunk routes for existing [road] public transport services are to be provided and the minibus-taxi industry is to be formalised.

According to Carlisle, the province has R10 billion to R13 billion available for its plans, adding “ten to 13 billion buys a lot of BRT [bus rapid transit] and it buys a lot of trainsets.”

Zille admitted the targets were ambitious, but said she would rather strive for the “near impossible” than set the benchmark too low. (late in 2009, Zille was forced to concede that the cost of Cape Town’s planned “integrated rapid transport system” had been underestimated by more than 300%).

[ Getting 10% of freight off the road and onto rail looks like a tall order. Virtually all the goods sidings along Cape Town’s suburban lines have been lifted and the council has been allowing flats to be built where goods yards used to be. – editor ]

NEOTEL WOESA new underground fibre-optic cable has been laid between Welkom station and Whites on the OFS main-line, but has not yet been handed over by the contractor. For the present, communications continue to depend on the old cables which are suspended from cross-bars on the former electrification masts. Parts of this infrastructure has been cut down, presumably stolen for scrap, and this means that the cable sags almost to ground level, facilitating its own theft. Electrified originally in 1974, electric traction along the branch was suspended in 2005.

HOLIDAY SEASON TRAINSRolling stock shortage prevented South Africa’s railways from running anything like the number of special passenger trains over the Christmas period compared with the situation ten and more years ago. Many additional coaches that were pressed into service were criticised for being dirty, or having no water or lights. It is believed that the potential revenue loss runs into hundreds of thousands. Ordinary scheduled trains were filled to capacity. On the main-line through the OFS, intending passengers were left behind at many intermediate stations – a picture that was no doubt repeated on many other lines.

FINANCIAL CHALLENGES FACE PRASA According to a letter that we understand was sent to employees of Prasa (the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa), passenger services may be severely curtailed by 2011 if substantial government financial assistance is not received soon. Other sources warn of pending countrywide cuts in Metrorail service early in 2010, due to serious “financial challenges”.

WESTLEIGH-VIERFONTEIN LINEThe Wepeners reported on 15 December:“We paid a visit to Rustig station [29km west of Westleigh] on the Vierfontein branch. As the name suggests, it was peaceful there, no sounds - and almost nothing left! The points to the loops have been lifted and only a through-line remains. A half burned-out fibreglass nameboard lies on the ground. Ruins of station buildings remain. A very overgrown goods platform with rails marked ‘SAR 1919’ survives. The loops have trees growing between the sleepers and track. Some wooden sleepers have gone missing. New ballast was observed but weeds were already growing through it, though the track looked shiny. Two pieces of rail that once supported a gate were observed, marked Cape Government Railways - 82 [1882].

“Attie was visited next. A few buildings still stand, vandalised. No mealie trucks were noticed in the silo area. Someone has placed four beehives on the old waiting room roof. No trains.

“Our next stop was at Gunhill yard, Kroonstad. This was full of traffic for a change, although no shunting was observed.”

Attie: The OFS main-line passes 15km to the east, at Westleigh junction. Photo: Jacque Wepener


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TRANSITION BEAMS FOR ORE LINEA second-generation transition beam has been designed and developed by Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and Infraset Railway Products. Transition beams smooth out the difference in resilience between normal ballast-mounted rail track and the concrete-mounted track found in tunnels.

The new beam represents a substantial advance over its first-generation counterpart, jointly developed by TFR and Infraset for the Richards Bay coal line nine years ago, being much easier to produce and simpler to install. Two beams (four in all) have been placed at each entrance to the only tunnel on the Saldanha/Sishen ore (Orex) line, near Elands Bay on the West Cape coast.

Transition beams comprise individual sleepers which are post-tensioned to form a single ladder-shaped beam. Rails are secured to the beams with Pandrol fastenings. Because they rest on ballast, the beams provide intermediate resilience, approximately 50% less than normal ballast-mounted track and 50% greater than the concrete-mounted track found in tunnels.

Josia Meyer, senior engineer track technology at TFR, says the net effect of stepping resilience up or down – depending on the direction of the train - is that the frequency of maintenance required at tunnel entrances is reduced from three times to once annually. This in turn minimises line closures and improves overall productivity.

“Track assemblies at tunnel entrances, which are not protected by transition beams, are less able to withstand the additional vertical and horizontal forces generated by trains as they move from concrete-mounted to ballast-mounted track, and vice versa. These additional forces accelerate ballast deterioration by a factor of three – hence the higher maintenance requirement,” Meyer explains.

Sizwe Mkhize, product manager of Infraset Railway Products, says the joint development of a local transition beam first began in 1999 when Transnet decided to replace a Japanese beam, which precluded tamping of the ballast situated immediately beneath it.

Class 9E (50kV AC) locos heading a loaded ore train out of the 787m Bobbejaansberg tunnel at Elands Bay, just under 90km north of Saldanha.

Reduce speed now! (From a photo by Jacque Wepener).


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PARK TO ROSEBANK PARK STATION Construction of the platforms and concourse slab were approaching completion at the end of November 2009. Internal brickwork and plastering continues at both concourse and platform levels and mechanical and electrical (M&E) installations are in progress. At the parkade structure, the first floor deck has been cast and construction of the second floor deck is in progress. Reinstatement of Wolmarans Street to its original configuration is well advanced.

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.

