Railways Africa - Issue 1 2016

A guy called Murphy has this well-known law: if anything can go wrong, it will. For instance, if a train from East London hits a cow early in January, damaging the locomotive, a 17-coach express heading for the coast with anything up to 1,200 passengers on-board won’t be able to get past. If the passenger train has already spent five hours in a heatwave at Burgersdorp, standing face-to-face with another train in the middle of nowhere, it will have run out of water and the toilets will be overflowing.

Not all that far away, Murphy seems to have had his hands full, with a train from Port Elizabeth that was supposed to take 20 hours to Johannesburg. It was battling with binding brakes, overflowing toilets and

Seattle is one of five US cities still running electric trolleybuses. Photo: S Morgan- Wikipedia

Photographed this in the municipal transport workshops at Seattle.

no water. In the end it was to take 33 hours to complete its journey. Attempts to contact Shosholoza Meyl offices were unsuccessful. Nobody answered (Murphy again). The train manager said there was nothing she could do.

Eastern Cape area operations manager for Shosholoza Meyl, Nosipho Mancotywa wasn't aware of any complaints regarding the lack of water but she confirmed the lengthy delays with News24. Mancotywa said the signals were not working at Cradock because the electricity was off.

Murphy can be a real devil where electricity is involved and he is a dab hand with cockroaches. On 28 December, passengers on an overnight Translux coach from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth had to stay awake all night fending off the insects, which appeared – judging from the photos they took - to have as good as taken over the vehicle.

Translux said in its reply to the complaint: "We are currently reviewing our current service contract with the intention of strengthening this area of our business." Judging from similar complaints aired on HelloPeter late last year, Murphy was running loose with cockroaches on Translux buses everywhere.

The message? Arguing with Murphy gets you nowhere, but people who anticipate his worst endeavours, people who devise measures to avoid or minimise their effect, may just be a step ahead.

It’s no good being the best railway in Africa – or the fifth biggest in the world - if it falls down the moment something goes wrong. The best railway is the one that expects problems and has the means in place to deal with them. And, long-distance passenger trains that run out of drinking water because of delays that aren’t supposed to happen have no excuse – none at all.

Rollo Dickson – editor

Luck Of The Irish

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RAILWAYS AFRICA

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Railways Africa

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PUBLISHERRail Link Communications cc

Phillippa Dean

EDITOR Rollo Dickson

STAFF WRITERMandy Thompson

DESIGN & LAYOUTAndrew McGarrityCraig Dean

WEBSITECraig Dean Michael Lotriet

ADVERTISINGOphelia Naidoo

SUBSCRIPTIONS Ophelia Naidoo

Project Manager Nicole Barnes

CONTRIBUTORSAndre KritzingerBruno MartinJacque Wepener Peter Bagshawe

In this issueEditors Comment 2

Railway Expansion in Egypt 6

Booyco on Track with Plans to Expand 8

Eskom's Majuba Line 10

Vale's Ncala Rail Plan 12

Africa Update 14

RME Broadens Their Horizons 30

South African Road-Rail Vehicle Innovator 34

SA Spotlight 36

IEC Holden SA In Motion 42

Company News 44

Mishaps 48

End of the Line 56

BOOYCO ON TRACK WITH

PLANS TO EXPAND

SOUTH AFRICAN

ROAD-RAIL VEHICLE

INNOVATOR

VALES NCALA RAIL PLAN

RME BROADENS THEIR HORIZONS

ESKOM'S MAJUBA LINE

IEC HOLDEN SA IN MOTION


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Railway expansion in Egypt

Cairo Metro Line 3. Photo Wikipedia

The railway sector is a key component in improving Egypt's transport network. The minister said they are seeking to maximise the role of railways in the transport of freight and passengers, with three projects at a combined investment level of over $1 billion for freight development and over $5 billion in high-speed rail lines. Not only will the new rail projects help alleviate urban mobility issues and freight operation inefficiencies; they are designed to improve efficiency and safety of the existing rail network through automation, improved signalling and communications.

Major Rail and metro infrastructure projects currently under way in Egypt include:

Cairo Metro Line 3• Extension works investment level: $2.7 billion• Project initiation date: 2007• Estimated completion date: early 2022• Key project benefits: expansion of Cairo metro capacity to 1.5

million daily passengers

Project details: With over 22 million inhabitants, Cairo is one of the most heavily populated cities in the world and as it expands further it requires greater public transport coverage and efficiency.

According to recent surveys, only 14% of Cairo residents own a private car, which means that the greater part of the burden of urban mobility falls on shared taxis and buses. The Cairo metro system is one of the most popular modes of public transport as it is affordable, reliable and fast.

The Cairo Metro already has 78km of track along two fully operational lines, with a third being completed and opened in stages. Work on the 33km Line 3 began in 2007 and phases of the final extension works are still under way.

According to transport minister Hany Dahy, a contract is to be signed with the Franco-Egyptian alliance to carry out the final phase of the third metro line. The cost of constructing the final phase amounts to £E 11 billion [$1.4 billion] and will be funded from the state treasury.

Egypt's economy has experienced sustained growth in the last four years due in part to the increasing stability of its government and its commitment to investing in ambitious large-scale infrastructure projects such as the development of the Suez Canal Zone (SCZ). As Egypt's economy and population both expand, the shortcomings of its national and urban transport networks are being addressed with the same enthusiasm and dedication that saw the SCZ development delivered in record time. At the latest Egypt Economic Development Conference, minister for transport Hany Dahy announced a list of projects in various transport sectors for the coming 15 years with investments worth $US13.5 billion.


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Booyco Engineering is well positioned to service both the local and international railway industry with its accumulated technical expertise and experience when it comes to HVAC systems for rolling stock.

In 2014 an extensive focused investment programme saw the company significantly extend its engineering resources and personnel capabilities. The company is now fully geared to stake its claim in the international air conditioning and climate control systems market.

An emphasis on innovation and uncompromising quality has seen the company implement an ongoing training programme.

"We have focused on phased training of our staff as we recognise our strength lies in the depth of experience and technological applications each member brings to the table. The pooled resources of the technical team allow us to participate on an international platform, while bringing a robust cost leadership strategy to the table," says Jeremy Pougnet, CEO of Booyco Engineering.

"We have built an enviable reputation for reliability in the climate control systems supplied to the railway sector, both in South Africa and abroad. Statistics from units currently in operation locally show that there has been a very low number of failures per million kilometres, which is the international yardstick of reliability for this sector," says Pougnet.

"We are currently working on four major locomotive projects for the domestic market and these require extensive knowledge of the complex reference standards and specification documentation. To facilitate this, we have brought additional engineering expertise on board to enable us to handle these large projects. In addition to these new projects, we are proud to have exported our air conditioning systems to the largest locomotive manufacturer in the USA, as well as to locomotive manufacturers in China," Pougnet says.

Established in 1985, Booyco Engineering was originally exclusively focused on developing tailor-made air conditioning solutions for the military. In 1989 the company extended its offering to include the rail sector. "There are a number of common denominators between the requirements of military and railway sector companies. For instance, the operational requirements for customers in both of these sectors call for higher levels of shock and vibration than most other automotive engineering applications. Another commonality is operating temperature where military vehicles and locomotives can operate in areas of extreme temperature, from aggressive summer heat to below-freezing winter lows," says Pougnet.

He adds that, in three decades of business, while the company draws on experience in other sectors and taps into its extensive design library, each new project has unique requirements resulting in custom engineered solutions. It is the company’s ability to innovate that ensures a fit-for-purpose HVAC system without compromising on quality or reliability.

BOOYCO is on Track with Plans to Expand its Railways Footprint

Quality control forms a critical part of the Booyco Engineering manufacturing process with all parts being checked meticulously.

Completed HVAC ready for despatch to customers.

"We have built an enviable reputation for reliability in the climate control systems supplied to the railway sector, both in South Africa and abroad. Statistics from units currently in operation locally show that there has been a very low number of failures per million kilometres, which is the international yardstick of reliability for this sector". ~ Jeremy Pougnet, CEO of Booyco Engineering.


railways africa 1-2016BOOYCO ENGINEERING

"Interestingly, although we built our reputation on military applications it has been our work for the railway sector that has really taught us about innovating systems that deliver the required performance levels 24 hours a day. Railway locomotives run almost continuously and in this environment any reliability issues quickly come to the fore," Pougnet adds.

Booyco Engineering uses its own proprietary designed electronic controllers and a proprietary designed ‘smart’ inverter. The ‘smart’ inverter is used in certain diesel locomotives that have a 74 V DC power supply to convert this to a 220 V three phase, frequency controlled up to 60 Hz power supply so that conventional compressors and fans can be used. The ‘smart’ inverter controls the speed and cycling of the compressor as well as the speed of the fans.

All processes within Booyco Engineering conform to the requirements of ISO 9001:2008 and all products are performance tested and certified to ensure compliance with the relevant specifications. Components for the company’s HVAC systems are selected to deliver high levels of reliability under extremes of shock and vibration, dust burden, temperature and humidity.