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GAUTRAIN CONSTRUCTION UPDATEROSEBANK STATION Construction of the concourse and roof slabs are both complete, with waterproofing of the roof slab well advanced. Platform structures, brickwork and plastering are all substantially complete. Painting and plumbing are in progress at both platform and concourse levels. Elevators have been positioned within the station box and M&E installations continue.

At the parkade structure on the corner of Oxford Road and Baker Street, work on pile caps and foundations continues, as well as columns and beams to the first floor of the parking deck.

Inside the tunnel bored by the tunnel boring machine (TBM) from the south end of the station, the invert slab is finished and casting of walkways was completed towards the end of September 2009. Invert slabs and walkways within the drill-and-blast (D&B) tunnel from the north end of the station to shaft E5 are also complete.

Construction continues in the cut-and-cover sections at either end of the station. These link the station box to the tunnels.

EMERGENCY SHAFTSThe tunnel between the Park and Sandton stations is being provided with seven access shafts for use by emergency services personnel. Some have safe havens where passengers can gather in an emergency.

Emergency shaft E1 (Hillbrow): Excavation and shaft lining at shaft E1 (80 metres deep) has been completed, as well as the safe haven at the bottom, where civil works continue.

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). Tunnelling from the south face broke through into that working northwards from Park station on 11 September. Tunnelling from both faces at shaft E2 is now complete. Civil works within the tunnels, as well as the safe haven at the bottom of shaft E2, continue. Emergency shaft E3 (Riviera): Civil works within the shaft are substantially complete. Construction of the head house on the surface continues, with the roof structure finished. Being a shallow shaft, 21m deep, with direct access to the surface, there is no safe haven necessary at the bottom.

Emergency shaft E4 (Houghton): Civil works within shaft E4 and construction of the head house structure on the surface continue. Being a shallow shaft, 16m deep, with direct access to the surface, there is no safe haven necessary at the bottom.

Construction of the parkade and reinstatement of Wolmarans street at Johannesburg Park station.

ROSEBANK-SANDTON-MARLBORO Emergency shaft E5 (Dunkeld, Rosebank): Invert slabs and walkways within the 745 metre Drill & Blast (D&B) tunnel from the north end of Rosebank station to emergency shaft E5 are complete. Civil works continue in the safe haven at the bottom of shaft E5. Casting of the invert slab in the tunnel towards shaft E6 is in progress.

Emergency shaft E6 (Illovo): This 73 metre deep shaft was constructed within the past few months using “raise boring” methodology. This entailed drilling a pilot hole downwards and then boring a large diameter shaft from the bottom up towards the surface. The shaft collar at ground level and shotcrete shaft lining have been completed, as has excavation of the safe haven. Underground civil works are in hand.

Casting of invert slabs and walkways inside the tunnel towards shaft E7 is in progress.

Emergency shaft E7 (Rivonia Road, Sandton): This is located on the western side of Rivonia Road, opposite “The Inandas” townhouse complex. The shaft collar has been constructed and excavation to the final depth of 69 metres is finished, with shaft lining is also complete. Excavation of the 170 metre connecting adit from the bottom of this shaft to the main rail tunnel is finished.

Installation of the heating and air ventilation duct on platformlevel at Rosebank station.



Civil works within the adit are in progress, together with casting of invert slabs and walkways within the tunnel towards Sandton.

SANDTON STATIONAt 45 metres (15 storeys) below ground level, Sandton station is Gautrain’s deepest. Underground station construction continues in the cavern section between the south and north shafts, as well as inside the shafts themselves. These works include the base slabs for the tracks, construction of the various platforms, technical rooms and operational rooms, as well as the escalator and lift shafts and stairways located within the shafts. Construction of the three-level underground parkade is progressing well, with the multiple parking decks visible from the surrounding buildings. Piling, foundations, column construction and casting of the suspended slabs for the parkade structure continue. The escalators linking the station entrance to the underground platforms will be installed in the north shaft shortly. Track is currently being laid in the station.

The 1.135km tunnel (from the southern end of the station to just past the point where the shaft E7 adit joins the main tunnel) is complete.

MARLBORO PORTAL EASTWARDSViaducts 1A and 11 crossing the Jukskei River and Far East Bank Drive are both complete, with track and catenary masts 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. Drainage and finishing works adjacent to the alignment in this area are approaching completion.

MARLBORO STATION At Marlboro Station, internal finishes - including floor and wall tiling and painting - are in hand. Glazing of the external walls of the concourse and over-platform links is in progress. Externally, works at the bus terminal area are under way. Track has been laid through the station and associated equipment is being installed.

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 and landscaping remains to be completed.

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. Reinstatement of the community park is in progress and will be completed early in 2010.

MARLBORO PORTALTracklaying is in progress, both southwards in the completed tunnel from the Marlboro portal towards Sandton, and north-eastwards on the surface through Marlboro station towards the N3 crossing. Associated infrastructure is being installed, including signalling and communications.

Along the above-ground sections of route, the rails are supported on concrete sleepers and conventional ballast. Track construction inside the tunnels utilises a “state-of-the-art” system, specially developed for this type of application, consisting of precast concrete blocks to which the undersides of the rails are attached. Each block is surrounded by a resilient “boot”, cast into the concrete track slab.

The temporary flash butt welding facility that was established adjacent to the portal has completed its operations and has been dismantled. here, rails for the first section of tunnel were welded into 216 metre long lengths prior to installation inside the tunnel. Rails for the balance of the underground section are being welded at the flash butt welding facility at the Midrand depot, from where they are transported by train as required.

Track laying through the underground Sandton station.

Installation of the overhead catenaries and electrification masts at Marlboro station with the N3 underpass in the background.

M&E works on the platform of Marlboro station.

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 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, level crossings, 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.

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

ROLLING STOCKFollowing 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 November, 44 vehicles had been delivered to the Gautrain depot.

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, station building works, including the structural steel platform and concourse roof structures, are substantially complete and roof cladding is in hand. Platforms are substantially complete and the track formation through the station was completed during October. Retaining walls, earthworks and drainage for the parking areas are well advanced and layerworks and surfacing have commenced.

From the Midrand area northwards, civil construction up to the Technopark area at Centurion is approaching completion. Drainage, layer works, duct installation, catenary mast bases, noise barriers and fencing continue. All these works are well advanced along extended lengths of the alignment.

VIADUCT 4 Viaduct 4, which crosses Rietspruit and Olifantsfontein Road South, is complete and awaiting installation of track and overhead catenary.

Midrand station showing platform construction.

Construction of Centurion station at viaduct 5.


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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 which are erected using purpose-built steel launching girders and then stressed together to form the deck spans. By the end of November, approximately 85% of the deck spans had been erected, with parapets in position on many.

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. With the first spans at both of these viaducts now substantially complete, the graceful arched forms of these exceptionally long deck spans are clearly identifiable.

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. Installation of platform parapets is well advanced and erection of the platform canopy structure has commenced. At ground level, work continues on foundations, concourse and technical room building works and platform access stair construction. Dynamic compaction of the parking area is in progress.

VIADUCT 6 OVER EEUFEES ROADAt Viaduct 6, three of the six spans of precast deck segments have been installed using a launching girder.

SALVOKOP AND PRETORIA Near Salvokop at the approach to Pretoria, a cut-and-cover structure crosses beneath the Ben Schoeman highway. Construction work here is complete and reinstatement of the northbound carriageways is in progress.

PRETORIA STATION At Pretoria Station, concrete and building works, as well as the platform and concourse roof cladding, are substantially complete. Curtain wall framing is well advanced, curtain wall glazing is in progress and internal finishing works have commenced. Demolition of the adjacent McCarthy building has been completed and preparations for parking area construction in this area are in hand.

PRETORIA-HATFIELDVIADUCT 7 The deck 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. Placing of M-beams on some sections has commenced.

Between Gautrain’s Pretoria and hatfield stations, a number of road bridges crossing the existing Metrorail railway are being lengthened, to accommodate the new tracks which will run parallel. The Cilliers Street bridge has been completed and the road reopened to traffic. Construction is proceeding on the extension of bridges at Walton Jameson Road, Bourke Street and lynnwood Road, as is work on new road-over-rail bridges at Ridge and Grosvenor Roads. Extensive lateral support works, to enable the existing railway cutting to be widened, are in progress.

Aerial view showing viaduct 7 and Pretoria station.

Construction of the u-sections in the military area between Pretoria and Centurion.



The Metrorail tracks at and approaching Rissik station have been deviated to accommodate Gautrain tracklaying.

HATFIELD STATION Foundations and structural works for the concourse and platforms are progressing well. Column construction, casting of suspended slabs and parapet installation at the parkade building continue, with work in progress on all eight levels of this structure.

lateral support and excavation of the southern embankment is complete, enabling construction of the station proper to commence. Foundation construction and structural works for the concourse and platform areas are well advanced. Column construction and casting of suspended slabs at the eight-level parkade structure continue. The four lower level decks have been completed and work is progressing on the upper levels. Parapet wall installation to the perimeter of the structure is in progress.

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

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 will carry the double track over the R21/R24 road network. Track and overhead catenary are being installed.

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.

The platform structure, concourse and platform roof at Rhodesfield are complete and track has been installed through the station. Platform access-ways and the erection of the structural steel concourse roof are substantially complete, escalators have been positioned and installation of equipment in the technical rooms is in progress. Roof cladding to the concourse is complete, floor and wall tiling within this area are well advanced and installation of the glazed facades is in hand. Work on the parking area continues and construction of the stormwater attenuation pond is in progress.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has begun foundation construction and columns for a new Metrorail station, immediately adjacent to the Gautrain facility. This will provide commuters with a convenient transfer link between the Gautrain and Metrorail systems. laying of track and ballast is in progress.

O R TAMBO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT STATIONFinishing works within the station concourse shell are approaching completion and electrical and mechanical installations are well advanced. Ticket vending machines and fare gates have been installed and are being tested. The platform structures, structural steel platform canopies and roof cladding are all substantially complete with finishing works, including the installation of tinted glass closure screens, currently in progress. Construction of three emergency accessways at the ends of the platforms is in hand, and track has been laid through the station.

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.

MARLBORO-AIRPORTBy the end of November, installation of twin-track lines was in progress along the entire length of the East-West route from behind linbro Park to the airport station.

Civil construction work is substantially complete along the whole of this section which includes eleven bridges, three viaducts and a number of other structures, including the platforms for a future station at Modderfontein. Erection of the 2.4 metre high concrete palisade fence along both sides of the rail reserve is in hand, as are topsoiling, hydroseeding of embankments, landscaping and other minor finishing operations. Vegetation growth on the embankments throughout the route is responding well to the summer rains.

The existing Metrorail line as diverted past Gautrain’s Hatfield station site.