Each new design is performance tested in an in-house climate chamber to establish that the design parameters have been met. All testing, analysis or verification is conducted in accordance with the test plan to comply with all aspects of the specification.

Apart from type testing of the first unit of each new design, functional testing is done on all production units. Certain key parameters are measured and recorded to

ensure that the production units match the performance of the design. The routine test certificates are quality records which are made available to customers on request.

During the commissioning phase, in-situ testing is generally undertaken between the locomotive manufacturer and Booyco Engineering to verify the performance of the system. Thereafter, each subsequent unit would be subject to routine commissioning tests.

"The company can only achieve its objectives of world class performance in terms of on-time delivery, quality and reliability if we have suppliers that are also aligned with this objective. Booyco Engineering has made a huge commitment to supply quality development (SQD) in order to ensure that we take our key suppliers with us on our journey to world class," Pougnet says.

Pougnet reiterates that Booyco Engineering markets an engineering solution, not just a standard boxed product. "These are not commodity products; they are high-end solutions engineered to specific operating parameters and requirements and vary in terms of their size, shape and power supply. Our core competencies of design and engineering, underpinned by our responsiveness to customer needs, differentiate us in the market."

Booyco Engineering’s speed and flexibility in responding to customer queries and crafting innovative solutions give the company a definite edge in the global market. Leveraging an extensive reference base of custom engineered units which have been field-proven to be reliable and which continue to perform under exceptionally tough conditions, firmly positions the company to handle large rail projects.

Stores and materials receiving

at Booyco Engineering.

Incoming quality inspection at Booyco Engineering; in this case on a heat exchanger which is being checked

dimensionally against the manufacturing drawing.

Datapack review with participation from Booyco

Engineering's production and quality teams.

Booyco Engineering railway HVAC system in build in the factory.

www.railwaysafrica.com 9

railways africa1-2016 BOOYCO ENGINEERING

A project to construct a new 68km railway to heavy-haul standards, linking coal mines west of Ermelo in Mpumalanga, to the Majuba power station - located between Amersfoort and Volksrust - was initially scheduled for completion in May 2016. According to communications and stakeholder management head Khululiwe Xulu, challenges currently faced include several delays, owing to difficult site conditions, such as water seepage and mudrock, community unrest that affects the projects' workforce and "some contractors' issues".

About 40% of the project has been completed to date, with about 87% of the civil and earthworks physically completed, including the construction of a 300m incremental launch bridge over the Vaal river, which was finished in July. The bridge was the most complex concrete structure in the civil works package. Civil works

contractor Aveng Grinaker-LTA was honoured by Construction World Magazine for its successful project completion. Other structures, most of which were completed in September, include 96 culverts, 9 cattle creeps, 32 agricultural under- and overpasses, 18 bridges, 1 service duct and 40 cattle grids.

The coal line is located in the Gert Sibande district municipality and will traverse two local municipalities, Msukaligwa and Pixley Ka Seme, with rail take-off accessible from both directions of Transnet Freight Rail's (TFR) existing coal corridor to Richards Bay.

The new line will transport 21 million tonnes of coal to the Majuba power station annually. Operational responsibilities for the line have still to be worked out between Eskom and TFR.

According to Eskom rail projects programme

manager Ernest Dlamini, the project’s overall budget has increased by R800 million and stands currently at R6 billion. The project is expected to create between 2,500 and 3,000 direct construction employment opportunities at its peak. Eskom will continue to source unskilled and semi-skilled workers from surrounding local communities and farms.

Contractors include: • Aveng Rail - permanent

way infrastructure• Suka Projects -

general maintenance• Sheppard Protection

Services -security

A successful bidder for overhead traction equipment, signalling systems and traction/auxiliary substations has yet to be notified.

A contract for the 88kV overhead line to feed the traction/auxiliary supplies substations has been awarded to Conco Power Project.


railways africa 1-2016EsKom

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a loan of US$300 million for Brazilian group Vale to support the expansion of the Nacala logistics corridor in East Africa. AfDB, through its private sector window, approved the senior loan to support construction of the 912km Nacala railway (of which 230km are greenfield) and associated port infrastructure.

The corridor links areas in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique with the port of Nacala, providing Vale with an additional rail route for coal from the Moatize mine to the sea. Transporting the commodity from Mozambique's coalfields in Tete Province has been a major headache.

The Sena Line to the Port of Beira has an annual capacity of only 6.5 million tonnes. Work currently going ahead aims to increase this figure to 20 million tonnes per annum, still a long way short of the 2020 target of 100 million tonnes annually.

In 2014, the Mozambique government signed a concession covering a new port at Nacala as well as coal traffic along the railway with the Integrated Nacala Logistics Corridor (CLN) - a consortium owned 80% by Vale and 20% by Caminhos de ferro

do Moçambique (CFM – the state railway of Moçambique).

The complete project, estimated at $US44 billion, involved rehabilitating 682km of existing track in Mozambique and Malawi; the construction of a maritime terminal and 230km of new lines, including 201km connecting Moatize to Nkaya Junction in Malawi and 29.3km from Namarral to Nacala-à-Velha - a total of 912km altogether. This work will enable the railway to move 18 million tonnes per annum.

CLN is planning to run 20 coal trains a day, requiring a fleet of 100 locomotives and 2,700 wagons. It is expected that 12 ships will call at the coal terminal every month. According to Vale’s Project Director for Africa, Asia and Australia, Ricardo Saad, their goal is to attain the 22 million tonnes of coal export by 2017. This is to be divided between Nacala – 18 million tonnes and Beria – 4 million tonnes.

In a recent statement AfDB reiterated it’s long-standing support to the Nacala Corridor, having financed regional road infrastructure from Lusaka in Zambia, to Nacala in Mozambique, which also integrates Malawi.

With sponsorship from Vale SA of Brazil and Mitsui of Japan, the Nacala Rail and Port Project will enable the efficient and environmentally friendly transport of mineral resources, general freight and passengers through two of Africa’s fastest-growing economies. In doing so, the project stands to facilitate trade and development across the southern Africa region. Railway extension lines into neighbouring countries are currently under feasibility discussion.

"The project will bring about global competitiveness to Mozambique's mineral exports, including the country's important coal reserves. While the rail infrastructure is anchored on the viability brought about by mineral exports in Mozambique, the Project will also build competitiveness around the region’s agricultural and manufacturing trade, thus supporting Africa’s industrialisation agenda."

"The Bank is proud to partner with Vale and Mitsui (Japanese group with a 15% stake in the project) and the other financial institutions to secure the necessary funds for this US$4.5 billion project, one of the biggest investments in Africa in recent times," concluded the statement issued by AfDB.

US$300m loan for Vale's Nacala rail plan


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Africa Update is updated weekly and sent to subscribers of the Railways Africa News Express. Register online to keep up-to-date and informed.

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ALGERIAALGERIAN SIGNALS UPGRADE

A European Train Control System (ETCS) upgrade is to be implemented on the 140km, 18-station passenger and freight rail network in the Algiers metropolitan area. The work will be carried out by Estel RA, a joint venture of Siemens and Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires (SNTF - the state railway of Algeria). Siemens’ share of the contract is worth €340 million - the biggest automation order in the company’s history. The company is to supply new signalling, safety and control systems, as well as shunting and telecommunications technology. Once installed, speeds of up to 160km/h will be possible, enabling trains to travel at closer intervals. Siemens is supplying automated shunting equipment for the freight line.

ALGIERS METRO EXTENSIONS

A consortium of Colas Rail and Algerian partner Kou GC has been awarded two contracts by the Algiers Metro Company (EMA) with a total value of €168 million for work on two extensions of the Algiers metro network. A 1.7km, two-station extension from Tafourah Grande Poste to Place des Martyrs is to open late in 2017. This contract is valued at €51 million. A 3.6km, three-station line from Hai ElBadr to Ain Naâdja 2, south of the city, is to be completed in October 2017. This contract is worth €117 million. Colas Rail will be responsible for the installation of railway infrastructure, fare collection, power supplies, ventilation and smoke extraction, as well as project coordination.

ANGOLAANGOLAN RAILWAY BOOSTS ECONOMY

Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela (CFB) extends 1,344km from the port city of Lobito in Benguela province to Luau, near Angola’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Construction of the line began in March 1903 and it was completed in February 1929. Traffic was halted by Angola’s lengthy civil war but restarted following rehabilitation of the line in 2012. Surveys undertaken recently confirm the importance of the line to the communities it serves, in particular the economy of Moxico province and its principal city, Luena. The route from Luena to the border municipality of Luau is 360km, with stations at Cameia and Luacano.

The line beyond Luau into the DRC is not presently in operation. However, an alternative route into Zambia is planned from Laucano.

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BENINCOURT ORDER STOPS CONSTRUCTION

Claiming that the governments of Niger and Benin granted it the rights to build a railway linking Benin's capital Cotonou with Niger's capital Niamey in 2010, the Petrolin group has secured a

court order halting work on the line by the Bolloré group in Cotonou. Petrolin began court proceedings against Bolloré and the Benin government last year.

French company Geftarail also claims to have the rights to build a Benin-Niger link, as part of its own Africarail project involving a number of countries in the region.

Geftarail and its Niger subsidiary have filed a lawsuit against the Benin and Niger governments at the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, insisting that construction on the Niger-Benin section of line be stopped.

Bolloré's €2 billion Blueline project comprises a 3,000km line linking Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo. The Niger-Benin part of the line is known as the "Backbone".

Bolloré Africa Logistics and the government of Benin have been ordered by the court to refrain from any work on the "Backbone" project, subject to a fine of 100 million CFA francs ($US161,809.68) per day.

The Petrolin Group is chaired by Samuel Dossou-Aworet, described as "an oil tycoon" from Benin.

BOTSWANATRANS-KALAHARI RAILWAY ON TRACK

Depressed global prices for coal have raised concerns about the viability of the proposed Trans-Kalahari railway from Botswana’s coalfields to Walvis Bay. Undeterred, the governments of both countries are pushing ahead with the project. The route runs parallel to the Trans-Kalahari Highway, paved throughout, which provides road facilities that eventually lead to Johannesburg.

The cost of the proposed new railway was estimated at $US15 billion in the feasibility study, but is likely to cost more. Doubts about private investors having the means to raise at least $15 billion are aggravated by the fact that they can expect no government guarantees. Aurecon, the Australian project consultant, estimated capital expenditure at a total $14.2 billion comprising $8.6 billion for electrified rail, $1.9 billion for above rail, and $3.6 billion for the port.

Aurecon’s pre-feasibility study revealed that the efficiency of the railway line coal supply chain is expected to be enhanced by copper and manganese ore resources in southern Botswana.

The construction works involve earthworks, drainage, rails, trackwork, bridges and tunnels, and is expected to be complete by 2019.

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DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGODRC JOINS NORTHERN CORRIDOR

The Democratic Republic of Congo has announced its decision to join the Northern Corridor Integration project as full a member during the next summit. The announcement was made by DRC minister of transport and communications Justin Kalumba Mwana-Ngongo.

EGYPTCHINA BUILDING NEW LIGHT RAIL IN EGYPT

A new 70km light rail electric system is to be built in Egypt with 12 stations and trains running up to 120km/h. Design, tracklaying and trial operation is to be undertaken by Chinese companies. Egypt is planning a new city east of Cairo with light railways linking the capital with six nearby cities and towns. The objective is for businesses and people to relocate outside the capital. A consortium that includes China Railway has received a $US1.5 billion order for the new project. Construction is expected to be complete within 30 months.

THALES EGYPTIAN SIGNALLING CONTRACTS

More than 30 years after its first contract for the Greater Cairo Metro, Thales has signed new contracts to upgrade the fare collection system for Lines 1 and 2, as well as provide communications systems for the Al Thawra extension on Line 3 (Phase 3). Thales will deploy its TransCity fare collection solution, which uses its Web 2.0 technologies, on Lines 1 and 2, replacing the equipment installed in the 1980s when the two lines were built. The new contracts entail delivery of 850 access gates, 100 vending terminals for ticket outlets and 75 portable ticket control terminals, as well as implementing new system architecture. The TransCity central system will supervise all data generated across the existing network and accommodate future extensions. A consortium comprising Thales and Alstom is to implement fully integrated communication and supervision systems, relevant to 15 new stations and an additional depot, from Attaba to Rod El Farag and Cairo University, a route length of more than 17km.

CAIRO METRO LINE 6

According to Egypt’s State Information Service in Cairo, a new 24km section of line is to be built in Cairo, comprising Line 6 of the city’s metro. Initial estimates of cost are around $US3.5 billion. Transport Minister Saad El Gioushi witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding.

GHANAGHANA UNION THREATENS SERVICE WITHDRAWAL

On 7 December the Ghana Railway Workers Union served notice of its intention to withdraw passenger services on 18 December "as a result of the failure of government to pay their two month's salaries." In a National Executive Committee (NEC) resolution passed and signed by general secretary Goodwill Ntarmah and chairman Charles Thompson of the Railways Workers Union, it was resolved that: "if by 18 December 2015 the railway company does not honour its pay obligation in full including December pay, railway workers shall withdraw their services in running passenger services from Accra to Tema and Accra to Nsawam".

GABONSA OPTIMISTIC ABOUT TRADE WITH GABON

A South African business delegation visited Gabon and Cameroon late in November. It participated in an Outward Trade and Investment Mission in Gabon, the SA Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) reports.

The CEO of Valotech 228, a South African railway, signalling and track solutions engineering company, Dorothy Mofomme, says she is looking forward to exploring joint venture opportunities with the Setrag railway authority in Gabon.

"Setrag is Gabon's only railway network operator and my objective is to engage with the company to determine how best I can come on board and assist them to overcome their challenges. It is common knowledge that most developing African countries are experiencing challenges of having either an ageing or redundant rail infrastructure. I am looking forward to engaging the company in order to conduct a needs assessment that will hopefully develop into a joint venture," Mofomme explains.

The investment mission aims to explore trade and investment opportunities and to increase bilateral trade between South Africa and Gabon.

ETHIOPIAETHIO-DJIBOUTI RAILWAY 93.5% COMPLETE

The $US3.4 billion, 656km Ethio-Djibouti standard gauge railway is 93.5% complete. Freight service has begun however, to make the movement of food supplies possible to areas affected by the current drought. Each train carries 3,500 tonnes of wheat.

Continues on page 18



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In addition, the union called for the immediate dissolution of the board of directors for the Ghana Railway Company Limited following what the NEC described as a "failure on the part of the board to execute its functions."

"NEC therefore calls for the immediate dissolution of the board and a new one instituted for effective policy formulation for the company. We also call on the ministry of transport to take necessary steps to review Act 779 Railway Act in respect of ownership of Ghana Railway Company Limited assets."

According to the resolution, the NEC entreats the government of Ghana to revamp the sector "especially the much talked about Western Rail Line for effective transport of goods and persons across the country," as a matter of urgency.

KENYANEW KENYA RAIL ROUTE

The original route planned for Kenya’s new standard gauge railway passed though Nairobi’s central business district, Kibera and Dagoretti. This has been redesigned, for a number of reasons. The line will now cut through the Nairobi National Park. The railway is to detour from Nairobi South station near Embakasi, joining the southern bypass near the Old Sereni Hotel. It is to run parallel to the bypass up to the emergency gate near Carnivore Restaurant. Subsequently it is to pass through Hyena Dam, the Ivory Burning Site, Narogomon Dam and the Kingfisher Picnic Site. The route continues to the central workshop opposite Multimedia University on the edge of Magadi Road, past the tented camp and forest area near Banda School, past the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters before exiting at the Langata gate. Finally it will pass the edge of Bomas of Kenya, Karen Estate along the left hand side of the southern bypass to Dagoreti Forest, to the south of Mai Mahiu and the Naivasha Industrial Park. The new proposed route will result in minimal displacement of human settlements, the proponents point out. RVR HEAVY DUTY WAGONS ARRIVE

The first 120 of 480 heavy-duty wagons ordered by Rift Valley Railways (RVR) from CNR in China have arrived in Kenya. Each has a carrying capacity of 60 tonnes – a significant increase on the 40 tonnes carried by existing rolling stock. Supervising the offloading of the wagons in the harbour at Mombasa, RVR group CEO Carlos de Andrade explained that the size of existing wagons seriously limited the carrying capacity of the railway. "Being more cost-effective per trip, the new wagons mean we will be able to reduce our freight charges considerably and become more competitive than the roads which are already overburdened," he said.

Installation of satellite tracking and GPS-based technology on all trains has helped cut cargo transit times between Mombasa and Nairobi by six hours.

KENYA STANDARD GAUGE LOCOS

Six standard gauge locomotives are at work assisting in the construction of Kenya’s new railway. According to transport principal secretary Irungu Nyakera, "at least" 50 more units are to be imported before the end of 2016. Speaking after touring China Road and Bridge Corporation construction sites at Syokimau station, he said 1,620 freight wagons and 40 passenger coaches are also expected.

"The whole project as far as Nairobi is expected to cost at least 327 billion shillings," he was quoted saying "and the budget for locomotives and the other machines is some 106 billion."

Altogether 40 stations are planned, though only 33 will be ready when the railway becomes operational at the end of 2017.

MADAGASCARSPAIN & MADAGASCAR COLLABORATE ON RAIL

Madagascar’s ministry of tourism, transport and meteorology has signed an agreement with the Spanish ministry of public works to collaborate in rail transport. The agreement, which is valid for five years and can automatically be renewed for successive periods of 12 months, includes the possibility of Madagascar acquiring second-hand metre gauge rolling stock. In terms of the agreement, there is to be cooperation in all aspects of railway planning, consultation, construction and operation, building on Spain’s "long and rich experience in the field".

The agreement was made public by Madagascar minister of tourism and transport Ulrich Andriantiana.

MALAWIMALAWI RAIL: UNLOCKING TRADE

Former President of Malawi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika wanted sound economic activities which could help boost the economy, and aimed to strengthen rail transport between Malawi and its neighbouring countries.