O R Tambo International Airport station on viaduct 15.


review

Railway signalling & interlockingInternational compendium The word “compendium” in the subtitle appropriately sums up the extensive field covered in this authoritative publication. Editors Gregor Theeg (Dresden University) and Sergej Viasenko (Siemens) have put together work by 23 authors – eight of them professors and 17 holding doctorates. The mysteries of most contemporary world practice in railway signalling are succinctly documented and explained, with profuse use of colour diagrams and photos. Basic technicalities such as axle counters versus track circuiting are discussed, and the ramifications of modern electronic wizardry have been comprehensively set out. Shunt signalling, hump yard control and level crossing protection are among the many related subjects covered. A useful glossary defines balises, “available redundancy”, “transferred flank protection”, “degraded mode operation” and the like.

historic background is rather less detailed than some might prefer. With the railway as such originating in England, British signalling principles were adopted in many countries, but the development of these is barely touched upon. Names like Tyer, for instance, escape mention, though Saxby and Farmer are there. Similarly, it is difficult to find more than brief, passing mention of signalling procedures in the United States. The USA, after all, introduced automatic block on impressive lengths of single track 100 years ago, and this – together with multi-signal-head speed signalling at facing points - is still prevalent across North America today. (“Single”, as it happens, does not appear in the index - nor for that matter do “United States” or “America”). German semaphore signalling is illustrated, as well as Belgian – which was of course derived from Britain, albeit somewhat modified. But arguably more space might have been found for those curious French checkerboard semaphores, which migrated to some Francophone colonies; also for one or two significant current concessions to reality, such as the discontinuation of CTC in several parts of South Africa where the extent of vandalism has overtaken the capability to maintain infrastructure.

The book notes that position-light route indication at junctions – standard on lineside equipment in the UK and many Commonwealth countries – enjoys detail variation in South Africa, which uniquely includes a display denoting points set for the main-line.

In the words of the cover blurb: The book “records the principles and present situation on railway signalling throughout the world”. Obviously it was not practicable to fully detail the quirks of every country’s individual signalling niceties. For instance, while it is observed that double-yellow generally means the next signal will be yellow - and the one after that, red - in South Africa (though this is not stated) double yellow means “reduce speed for a turnout set for a diverging route”.

The pervading theme being that of safety, the book should make compelling bedside reading for South Africa’s Rail Safety Regulator, especially following recent concerns over systems such as radio token block, dependence on which is growing. Widely used internationally, it is instructive to learn that this concept originated in Scotland.

lRDDiagram explaining German semaphore & colour-light signals.

Railway signalling & interlockingInternational compendiumISBN 978-3-7771-0394-5hard cover 448pp, €58

Eurailpress DVV media group, 2009Postbox 101609 D-20010 hamburg, [email protected]


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CORNFIELD MEETShortly after 14:00 on 7 December, tourist class train 71010 from Johannesburg to Cape Town was instructed by radio to take the loop at Frederikstad, 43km north of Potchefstroom, in order to cross a northbound train. When the driver reported that he didn’t have the “Chubb” key needed to unlock the points, he was instructed to enter the station on the main-

line, and wait there. Economy class train 17007 from Cape Town to Johannesburg was directed to change the points on arrival at Frederikstad, and to enter the loop to pass no 71010. Somehow this instruction was not received, or not carried out. The northbound train failed to stop at the points and continued in on the main, where it collided head-on with the stationary express. A 24-year-old pregnant woman on train 17007 died in the crash and altogether emergency services took 107 people to hospital. Four were reported critically hurt, including a driver and a train manager. Seventy passengers with light injuries were discharged from hospital the following day.

Train 17007 had 494 on board, Shosholoza Meyl told the press, the other express 159. Damage was estimated at R30 million.

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.

MIRROR IMAGE, 3 YEARS BACKBoon Boonzaaier recalls:

“Almost exactly three years ago (26 December 2006) the last Bushveld Trains Safari was stopped at Frederikstad to cross the [northbound] tourist class train from Cape Town.

“Our driver dropped her assistant before entering the station to change the [north end] points and parked the train next to the platform on the main line, to wait for the oncoming train (from Potchefstroom). With the oncoming train already in view the driver suddenly jumped off the locomotive, ran towards the [south end] points and switched them just in time.

“She had suddenly realised, with her assistant at the back of the train, that the points [at the southern end] were still set for the main line and had to rush to switch the points before the oncoming train ran into hers.

“Of course the other driver reported the incident as an ‘avoided collision’ and both trains were delayed for six hours while investigators came from all over (Klerksdorp, Johannesburg, Coligny, etc) ‘to find out what the problem was’. Both crews were relieved from duties and the passengers had to wait until the new crews arrived. We left almost six hours later.

“I felt sorry for the passengers on the main-line train as they would only reach Johannesburg around midnight, while, in our case, we would only be late arriving at Cape Town the next day as this was the beginning of an eight-day trip.

“Did the investigators learn nothing from this? It is a very lame excuse saying a driver did not have a Chubb key to unlock the points - almost like going to war without a weapon.

“On 7 December 2009, the passengers had to sit (under the sun in the open veld) for more than six hours before bus transport arrived (with nobody telling them anything). A large bus company has branches in Carletonville, Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp and most of these buses normally stand idly on weekdays as they are mainly used for trips over week and month ends. Surely the second action (after dispatching ambulances) should have been to look after the passengers and to get buses to them as soon as possible - or do we expect too much?”