Mutharika's ambitions began to take shape when the line from Mchinji to Chipata in Zambia was eventually commissioned in 2010. The current leaderships of Malawi and Zambia have shown commitment to strengthening rail facilities. The Malawi ministry of transport and public works recently authorised renewal of a contract between the Central East African Railways (CEAR) and Zambian Railways Limited (ZRL), in terms of which

Station scene at Andasibe, Madagascar. Photo: Wikipedia

Continued from page 16, "Ghana Union Threatens Service Withdrawal"



the latter operates trains in Malawi. Some 70 wagons and three locomotives have been made available. CEAR runs trains in Malawi in terms of a concession.

In July 2015, President Edgar Lungu of Zambia disclosed plans to extend the Mchinji-Chipata line to join the Tanzania-Zambia Railway. Lungu appealed to the private sector to take advantage of the existing infrastructure in the two countries to develop partnerships and joint ventures that would help promote and boost trade.

MOROCCOAFDB LOAN TO MOROCCO

The 143km of railway between Settat and Marrakech is to be doubled, financed with a loan of $US112.3 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB). Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF – the national railway of Morocco) will gain increased passenger and freight traffic between the capital, Casablanca, and Marrakech, an important tourist centre.

Annual passenger numbers are expected to grow from the present 4.5 million to more than 7.4 million by 2020, when the project is due for completion. Freight traffic is likely to double. A previous AfDB loan - $396 million in 2010 - made possible the modernisation of other sections of the Tangier-Casablanca-Marrakech line. Passenger totals between Casablanca and Marrakech increased by nearly 20% between 2010 and 2014.

MOROCCO’S HIGH-SPEED RAILWAY

Construction of Morocco’s high-speed railway linking Casablanca to Tangier is about 70% complete. Office National des Chemins de fer (ONCF – the national railway of Morocco) has begun preliminary feasibility studies to assess the economic viability of the next section of line proposed, extending south from Casablanca to Agadir. A field study and passenger survey has been undertaken. Highway travel between Casablanca and Agadir currently takes about five hours and costs around $US60, including toll charges. By train to Marrakech and bus to Agadir, a journey takes nine hours and costs about $US18 in first class. Air travel takes only three hours but costs $80. The success of a new high speed railway between Casablanca and Agadir depends on a fare that is more attractive than air travel, but takes more or less the same time. ONCF needs to be able to provide this with infrastructure estimated to cost at least $US2 to 2.5 billion.

MOROCCAN HIGH-SPEED TRAIN WEIGHING

A new train weighing system being installed at the main depot for the 183km Tangiers-Kenitra high-speed line will provide data on wheel, axle and total vehicle weight. It makes use of multilingual ptwX software, which provides real-time displays for up to 16 axles and generates customised reports that can be exported in standard formats such as pdf and csv. The British firm Weighwell chose its PTW 500-VB2X for the depot at Tangiers because it is lightweight and portable.

MOZAMBIQUEMOZAMBIQUE: SENA LINE REOPENED

Traffic resumed on Mozambique’s Sena Line from Moatize on 20 January, following the derailing of an empty Vale coal train between Mapangali and Doa. This was caused by heavy rains undermining the track, portions of which hung suspended in mid-air.

A passenger train from Beira was the first across the repaired section, and was expected in Moatize on the morning of 21 January. Caminhos de Ferro do Moçambique (CFM – the state railway) has strengthened maintenance teams in the area to monitor track conditions for the duration of the rainy season.



NIGERIANIGERIA: REFURBISHED TRAINS

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has refurbished three air-conditioned coaches and several 90-seater standard class coaches, to be added to the rolling stock used on the Lagos-Kano intercity passenger train service. According to NRC managing director Adeseyi Sijuwade, security is to be improved on the route.

At least 250 coaches and 130 wagons have been rehabilitated and refurbished during the past two years by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) in terms of its facilities refurbishment programme.

ABUJA-KADUNA LINE OPEN SOON

The 186km new standard gauge railway between Abuja and Kaduna is expected to commence operations between February and March 2016. The project was started in February 2011 by the China Civil and Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) and was completed in December 2014. Approximately 4,000 people were employed and it is expected that more than 5,000 additional jobs will be created during operation. Rolling stock to be used on the line has reportedly been imported.

NIGERIAN MINISTER OF TRANSPORT LOOKS AHEAD

Nigerian minister of transport Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, speaking in Lagos, said the new Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge railway would be completed in 2016. President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, he announced, is to revamp Nigeria’s rail network, to encourage

mass transit of passengers and goods across the country. Work is to begin "in earnest" on new standard gauge lines from Lagos to Kano and Calabar. The line from Lagos to Kano is to connect Ibadan, Ilorin, Minna and Kaduna. The line from Calabar to Lagos is to traverse the Obudu Cattle Ranch, Uyo, Aba, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Otuoke, Ughelli, Sapele, Benin, Agbor, Asaba, Onitsha, Benin, Ijebu Ode, Ore, and Sagamu. New rail construction, the minister explained, will generate work for over 250,000 people. He was quoted saying: "The current state of the railway is an indication of the serious neglect of this important sub-sector occasioned by poor policy initiation and implementation. The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has been effectively reduced to an economically unviable venture dependent on government subvention without any return on huge investments." The minister promised that transport of petroleum products by rail would resume during 2016.

SEVEN STANDARD GAUGE CORRIDORS

According to Nigeria’s new minister of Transport Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the Federal Government intends to create seven rail corridors on standard gauge. He announced this at the inauguration of train services between Port Harcourt and Aba, explaining that the initiative is a public-private-partnership which intends to modernise and expand rail transport across the country. He reported that feasibility studies have been carried out to create seven additional rail corridors of standard gauge rail in terms of a public-private-partnership initiative. The government is to sponsor five bills in the National Assembly, to enable effective private sector participation in the transport sector.

FORMER MINISTER DENIES CONTRACT INVOLVEMENT

Former Nigerian minister of transport Senator Idris Umar has dismissed allegations that he was involved in a "shady process" award of the contract for rehabilitating the Port-Harcourt-Kaduna and Kafanchan-Maiduguri rail lines. His appointment was effective from 2011, but the contract was awarded before that date. Umar listed a number of projects completed under his watch, none of which were questionable in any way. He was quoted saying: "After going through the false story, the only option would have been to discard it as mere mischief but considering that in Nigeria, mere allegation is as good as [a] guilty verdict; it became necessary to correct and clarify the falsehood".



ABUJA RAILWAY TO OPEN IN 2017

Lack of progress on the light rail project in the Nigerian capital Abuja has been brought into question several times since President Olusegun Obasanjo performed the official groundbreaking in May 2007.

In mid-2013, it was reported that only 27% of the work had been completed. In July 2013, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister Senator Bala Mohammed promised that the project would be accelerated.

Mohammed said that in addition to bringing cheaper, comfortable and safer transport, the project would mark a positive turning point in the transport fortunes in the FCT. Minister for the economy and finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had reportedly facilitated a $US500 million soft loan from the Chinese Exim Bank that had "breathed a new life into the near-moribund

project." According to a study conducted in 2010, as many as 470,000 passengers were predicted to use the line on a daily basis. This is forecast to grow to a daily usage rate of 700,000 commuters by 2015, when taking the current growth rate in the FCT into account.

The light rail network is expected to link Abuja with satellite towns such as Nyanya, Kubwa, Mararaba and Lugbe. The construction contract was awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, but payment to the contractor appears to have been slow and irregular. Initially, diesel rolling stock will be used; electrification will be undertaken when the presently unreliable electricity supplies have been improved. In February 2016, FCT minister Muhammad Musa Bello announced the intention to open the Abuja railway for public use in the last quarter of 2017.

NIGERIA: 2016 - GOVERNMENT SPEND ON RAIL

Financial constraint is said to have stalled railway projects across Nigeria. In the course of an inspection tour of rail facilities in Lagos by the joint Senate and House Committees on Land Transport, Senate committee on land transport chairman Gbenga Ashafa described the N4.5 billion (about $US22.6 million) earmarked for railways in the 2016 budget as "grossly inadequate".

According to Ashafa, only N399 million is allocated for capital projects. He was quoted saying, "much of that sum goes towards personnel costs." The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) currently employs about 9,700 people.

In terms of the appropriation bill currently being considered, he said, "some concessions can be given

by way of moving some funds from one area to the other."

Places visited by the joint committee included the Ido terminus; Apapa - where containers were being loaded for movement to the northern part of the country; the maintenance shed; and the Safe Train Control (STC) - a control room where all the trains in Nigeria can be monitored.

House committee on land transport chairman Aminu Isa expressed delight with what the NRC has achieved. NRC managing director Adeseyi Sijuwade said the railway had been comatose for decades but was now back on track. He was quoted saying: "The NRC now operates mass transit trains, intercity passenger and freight trains, as well as excursion and specialised charter trains all over the country." It is hoped the

movement of petroleum products from Lagos will commence "to further strengthen railway relevance to Nigeria's economic growth." According to Sijuwade, the NRC is moving cement from Ewekoro to Minna, Kaduna and Kano for Lafarge Cement; as well as wheat and flour products from Lagos to Kano for Flour Mills Limited; and is moving containers from the Apapa Port to Kaduna and Kano.

Director of NRC operations Niyi Ali said lack of funding for the Safe Train Control system has slowed down implementation. He explained that the system makes it possible for the NRC to monitor real-time movements of trains using on-board computers installed on its locomotives. Trial implementation of the project began during 2015. "The problem we have is funding. The contractor has not been paid for over a year", Ali said.

EAST AFRICAN RAILWAY MASTER PLAN

The current East African Railway Master Plan is an important part of the envisaged East African Federation. The latter is a considerably enlarged and extended version, compared with the previous East African Federation (that consisted of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), which collapsed in the 1970’s. The three-nation railway was a fundamental and very efficient part of the old federation. From the moment it was disbanded, the three constituent railways fell on hard times. Kenya’s new standard gauge railway lies at the core of the master plan. The line is envisioned to extend to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, Tanzania and South Sudan. If the envisaged federation fails to come into being, the railway will inevitably be fragmented, with ownership shared by the many constituent countries. There is talk of a rail connection to Kisangani in the DRC, from where the Congo River is navigable to the capital. A railway to Matadi on the Atlantic coast enables traffic to bypass the rapids west of Kinshasha.

This line would constitute the first east-west transcontinental route across Africa, but prospects for viable usage are unclear.


railways africa1-2016

SÉNÉGALSÉNÉGAL-MALI CONTRACT SIGNED

The China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has signed contracts worth $US2.7 billion with the governments of Mali and Sénégal in terms of which the 1,286km metre-gauge line from the Malian capital Bamako to Dakar on Sénégal’s Atlantic coast is to be rehabilitated. The project will be financed by China and implementation is expected to take about four years. CRCC is to rebuild 641 route-km in Mali at a cost of $US1.47 billion. Reconstructing the 645km portion from Dakar to Tambacoundra and the Malian frontier near Kidira will cost $US1.26 billion.

SÉNÉGAL "FIRST WITH ELECTRIC TRAINS"

In his traditional New Year's Eve address, Sénégal's President Macky Sall said that construction of a new electric railway is to begin during the course of 2016. Serving 14 stations, it will be able to move 115,000 passengers per day, carrying them in less than 45 minutes from Dakar to Blaise Diagne International Airport (41km).

Speaking on live TV on 31 December, immediately following the president’s address, minister Benoit Sambou told viewers watching the independent Wal Fadjri TV-radio station: "the Regional Express Train (TER) will be the first electric train in Sub-Saharan Africa."

Contacted by a news agency about this doubtful-sounding claim, Sambou assured them it was true.

Unconvinced, the news agency had a look round Africa, finding that an electric service known as Gautrain had started running in Johannesburg five whole years previously – in time for the Soccer World Cup in 2010. Their conclusion: "the boast about Sénégal as home to the first electric train in sub-Saharan Africa is off the rails". To elaborate slightly: electric trains have been running in South Africa for more than ninety years. More than 8,000 route-kms of line are electrified.

TANZANIATANZANIA: RULES FOR PRIVATE RAIL OPERATORS

Tanzania’s Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (Sumatra) is drafting open access regulations aimed at permitting multiple operators to use railway infrastructure. Sumatra director of railways Dr Michael Kisaka says the objective is to create a competitive environment in the transport sector. Except for the jointly-owned 1,960km Tanzania-Zambia line, all the railways in the country are in the hands of state-owned Reli Assets Holding Company (Rahco), including the Tangaland Moshi-Arusha lines, neither of which is currently operating.

Four companies have already shown interest in operating the Rahco infrastructure, Dr Kisaka says. For instance, Rahco reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with South Africa’s Kifaru Rail Limited (KRL) for the provision of railway services in Tanzania. KRL said that it would "soon be operating on the Central Line between Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Mwanza and Tanga in Tanzania. In 2015, the World Bank approved $US300 million in funds from the International Development Association (IDA) to help the government of Tanzania in creating a reliable open access railway infrastructure on the Dar es Salaam-Isaka section of the East African Central Corridor and to strengthen the country's rail agencies' ability to manage the infrastructure and traffic operations. The financing will support the intermodal and rail development project designed to increase the reliability of the rail infrastructure and train operations, strengthen logistics in the port of Dar es Salaam and the rail terminals as well as strengthen rail operations.

The funds will be used for relaying tracks, building new intermodal terminals, repairing or reconstructing bridges and supporting the institutional transformation of the sector. Tanzania is a transport hub for its landlocked neighbouring countries like Zambia, DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda.

FREIGHT MUST MOVE BY RAIL - TANZANIA

Of goods transported out of the port of Dar-es-Salaam, 75% is moved by road. New Tanzanian minister for works, transport and communications Professor Makame Mbarawa says the practice is destroying the country’s roads. Once the new standard gauge railway is finished, he promises, all this traffic will go by rail, including that destined for other East African countries.

TANZANIAN RAIL CHIEFS SUSPENDED

Tanzania plans to spend $US14.2 billion constructing a standard gauge rail network within five years. In December, Reli Assets Holding Company (Rahco - the state railway assets holding firm) director-general Benhadard Tito was suspended to "pave the way for a thorough investigation into gross violations of procurement procedures" for the construction of the line. New Tanzanian President John Magufuli has pledged to root out corruption and inefficiency in the country and has already sacked several senior officials. Magufuli has disbanded the board of directors of Rahco and the state-run Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL), for failing to take action on irregularities in the railway tender, his office says. During December, the president dismissed the head of the government's anti-graft body for failing to tackle high-level corruption. He also sacked the head of Tanzania's port authority and the chief tax collector.

The projects planned by the government include construction of a 2,561km standard gauge railway connecting the port at Dar es Salaam to Rwanda and Burundi, at a cost of $7.6 billion. Two additional lines, to cost $6.6 billion, would connect Dar es Salaam to the coal, iron ore and soda ash mining areas in the south and northern parts of the country.



TANZANIA PREPARES FOR GROWTH

Tanzania International Container Terminal Services Ltd (TICTS) CEO Paul Wallace, who handles cargo at the port of Dar es Salaam, says cargo containers have been increasing at about 8% every year. He applauds the intention to build a standard gauge railway, seeing this as a practical solution to decongest ports. In October, Tanzania started construction on a $10 billion port and special economic zone in Bagamoyo, a project backed by China and Oman that aims to transform Tanzania into a regional trade and transport hub. The port will be able to handle mega-ships - with a container vessel size of 8,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) - after the first phase is completed, with room for expansion. Tanzania signed a $565 million deal with the World Bank and other development partners during 2015, aiming to expand the port of Dar es Salaam as part of plans to boost the nation's role as a regional trade hub. Tanzania wants to lift capacity to 28 million tonnes a year by 2020 from the 14.6 million tonnes it handled in the financial year 2013/14.

TAZARATAZARA FREIGHT DROPS 57%

Freight conveyed by the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara), which operates the 1,860km, 1,067mm-gauge railway from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, to New Kapiri-Mposhi in Zambia, dropped by 57% in 2014/15, from 208,538 tonnes in 2013/14 to less than 90,000 tonnes.

The Tazara board plans to cut expenditure by 50%, and intends to spend $US45.8 million on the railway during the 2015/16 financial year. The board is optimistic about the year’s prospects, anticipating "a net operating profit of $1.68 million from projected revenue of $US 45.8 million."

Tazara expects freight traffic to recover during the current financial year to reach 200,000 tonnes and forecasts passenger traffic at 1.98 million journeys in 2015/16. Tazara management has been directed to achieve these numbers by preparing "a bankable business plan", retraining staff and embarking on a marketing campaign. It has been asked to investigate inviting the private sector to manage the popular Dar es Salaam commuter train service, which runs at a loss. The two governments say they find it difficult justifying the continuation of subventions to Tazara - a potentially viable company, "which should stand on its own going forward."

ADJUSTMENT TO THE PASSENGER TRAIN RUNNING SCHEDULES

In order to incorporate the newly acquired passenger coaches in the system and further streamline our passenger train operations, the timetables for the through interstate passenger trains, known by the names Mukuba and Kilimanjaro, have been adjusted with effect from 16th February 2016 as follows:

1. The Mukuba Passenger Train, which used to run as Express Train from New Kapiri-Mposhi every Tuesday and as Ordinary Train from Dar es Salaam every Friday, will now be running as Mukuba Express Train departing from New Kapiri-Mposhi every Tuesday and then departing from Dar es Salaam every Friday. The change is that the Mukuba Express Train will run both ways as Express Train and will follow the current Express Passenger Train running times.

2. The Kilimanjaro Passenger Train, which used to run as Express Train from Dar es Salaam every Tuesday and as Ordinary Train from New Kapiri-Mposhi every Friday, will now be running as Kilimanjaro Ordinary Train departing from Dar es Salaam every Tuesday and then departing from New Kapiri-Mposhi every Friday. The change is that the Kilimanjaro Ordinary Train will run both ways as Ordinary Train and will follow the current Ordinary Passenger Train running times.