RSR UNHAPPY WITH RADIO CONTROL“The South African Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) has determined that a significant shortcoming exists in the operating procedures for Radio Train Order [RTO] controlled sections,” spokesman Carvel Webb was quoted saying, following investigations into the cause of the 7 December collision at Frederikstad. Webb said that problems with the

Head-on collision at Frederikstad: the focal point.

After the crash, a tourist class train from Cape Town was diverted via Vereeniging, arriving in Johannesburg more than three hours late. Similar diversions enabled other trains to bypass the affected section, but meant that scheduled station stops at Oberholzer (for Carletonville) and Krugersdorp had to be left out.

[ On 8 December, the Johannesburg Times quoted spokesman lawrence Venkile for the Railway Safety Regulator saying measures would be put in place to prevent similar collisions. – editor ]


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KLINGTON FATAL COLLISION ONLY 14KM AWAYBarely 14km south of Frederikstad, there used to be an interloop named Klington. On 5 October 1962, a multiple-unit suburban passenger set from Johannesburg to Klerksdorp entered the loop, colliding head-on with a class 5E locomotive heading a stationary goods. The incident bore many similarities to the two incidents at Frederikstad, but had more serious consequences, with eleven passengers killed and 34 injured in the timber-bodied second coach, which telescoped over the leading 2M steel motor coach.

finding that he failed to keep a proper look-out, was travelling too fast and failed to stop where required. A fine of R300 was imposed, but as the driver earned only R160 per month, he was permitted to pay it off at R25 per month.

Colour-light signalling was never installed at Frederikstad. The station, seen here in 1993 (today no sign of it remains), was closed - the train control personnel and full semaphore signalling removed, and the well-tried and effective van Schoor system of single-line control dispensed with. Except for a short section of CTC at Oberholzer, signal cabins at all stations between Randfontein and Cachet, near Potchefstroom (110km), have been closed, with signals removed and points reverting to local manual tumblers, worked by train personnel under remote radio direction (from Coligny, 100km to the west and nowhere near the Cape main-line). This is the only section currently operated this way on the entire line.

The October 1962 collision at Klington, only 14km south of Frederikstad, where 11 passengers lost their lives.

The passenger train was supposed to have had a clear run through on the main-line. Why the points at the northern end of Klington had been set for the loop is inexplicable – the freight had entered the siding from the south. Following court proceedings the following month, the passenger train driver was found guilty of culpable homicide, the magistrate

NAMIBIAN CRASHAccording to New Era, published in Windhoek, the driver of three locomotives that left Mariental station shortly after 04:00 on 7 December, en route to Keetmanshoop, discovered after travelling some distance that he had left his train behind. Setting back, he allegedly misjudged matters and crashed into the coaches. One locomotive and two of the four passenger vehicles – which were badly damaged - derailed. A tankcar full of petrol, the New Era report said, was not affected. A 14-year-old boy was killed in the collision and 41 passengers were taken to hospital, one in a serious condition.

The paper wrote: “TransNamib’s Senior Controller of Passenger Services, Gideon Eiseb, said the accident will cost the company millions of Namibian dollars. TransNamib hired two luxury buses from Windhoek to take the passengers to their respective destinations and also provided meals and refreshments to the passengers. ‘We are a responsible corporate citizen and want to make sure that our customers are satisfied with our service,’ he said.”

In a bizarre postscript to the Klington accident, the Johannesburg Star reminded readers that four people had been killed and 56 hurt on the same line only nine days previously. On 26 September 1962, a suburban passenger train had crashed into a flour truck at a level crossing near Randfontein. Seven coaches derailed. The train driver – who died in the collision - had been due to receive a gold medal for 30 accident-free years on the footplate.

Photo courtesy Die Republikein.

radio control system had a “direct bearing on the accident” and that an “improvement directive” had been issued to all operators using the system. human error may have been a contributory factor, he said, but might have been prevented had the necessary procedures been in place.

According to press reports in which Webb was quoted, “the RTO is a radio system used by train drivers to obtain authorisation from a central control before proceeding along a certain section of track. It has replaced the coloured signal-light system, which operated in South Africa for decades, but in recent years has become vulnerable to vandalism and cable theft.”


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KEY TANZANIAN BRIDGE COLLAPSESIn floods which broke a prolonged drought in Tanzania, a key bridge on the central railway line linking Dar-es-Salaam to the capital Dodoma was washed away. According to The Citizen, published in Dar, “That this line could remain closed for several months is horrendous news, considering its vital role in the ferrying of passengers and goods across the regions. Flooding has also forced the suspension of rail services to Mwanza [on lake Victoria], Tabora and Kigoma [on lake Tanganyika]. The bridge collapse is going to significantly raise the cost of doing business and inconvenience thousands of travellers.

“The flooding may be a natural phenomenon, but we know that the railway infrastructure is in an appalling state of disrepair and needed only the trigger of the deluge to crumble. It will be a herculean task to raise the Sh4 billion required to repair the damaged section and restore services to save the country huge losses.

heideveld high School children cross the tracks. They say the alternative route is too far away.

Pupil Sikho Ndlazulwana told a Cape Argus reporter that his seven-year-old sister had died while crossing the tracks on 17 December 2008 but “the Metrorail people said it wasn’t their problem, that there was a sign that says ‘no crossing’, and we should talk to our government about it.”