In summary, the new Passenger Train Departures from the terminal stations are as follows:

TRAIN NAME DEPARTING STATION DAY TIME

Mukuba Express New Kapiri-Mposhi Tuesday 16:00

Kilimanjaro Ordinary Dar es Salaam Tuesday 13:50

Mukuba Express Dar es Salaam Friday 15:50

Kilimanjaro Ordinary New Kapiri-Mposhi Friday 14:00

This new interstate passenger train schedule supersedes all other schedules.

STATEMENT ISSUED BY TAZARA

We, the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) board of directors, comprising the permanent secretaries responsible for transport, in Zambia and Tanzania, as chairperson and co-chairperson, respectively, together with four other board members from both countries, meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, this 11th Day of December 2015, do hereby declare as follows:

Vendors at a siding along the Tazara Line. Photo: David Brossard/Wikipedia. Continues on page 26



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Operational PerformanceWe noted that the operational performance of the authority has fallen to record low levels of less than 90,000 tonnes of freight per year in the financial year 2014/2015 from 208,538 tonnes recorded in the financial year 2013/2014. It is with concern that the Authority has continued to underperform and depend on subventions from the shareholding governments despite the directives that the authority should strive to be self-sustaining in its operations.

In this regard, the Board directed the management to:1. Begin to show pro-activeness in handling all

operational challenges and should henceforth present to the Board a bankable business plan

2. Prepare a clear marketing strategy to retain the current customers, win back old customers as well as win new customers

3. To institute a re-training programme for all employees in order to enhance the performance of the authority’s human resources

4. Consider the possibility of inviting the private sector to invest and manage the Dar es Salaam commuter train, which is currently a very popular service that is alleviating the transport challenges in the city but operates at a loss

BudgetWe considered the proposed budget for the financial year 2015/2016 and taking into account the recent acquisition of new locomotives and wagons, approved a freight tonnage of 200,000 tonnes of freight and 1,980,000 passengers to be transported in the financial year 2015/2016. Further, considering the current low performance of the authority, we introduced austerity cuts in expenditure, amounting to 50% of management’s spending proposals, and therefore expect the authority to make a net operating profit of $US1,689,544.00 from a total projected revenue of $45,808,960.00 against the total expenditure of $43,619,416.00 for the financial year 2015/2016.

Retirement AgeConsidering that the retirement age for employees in Zambia has been increased to 60 years, we approved the retirement age for Tazara employees to fall inline with the Zambian statutory requirements, which is also inline with the Tanzanian statutory requirements on retirement age.

DecentralisationWe have noted that there have been too many delays in implementing the directives to decentralise the operations of the authority and direct management to submit a decentralisation report to the board’s technical committee immediately.

Review of the Tazara ActWe have noted that some progress has been made in the review of the Tazara Act of 1995 in order to make the authority more business-oriented. In this regard, a joint cabinet memorandum is being prepared for cabinet approval in both countries. The cabinet memorandum will be followed by preparation of the draft bills for respective submission to the two parliaments.

UGANDATRAINS BACK IN KAMPALA

A one-year trial pilot commuter train service is being introduced in the Ugandan capital Kampala. It has been organised by a partnership between the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) and Rift Valley Railway Uganda Limited (RVRU), which will operate the trains. According to URC managing director Charles Kateeba, his organisation will sell tickets and be responsible for customer care. RVRU will provide station facilities at Kampala, Nakawa, Kireka and Namanve. The KCCA will administer funding, with the government - through KCCA - providing financial support to cover the shortfall on income against operational costs.

Commuter rail forms an integral part of KCCA's long term transport master plan. The current trains capacity is about 1,000 passengers, with commuters paying about 1,500 Ugandan shillings - nearly 50 US cents - per trip. The government has allocated a billion shillings - $US 290,000 – to support the project.

UGANDAN PRESIDENT IN JOHANNESBURG

Addressing Chinese president Xi Jinping at the recent forum in Johannesburg, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni said "Our urgent need that we would like the Chinese government to look at is the building of the regional standard gauge railway that will link Uganda with Kenya at Malaba, Rwanda at Mirama Hills, South Sudan at Nimule and the Democratic Republic of Congo at Aruu. This will have a total length of 3,000km. It is to be built in phases, starting with Kampala-Malaba (273km). The Uganda Government has already signed contracts with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC). The project is just waiting for funding from Chinese financing agencies" he explained.

Continued from page 23



CHINA & AFRICA IN FIGURES

China's trade with countries in Africa has grown about ten fold in the last ten years. Total value will possibly reach $US300 billion in 2015, according to the fourth China-Africa Industrial Forum at Beijing in November 2015. Two-way trade in 2014 exceeded $221.9 billion and China's investment stock in Africa exceeded $30 billion dollars.

Following his arrival in Johannesburg for a summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac), Chinese president Xi Jinping held individual meetings with the leaders of nine African countries.

The support package he announced includes $5 billion in interest-free loans and $35 billion in preferential financing, export credit lines and concessional loans. Xi told participants that China hopes to share its industrialisation experiences with African countries and help the continent advance its own industrialisation with financial, technological and talent support.

ZAMBIAFALLING MARKET SHARE PERTURBS

Zambia Railway Limited chief executive Christopher Msonda is concerned by the dropping market share of rail transport, compared with other modes, especially roads. He is quoted saying, "We need to marry the ports with railways for our logistics sector to move up. We also need to tap into mines without minding their fall in the world market." Msonda urges that dry ports should be built in landlocked countries in order to decongest seaports. There is a general call for more investment in both ports and railways as population and trade volumes increase every year.

ZAMBIA

ANGOLA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

BOTSWANA

ZIMBABWE

MOZAMBIQUE

MA

LAW

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MonzeChoma

Kwekwe

Gweru

Mutare

to Beira

Marondera

Tete

ChipataMchinji

Odzi

Hwange

ChingolaKitwe

KolweziDiloloLuau

Luacarno

Luanshya

Mazabuka

Ndola

Kabwe

LUSAKA

LILONGWE

HARARE

Kapiri Mposhi

LivingstoneCAPRIVI STRIP

OkavangoDelta

Lake Kariba

Kariba Dam

Proposed North-Western Railway TAZARA LINE TO DAR ES

SALAAM

Cabora Bassa

Mulobezi

Senanga

Kazungula

Kafue

NAMIBIA

Lubumbashi

ZAMBIAN CONTRACT PROBED

Zambia's minister of communications and transport Kapembwa Simbao is asking for a comprehensive audit of Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL), with particular reference to contracts entered into. Simbao is mainly concerned about a contract signed in 2014 involving the supply of Huawei signalling and telecommunications equipment worth some R128 million through Mustek to a consortium incorporating Huawei International, Bombardier Transportation and GMC Technologies Zambia Limited. ZRL technology was to be upgraded at a cost of $51 million. Professor Muyenga Atanga was fired as CEO of ZRL over the contract, which the board considered excessive. Atanga refuted the board's claim that $51 million was spent on the project, saying that only $8.8 million was used because the signalling component of the project did not proceed as scheduled due to non-availability of funds. In correspondence to the then minister of communications and transport Yamfwa Mukanga in May 2015, Atanga said the figure of $51 million was an estimated amount and the company planned to implement the project over two years. He said implementation was to be on a "available cash basis".

This proposal was rejected by the contractors, forcing ZRL to complete only one part of the project. Amid accusations of financial misappropriation, Minister Simbao said the railway management should have ensured that the funds were properly utilised. "We will therefore audit all the projects the company ventured into to see how the funds were spent."



ZIMBABWENRZ RAIL WORKERS TO STRIKE

In mid-January, employees of the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) gave notice of their intention to strike over non-payment of salaries and "management's failure to meet its obligations". Salaries have not been paid in full since November 2014.

Lawyers representing the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Railway Workers Union (Zarwu) say – in a letter addressed to the general manager – that meetings between the management and workers have achieved nothing. Management had proposed to pay one sub-grade per week, an arrangement which workers felt was "arbitrary and discriminatory". Given the extent of the arrears and the employee obligations, the lawyers say this process would be unduly prolonged.

"Zarwu, as a registered trade union, advise that their members have resolved by force of circumstances to proceed with industrial action, to press their demands that NRZ honour its contractual, legal, constitutional and moral obligations to the employees." According to the lawyers, workers are entitled, in terms of Section 65 of the country's constitution, to be paid fair and reasonable wages and where their rights are infringed, to withhold their services by way of a strike. "By reason of the above and in terms of the Labour Act Chapter 28:01, as read with the Constitution, we hereby give 14 days' notice of our client's intention to proceed on a strike."

ZIMBABWE: NRZ CHASING DEBTORS

According to transport and infrastructural development minister Dr Joram Gumbo, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) is owed money by both foreign and local debtors. "The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) owes $US2,8 million to NRZ, while other local companies owe the company $9 million in unpaid rentals," he says.

Zimbabwe’s Grain Marketing Board (GMB) owes NRZ $7 million, Ziscosteel $9 million, and Zimforce $600, Zimasco and ZPC owe the parastatal $1.1 million and $1.2 million respectively. "Efforts are to be made to have these debtors meet their obligations." Dr Gumbo says.

NRZ is dogged by serious problems including low capacity, a dwindling customer base and obsolete equipment. The company has a wage bill of $4 million per month and is more than a year in arrears with salaries. Many customers who formerly made use of rail facilities no longer exist.

A proposal to ring-fence potential customers is being considered. "Workers should understand the situation we are in," Dr Gumbo says.

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Rehabilitation, Maintenance and Emergency Services (RME) is the multi-disciplinary unit that is responsible for Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR) infrastructure, construction and rehabilitation works. To a lesser extent it is also responsible for the rehabilitation and maintenance of other Transnet Operating Division’s infrastructure.

The unit consists of engineers, technologists, technicians, project managers, quantity surveyors and cost engineers capable of executing multi-million rand projects.

RME’s services include maintenance of the rail infrastructure, signalling, telecommunications, perway and electrical systems, construction of rail and port related structures such as, but not limited to, bridge construction.

The division was established in 1991 under the name of Protocon (Pty) Ltd, and focused on construction projects in railway and port related environments for Transnet, amongst others, in South Africa and on the African continent.

In 2005, Protocon was incorporated into Transnet SOC Limited under one of the five operating divisions Transnet Capital Projects (TCP). It was later incorporated into Transnet’s largest operating division TFR. Since then they have embarked on several projects for TFR and have to date completed over 100 projects in South Africa and the SADAC region worth more than R10 billion.

"We are responsible for the upkeep of the entire Transnet rail network infrastructure that spans over 30 400km," says Mdu Mlaba.

Taking into account their recent market performance, the management of RME has relooked at their marketing strategy and is aggressively re-positioning themselves to service untapped markets. They are focusing on contributing to the improvement of their

client’s operational efficiencies by costing projects with the whole life cycle of an asset in mind.

In a recent interview with Railways Africa, general manager of RME Mdu Mlaba clarified that the strategic change is as a result of economic factors. "The South African economy is not growing at the rate that we anticipated, when we embarked on the Market Demand Strategy (MDS) four years ago," he explained.

The Transnet MDS is a R300 billion capital investment programme to expand and modernise South Africa’s ports, rail and pipelines infrastructure over a period of seven years to promote economic growth in South Africa.

Taking the unfavourable economic climate into account, TFR has identified RME as a valuable resource that has the capacity to generate external income from diverse sources. Africa is a vibrant environment for such enterprises and with the rail renaissance underway throughout the continent, RME believes it is perfectly positioned and has the capability and the capacity to deliver to any client in Africa.

"We are working with various parties such as Eskom and the mines, and are now actively looking at opportunities throughout Africa, where Protocon operated in the past, especially in the rail market where we have extensive engineering experience in the rail technical sector".

RME subscribes to a Project Lifecycle Process (PLP) with a focus on Front-end Loading (FEL1-4). According to Mlaba, front-end loading looks at projects from concept through to detail design including lifecycle costing after the concept is in place.

"We do a cost analysis, and then we apply for finance by developing a business case and presenting it to our investment committee. Once the funding is approved we do the execution," says Mlaba. "We take into account the cost of the whole lifecycle of the project

RMEbroadenstheir horizons.


railways africa 1-2016rmE

during the detail design phase rather than just the upfront capital costs. Once executed, the infrastructure is handed over to operations to operate and maintain."

A large part of the process is to look at the project in its entirety, which would be not only the cost of construction but also the cost of maintenance and operation, in order to ensure that the total life of the assets can be cost effective.

"If you do the detail design properly the costing will be accurate, and during execution you won’t run into problems where the project is starting to overrun in terms of cost," explains Mlaba.

Besides RME’s focus on contributing to the improvement of operating efficiencies and the cost of maintenance they believe in localisation and local content.

"When we embark on a job in a particular area, we focus on employing people who are based in that area, we look at sourcing materials supplied in that particular community. We have learned through experience that involving local communities ensures community buy-in with the project," he explains.

Recent successful projects undertaken by RME include the Manganese line upgrade from Kimberley to De Aar. The upgrade has been divided into two phases; with phase 1 expected to be completed by the end of the year valued at R1.1 billion.

The proposed Ngqura 16Mtpa manganese railway upgrade stretches across 1,100km from Hotazel in the Northern Cape to the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape. The project was divided into three different areas: • Area 1: Hotazel to Kimberley • Area 2: Kimberley to De Aar• Area 3: De Aar to Port of Ngqura

Area 1 and 3 are currently undergoing an Environmental Impact Assessment process. RME has worked extensively on Area two/Phase 1, and will be constructing new loops and extending existing loops to accommodate 200 wagon trains to improve the throughput to about 16 million tonnes per annum. The RME portion of phase two is estimated at R6.2 billion.

The Pendoring Multi-User Terminal is another RME project which is located outside Pretoria near Marikana Platinum Mine. It involves the laying of a huge concrete slab, approximately 1km in length and 40m width; 2 railway tracks along the sides of the slab; high mast lights for 24hr operation; access tar roads for trucks; rail and road weighbridges as well as overhead electrical traction equipment. This allows multi-users to lay their chrome and ferrochrome material on the slab which is then loaded onto trains, via the use of front-end loaders, for long haulage. "The intention is to move the trucks off the roads and move long distance bulk cargo onto the rail," says Mlaba.

Additionally RME has been extensively involved with the rehabilitation of the branch lines. "We work very closely with our branch line team, which is a department within TFR, that specialises in looking at branch-lines, looking at the future of growth, especially for farmers, and trying to resuscitate our branch lines to bring them back to operation," says Mlaba.

Rail maintenance and rehabilitation is a large part of the business, however Mlaba emphasises that one of the most important aspects of RME is diversification of skill and capability. "As a construction unit, RME is capable of building warehouses, offices and residential houses, among other things" he states. RME offers experienced professionals in multiple disciplines including: civil, electrical, mechanical, project management, costing and advisory. "We are highly diversified and are CIDB9 rated," concludes Mlaba.

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South African Road-Rail Vehicle Innovator


railways africa 1-2016railPro

Since the concept of improving the delivery of maintenance services and crews using road-based vehicles was first introduced, technology allowing these bi-modal vehicles to be fitted with retractable rail running gear wheelsets has constantly evolved.

Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs) are now a familiar, if not quirky, sight on African railways. Half-hearted attempts to stimulate interest in RRVs delivering intermodal services have surfaced here and there in South Africa, but have failed to take off. Current South African RRV developer RailPro is actively pursuing this potential. They have pioneered a technique whereby road trucks fitted with their proprietary technology are enabled to transmit power to the rail wheels directly from the truck’s own engine, which RailPro argues is unlike any other technique in the market today. "Being simple to maintain, lightweight, and up to 30 times more fuel efficient than a small locomotive, is what makes these trucks an effective bi-modal proxy locomotive," says RailPro.

Known as DSDS™, the design team received a SABS Design Excellence Award for their invention. The system is fitted to an existing truck chassis, needing only minor modifications. A number of RRV derivatives have been developed. Notably, vehicles intended for railway maintenance, including a variant with a purpose designed Overhead Track Equipment (OHTE) "cherry picker", that RailPro believe is unique. It is designed to conform to a multitude of rail specific safety and road-axle weight regulations.

Rob Allen, who formerly managed the rail leasing fleet for Imperial Fleet Management has recently joined the team. Allen says, "the RailPro offer is suitable across all gauges and for use across Africa. Our product range offers railway owners and contractors a quick and efficient platform for essential rail inspection, crew delivery and maintenance."

A bi-modal "RailBus" has been designed for transporting workers to railway maintenance sites. RailPro, which owns the DSDS™ technology, explains that it has

international investor backing and aims to achieve a structure with black economic-empowerment (BEE) credentials for operations in South Africa. The company is confident that new intermodal concepts are feasible across Africa, where the day-to-day challenges of utilising rail effectively can be overcome with some pragmatic and innovative thinking.

"I am excited by intermodal opportunities," Allen added, "not only our RailBus product for connecting remote communities, but also adapting our existing offer to transport freight. We believe this has excellent prospects here and abroad. I look forward to overseeing increasing sales of our product into exciting new markets."

RailPro is currently in talks with several partners outside of South Africa to begin autonomous RRV trials using Tubular Track’s innovative ballastless modular track technology and Bombardier's Interflo control system.

Some 21 RRVs utilising the DSDS™ system are currently operational across South Africa. Recently electrical infrastructure specialists Tractionel Enterprise bought the Overhead Track Equipment (OHTE) RRV to undertake refurbishment and maintenance work.

Tractionel’s operations manager, Juan Swart explains that a key driver in opting for the RailPro vehicle fitted with the DSDS™ system was the elimination of expensive and often troublesome imported railgear components.

"It is reassuring to have local technical support, and knowledgeable local designers who understand the requirements we have both below and above the chassis," Swart said.

"For example," he added, "RailPro’s ability to produce a vehicle that can be easily and quickly adapted from standard to narrow gauge is a game changer for us, allowing us to service a broader client base."