[ Interesting to see the word “pupil” still exists. We thought “learner” was now more politically correct. – editor ]

“No efforts should be spared because continued closure means companies and business people using Dar-es-Salaam Port may have to shun it in favour of its competitors in the region, including Mombasa. And this will not only hurt the railway company, but also deny the country much needed revenue.”

METRORAIL & FENCINGRailway operators should be forced to fence off railway lines properly near residential areas, says Cape Town mayoral committee member for social development Grant Pascoe. he has written to minister of transport Sibusiso Ndebele, asking him for legislation requiring railway operators to provide fencing and make them more vandal-resistant.

In 2007, 227 people died on railway tracks across the country - 80 of them in Cape Town. The situation cannot be allowed to continue, Pascoe says, despite pedestrians putting themselves at risk by using illegal crossing points.

Metrorail says most deaths are due to people crossing lines illegally, but those who live near unfenced tracks say they fear for their safety.

The four Metrorail tracks at New Rest, Guguletu, separate the township from heideveld where a majority of New Rest children go to school. In the early morning, hundreds of

RAIL SAFETY REGULATOR TO INSPECT IN CTSouth Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) was to undertake a second series of inspections in Cape Town during February, with specific reference to lines in Philippi and Nyanga. The work forms part of endeavours to ensure that Metrorail adheres to a directive in respect of train safety. Two previous audits in October and December 2009 followed the death of 22-year-old Nomveliso Blayi and her six-year-old daughter Zimkita while attempting to cross the line.

Metrorail’s Riana Scott is quoted saying that residents in informal settlements next to railway lines vandalise or steal fencing. “From bystander and employee reports, the circumstances of the mother and baby incident are consistent with suicide. Pedestrians accessing rail reserves remain a perpetual challenge.” Research by the Medical Research Council (MRC), she said, indicates that the majority of accidents are entirely preventable. “Our efforts continue unabated and we submit regular progress reports to the RSR.”

THREE DEAD IN INDIAN COLLISIONThree people were killed and more than a dozen injured when two trains collided near Tundla, 30 km from Agra in India. The accident occurred in thick fog when the Kalindi Express from Delhi ran into the stationary Shram Shakti Express, badly damaging the coach reserved for women and children. Two women and a child were killed. The injured included the driver of the Kalindi Express and the guard of the other train, according to the Times of India

4 TON LOCO MISSING IN OMAHA According to an Associated Press report datelined 18 January, police were looking for a 4 ton Union Pacific locomotive valued at $45,000, last seen in an Omaha (Nebraska) yard shortly before Christmas. The General Electric diesel “was discovered missing by employees of Rail Sciences, a consulting firm contracted to diagnose and fix problems with Union Pacific equipment.”

AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILSOn 23 January, the leading locomotive of an Amtrak passenger train carrying 712 passengers derailed in Fairfax County, Virginia, just outside Washington DC. Several

Typical four-track Metrorail formation. Note unofficial foot-crossing in foreground.


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Cast steel frames for locomotives:• Steerable locomotive frames• Mounting for electrical parking brakes and brakehangers• Traction motor end shields and suspension tubes in cast

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

MiShApS & blUnderS

hundred Palm Beach County (Florida) students on board were returning from a safety patrol trip in the city. Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said several passengers and crew members suffered “minor bumps and bruises”, but no major injuries were reported and nobody was taken to hospital. The children arrived in West Palm Beach late the following evening.

STUCK TRUCK STRUCK Twelve people were hurt, two seriously, when a two-car Braunschweig- Salzgitter express with about 60 passengers aboard, travelling at 120km/h. ran into a truck stalled on a crossing near Rüningen in the German state of lower Saxony. The leading coach derailed and landed in a nearby field. Reports from firefighters said that the coach did not overturn in the accident, but large quantities of diesel fuel leaked from the train, and the track was badly damaged.

KENILWORTH BOOMSA badly upset motorist who called in to Cape Talk Radio on 15 December reported an unnerving experience at Kenilworth. She said the crossing booms, though not in the normal completely open position, were by no means closed and she drove through – “narrowly missing colliding with a train”. Cape Talk was unable to obtain comment from Metrorail at the time.

[ The report is disturbing:Both the Up and Down colour light signals are wired •so that a red aspect is displayed until the gates (worked manually from the adjacent raised cabin which overlooks the crossing) are properly closed and locked by the operator. Only then can a green aspect be shown.If the gates are not functioning normally, it is not •supposed to be possible for a green light to be displayed.It is not supposed to be possible for the gates to be in •any position except locked fully open unless the road warning lights are flashing. The status quo, as we understand it, is repeated •visually on the track layout at the Windermere CTC control centre.

[ Possibilities – the gates developed a fault, the signal interlocking mechanism failed and/or the train driver ran through a red light – or the motorist drove through while the warning lights were flashing. Not a nice story - editor ]

TRANSNET PAYS 12-YR-OLD R16MIn February 2007, Adriaan Andrew, then nine years old, lost both legs in an accident at Kalbaskraal station near Malmesbury. his mother instituted an action in the Cape high Court which has ordered Transnet to pay her R16 million compensation. It is believed to be the single biggest payout to an individual for a railway-related injury.

Adriaan and his four cousins were walking to visit their grandmother when their path across a level crossing was blocked by a stationary freight train. The youngsters climbed over the couplings between two wagons but Adriaan was still on the train when it began to move. It ripped off one leg and the other below the knee.

“People should use level crossings where available, Spoornet spokesman likhete Molotwane said at the time, “and be aware of the dangers of railways. Stay away from moving trains. Go to the designated areas to cross the lines.”

WHITEFISH CLEANUP DELAYEDA local resident reported an oily sheen on the river near a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) fuelling facility upstream from Whitefish, Montana, in 2007. Environmental officials determined that bunker fuel oil and weathered diesel were trapped in sediment, beginning next to the railway and extending some 3km down the river. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered BNSF to carry out river restoration but the exercise took much longer than expected. however, the agency’s Jennifer Chergo hoped to see the work finished by the end of December 2009. The pollution, she said, was presumably deposited by a “century of railroading”, and BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas confirmed that the sediment dated from “many decades ago.”

STUDENT DIES AT YSTERPLAATOn 25 January, an 18-year-old college student was killed when struck by a train as he crossed the tracks at Ysterplaat station, a few kilometres from the Cape Town terminal. Press reports quoted police saying that traffic was not seriously disrupted.

Elaborate pedestrian bridges have been provided to link Ysterplaat station with the Paarden Eiland industrial area, which lies on the northern side. However, there is no formal access to the important Maitland industrial and commercial complex on the south-east. During peak hours, workers stream across the multiple tracks on foot, then dodge their way through heavy traffic on busy freeways that converge into the Koeberg interchange.

The booms at Kenilworth, 11.2km south of Cape Town on the line to Simon’s Town.

The Up starting signal at Kenilworth in 1976, with the lowered booms visible beyond. The original 1928 signal was still in use, a new replacement CTC signal already in position (above it and behind).


Middle eASt UpdAte

Middle East UpDate undertaking a feasibility study of the emirate’s proposed tram system. The chosen consultant is to implement an 18-month study into the planned Abu Dhabi light rail transit system, and help the department assess financial viability, and prepare designs for the stations and other technical specifications.

RETAILERS TARGET DUBAI COMMUTERSMore than 80% of retail space in the Dubai Metro stations has been taken up. The last of the spaces have just been released by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). According to of RTA strategy and corporate CEO Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim, “Contracts are being awarded through bids that witnessed intense participation in a way that reasserts the confidence pinned by investors in the economy of the emirate, and endorses the investment potentials created.” The Dubai Metro carried more than six million passengers in the first three months of operation.

Official RTA figures show the trend for using the Metro over cars and taxis is growing each month. In September 1,198,699 passengers travelled on the Metro, in October 1,762,816 and November 1,904,956.

CONTROVERSIAL ISRAELI TRAIN DEPOT Plans to build a depot for the Tel Aviv light railway on a 14.75 acre site in the new herzliya industrial zone are being resisted by local landowners. The zone is occupied by many high-tech firms who think a train depot could affect property prices. Similar concerns are being expressed in the adjacent hof Tchelet (Blue Beach) residential area.

The landowners’ attorney, Advocate Anat levy, is quoted saying: “This is moronic planning.” he says the depot contravenes the provisions in the regional outline plan, which stipulates that it should be built near the Glilot Interchange on the Ayalon highway in south Tel Aviv.

The herzliya municipality said in response, “This plan to expand the herzliya industrial zone has been in the planning stages for several years, and has been approved by the Tel Aviv regional planning and building commission. Bringing the mass transit system to herzliya is a paramount mission to relieve traffic in the area and encourage the use of public transport.”

KAZAKHSTAN RAIL OVERHAUL Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ – the Kazakhstan State Railways) plans a $US36.5bn modernisation programme, which the government hopes will make the country a landbridge for transit freight between China and Europe. The project involves upgrading 14,500km of line as well as the purchase of “thousands” of new locomotives, freight and passenger vehicles and is due to be completed by 2020.

According to KTZ CEO Askar Mamin, economic performance, capacity and safety of the railway will be dramatically improved, to meet international standards. Rail transport speeds will also be increased. Freight train speeds are to be raised by 22% and passenger expresses by 82%.

DB IN QATARGermany’s national railway operator Deutsche Bahn AG has won a $US26 billion contract to build railways in Qatar. According to business news website “handelsblatt Online,” the deal includes building a national network for passenger and freight traffic, a local commuter system for Doha and a long-distance connection to neighbouring Bahrain. It said that Deutsche Bahn and Qatar Railways are planning to create the joint cooperation “Qatar Railways Development Company,” in which Qatar Railways is expected to hold 51% and Deutsche Bahn 49%.

FIRST SAUDI HIGH-SPEED CONTRACTScott Wilson Group, the international design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments, has won a £14.5 million ($US23.2 million) five year project management contract on the 440km haramain high speed rail project in Saudi Arabia. Scott Wilson is to provide technical, specialist engineering and programme management support services to the Saudi Railways Organistion (SRO), both at its headquarters in Dammam and around the construction and commissioning sites.

This 320km/h railway linking the cities of Makkah, Jeddah, the new King Abdullah Economic City and Medina, as well as the International Airport in Jeddah, is the first high speed rail project in the Middle East

GULF REGIONAL RAIL TENDERSA public tender for an ambitious $US25bn regional railway network project is to be floated in the first quarter of 2010, according to the secretariat-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Assistant secretary-general for economic affairs Mohammad Bin Obeid Al Mazroui says that bidding companies are to be assessed and a shortlist of three to five selected. By 2017, the GCC states are to be linked by a 2,117km network. Initial work is to start in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, then extend to Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Five DF 10DDB diesel locos have been supplied by China Northern for use on construction work in Saudi Arabia. The 12V240ZJD engines, rated at 1,880kW, can attain 100km/h.

DUBAI RAIL TO EXPANDThe Dubai Rail Agency is planning expansion of its rail project up to 2030, over and above the existing projects of Dubai Metro and Sufouh Tram. Mohammed Al Ruwaished, Director of Quality, health, Safety and Environment Department at the Rail Agency of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is quoted saying: “Trains are among the best transport modes as they minimise the environmental pollution and conserve the environment as much as threefold [compared to other] vehicles and aircraft.”

Strictly prescribed standards of green buildings and sustainability are to govern all future rail projects in Dubai. The minimising of waste in building projects, and methods of saving power and water consumption are to be emphasised.

“The agency is also observing other stipulations such as dust control, introducing preventive measures to prevent the blowing of dust, and safe disposal of waste resulting from construction of rail projects,” Al Ruwaished says.

ABU DHABI TRAMDuring January 2010, Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport was to hold meetings with selected bidders interested in


end of the line

CORRESPONDENCEPROPOSED NEW RAILWAY - “LOOTING KENYA” Dear editorIn the streets of Kenyan cities and townships you encounter hawkers of every merchandise imaginable - clothes, electronics, books, tools and hardware, bows and arrows, firearms, medicines (both traditional and modern), drugs, foods, etc. These hawkers believe they have everything you need. And moreover you are under obligation to buy! The hawker looks you straight in the eye and asks menacingly to say what you want. Your failure to buy may be followed by expletives but it is much better to pacify these fellows by buying anyway (then why were you looking?).

In Kenya, the railways can also be hawked. A few individuals working for themselves under the name of “Kenya Railways” have the talent. Kenya Railways was an honourable institution that closed shop in November 2006 after handing over the running of the Rift Valley Railways (RVR) to Sheltam. A small group of former KRC professionals were left behind to help management dispose of non-railway assets such as land and buildings that RVR did not need. Not anymore. They have redefined themselves and formed a high-money clique giving Kenyans anything they ever dreamt of in rail travel.

Incidentally it is this same clique which hired Spoornet’s 40-year-old locomotives (reclassed 95) in the mid 1990s to supposedly boost motive power while leaving more powerful newer locomotives to rot in KRC yards. It is the same clique which concessioned the Kenya and Uganda railways to Sheltam in still unclear but destructive terms for the Kenyan taxpayer. Now Sheltam has fled they want to run double-decker high-speed passenger trains from Mombasa to Nairobi and on to Kisumu (dala-home!). Again remember you are in the streets of Nairobi and the least you can do for your own wellbeing is BUY whatever they are hawking!

GE U26C ex-Spoornet class 34 400, reclassified KRC 95. Photo: J Ashworth

Building a major railway line costing billions of dollars is a major investment plan for Kenya and where to lay that line will determine the future national development of the country. Such a project falls under the ministry of transport and the sitting government should first convince the population (priorities, viability, affordability, etc) before tendering out the work. Already some 400 bidders are being short-listed to give Kenyans what they want. Or is it which bidder will give this clique what they want? how long will Kenya continue to be looted in broad daylight? Who is to stop this madness? - Thaddeus Mogire (Kenya)

“CHINA SIGNS NIGERIAN ABUJA-KADUNA RAIL DEAL”Dear editorWhile this article talks about a line from Abuja to Kaduna, the map in RA September 2009, p12, shows a line (albeit shorter) from Abuja to Minna. A connection to Minna is shorter if you want to reach to megacity of lagos, Kaduna being a comparative whistle stop, though a junction at that. Not considered here is the terrain; do any big mountains get in the way of any “lines-drawn-on-maps” route? - Shall Ford (Australia)

[ No significant geographic obstacles that we know of. The route suggested in the map was pure surmise, based on our private brand of logic – occasionally known to differ from that of, say, politicians. – editor ]

PURPLE DIESELS?Dear editorWe have seen purple electrics for the passenger trains. Are there plans to paint some diesel locos purple as well for the diesel routes ? - J & J Wepener

Purple electric – will they be doing diesels too? Photo: Eugene Armer.

BALLAD OF THE GAUGESBlame for the sorry current state of Africa’s unmaintained, broken-down railways - which concessionaires couldn’t manage to fix in two-and-a-bit years - has rebounded on

colonialists allegedly cutting corners using non-World-Class track. According to the politicians, the only solution is to

rebuild everything on standard gauge.

A railway improperly looked afterIs the scene of consecutive spills.

By deflecting the blameOne can stay in the game -

(Though it doesn’t help paying the bills).

Consultants engaged to turn troubles aroundAre notorious for underperforming.

Deflecting the blame Is the name of the game -

New excuses abound every morning!

When locos break down and there aren’t any spares,The cause lies at somebody’s door.


When reasons explaining are called for.

When track falls apart and the coaches derailThe culprits need never be found.


There’s always a scapegoat around.

Desperate measures are now de rigueur;like, steam’s coming back on Zim shunts.

There’s no cause for concern,Wider gauge is the rage -

And standard’s the flavour this month.

- lRD


Tel: +27 (0)12 391 1304 Fax: +27 (0)12 391 1371 Email: [email protected]

Specialists in maintenance, repair, upgrade, conversion and manufacture of rolling stock, components and rail support services.

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Ra feb 2010 mr

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