"I believe that there is enormous potential for these RRVs with the DSDS™ system in the wider African market," Swart concluded.

"RailPro’s ability to produce a vehicle that can be easily and quickly adapted from standard to narrow gauge is a game changer for us, allowing us to service a broader client base."

~ Juan Swart, operations manager, Tractionel Enterprise


railways africa1-2016 railPro

Spotlight

South AfricaPRASA AFRO4000 LOCOS: RSR FINDINGS

South Africa’s Rail Safety Regulator (RSR) has cleared the new Afro4000 locomotives for use on the country’s railways, saying in its report; "With the exception of locomotive height limitations in certain areas of the network and subject to the highlighted conditions in this report, the Prasa Afro4000 series locomotives possess acceptable performance capabilities to operate on the South African network. At the measured height of 4,140mm, the locomotives cannot always maintain the required minimum vertical gap of 150mm between the roof and the contact wire. This will lead to a higher risk of contact and flashover with the Overhead Traction Equipment and operational delays. There is evidence on some of the Afro4000 locomotives inspected that such contact/flashover has occurred during testing."

Cleared for action – but not under 3kV DC catenary. Photo: Col Andre Kritzinger.

$US2.5BN FOR TRANSNET FROM CHINA

China's Export Credit Insurance Corporation has agreed to a $US2.5 billion funding guarantee for Transnet, to finance procurement of mechanical and electrical products, and equipment from enterprises in China. It will cover funding for operation, maintenance and other services from Chinese enterprises in South Africa. A celebratory function to mark the signing of the deal was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Jacob Zuma and public enterprises minister Lynne Brown. It was signed by Li Hao on behalf of the export credit corporation and acting Transnet group chief executive Siyabonga Gama.

It sounds as though the locos can be safely operated anywhere except under certain 3kV DC overhead lines. Unfortunately, this includes all major cities except Port Elizabeth and East London – and trains working from these two would be in potential trouble when approaching Bloemfontein.

Thermitrex has a mechanical testing facility for rails. The laboratory is accredited to perform two standard tests; Brinell hardness test and the Bend test. Both test procedures are performed according to international standards, ASTM E10-12 for Brinell hardness test and EN 14730 for the Bend test. All the testing equipment are calibrated by SANAS accredited bodies. The laboratory also holds an IEC 17025 lab management accreditation.

Our qualified technicians guarantee you precise measurement results.

Quality testing for your rails.

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THERMITREX (PTY) LTDDavid Street . Boksburg-East . 1459 PO Box 6070 . Dunswart . Gauteng . 1508 . RSA Tel +2711 914-2540/6 [email protected]

www.thermitrex.co.za


railways africa 1-2016sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

SIMON’S TOWN SERVICE RESUMES

Following many months with no service due to a damaged sea wall and sand covering the tracks, trains returned to Simon’s Town on 25 January. Severe problems affected the line from early in the morning, according to radio reports. "Defective points" were blamed, with services on Cape Town’s southern suburbs line reportedly running 60 minutes behind schedule.

The points and signals are remotely controlled from Windermere. Judging from the frequent failures, possibly the technology is not ideally suited to a railway sited on the edge of the sea.

MOODY'S DOWNGRADES TRANSNET

London, 17 December 2015 - Moody's Investors Service today affirmed all ratings assigned to Transnet SOC Ltd. and changed the outlook from stable to negative. These actions follow the weakening outlook of South Africa's credit profile, as reflected by Moody's 15 December change of South Africa's government bond rating outlook from stable to negative.

METRORAIL TICKETING AND SECURITY PROBLEMS

Metrorail in Cape Town has introduced a flag system to alert drivers when all doors are closed and it is safe to depart, the Cape Times reported recently. But more security on trains and the hiring of additional ticket verifiers would increase pressure on an "already stretched" budget, Metrorail’s Riana Scott was quoted saying. "The company spends R200 million a year on security in the Western Cape," she explained. The region's security complement comprises 872 protection services employees, 1,200 private security guards employed for asset protection and guard duty, and 400 railway police members deployed on trains and at stations.

In all, 828 ticket verifiers are rostered to check tickets. "It is not a productive use of resources to check at each and every access point every day," Scott says. "From a business point of view, it is more productive to place staff at bigger stations."

In the absence of technology, staff have to check tickets manually. During peak hours at Cape Town Station, verifiers are able to check 47 tickets a minute.

R850M DENNEBOOM INTERCHANGE

Denneboom is the station serving the original part of Mamelodi – known formerly as Vlakfontein - on the line to Eerste Fabrieke and beyond. The old military road from Roberts Heights (later Voortrekkerhoogte, now Thaba Tshwane) to Cullinan crossed the railway here.

The Denneboom interchange project forms part of the Solomon Mahlangu Urban Design Framework, which was approved by Tshwane's mayoral committee in October 2009. Project developer Isibonelo Property Services will facilitate construction of the 60,000m2 mall, which will be similar to Pretoria's other regional shopping centres and will include transport facilities catering for approximately 1,400 taxis and 600 vendors, in addition to the 20,000 bus and train commuters. According to Isibonelo CEO Shadrack Mthethwa. "This will be a social integration and mobility hub. It will have a medical centre manned by practitioners from Mamelodi." Due for completion in April 2017, the project is expected to employ between 2,500 and 3,000 workers at its peak, with direct employment by the main construction contractor expected to reach figures of between 450 and 500. Line 2C of Tshwane's bus rapid transit system, A Re Yeng, is to end at Denneboom station. The route will run from Menlyn through January Masilela, Lynnwood and Simon Vermooten roads to Denneboom and is expected to be completed by June 2017, two months after the completion of the new interchange.

Thermitrex has a mechanical testing facility for rails. The laboratory is accredited to perform two standard tests; Brinell hardness test and the Bend test. Both test procedures are performed according to international standards, ASTM E10-12 for Brinell hardness test and EN 14730 for the Bend test. All the testing equipment are calibrated by SANAS accredited bodies. The laboratory also holds an IEC 17025 lab management accreditation.

Our qualified technicians guarantee you precise measurement results.

Quality testing for your rails.

RAIL JOINING RAIL SERVICES MEASUREMENT TOOLS & MACHINES EQUIPMENT

THERMITREX (PTY) LTDDavid Street . Boksburg-East . 1459 PO Box 6070 . Dunswart . Gauteng . 1508 . RSA Tel +2711 914-2540/6 [email protected]

www.thermitrex.co.za


railways africa1-2016 sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

GIBELA PLANT SITE-WORK BEGINS

Trencon Construction of Edenvale has been awarded a contract to clear the site and prepare earthworks for the Dunnottar train manufacturing facility being built for the Gibela Consortium. Construction of the plant where 580 trainsets are to be manufactured for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is expected to begin in May and be finished by the end of 2017. An estimated final cost of R1 billion has remained unadjusted since first announced some time ago. Gibela is 61% owned by Alstom, which recently acquired 51% of the former Union Carriage works at nearby Nigel, now known as CTLE (Commuter Transport & Locomotive Engineering), where most of South Africa’s current locomotives and rolling stock was fabricated, as well as undertaking Gautrain coach assembly. As it will be 2018 before the new Dunnottar site is ready to start manufacturing rolling stock, it appears possible that construction of the Prasa sets might begin at the 3.7 hectare CTLE plant in Nigel. THABAZIMBI CORRIDOR SHUTDOWN

The Thabazimbi rail corridor (Pyramid South to Lephalale) was shut down for concentrated annual maintenance from the 8 to the 22 of December 2015. Because the line is mainly single track, arrangements were made for 14-hour shutdowns during the first four days, between the 8 and 12 December. Total shutdown applied to the period 12-17 December.

Major activities undertaken included:• Sleepers replaced • New rails installed• Ballast screened and replaced• Turnouts replaced • Culvert and bridge rehabilitation • Overhead track equipment, traction sub-stations and

signalling installations overhauled • Optical fibre and train radio networks attended to

SWIFAMBO PAYMENTS PROBED

Substantial payments said to have been made by Auswell Mashaba in his role as director of Swifambo Rail Leasing (Pty) Ltd. have been included in a probe into the contract in terms of which Spanish-built locomotives were to be acquired for use by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). Vuyo Mkhize, described as a spokesman for Mashaba, is quoted saying that payments of R40 million were made to Similex, a company controlled by Angolan national Maria da Cruz Gomes, and the law firm Nkosi Sabelo. According to the City Press report, Maria Gomes said her company performed work related to the locomotive tender and the payment was related to that. She told City Press she couldn't recall the details.

In November, Prasa asked the Johannesburg High Court to cancel the contract to supply Vossloh locomotives awarded by Swifambo in March 2013, claiming the tender included "irrational" specifications.

Artist’s impression of the new R1 billion Gibela plant to be built at Dunnottar. Earthworks have begun.

New trainset built by Alstom in Brazil. Photo: Gibela.

NEW GENERATION PRASA TRAIN ARRIVES

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has taken delivery of the first new trainset built at the Alstom factory in Brazil. Set T1 – the first of 600 - is to undergo an intensive seven-month testing programme at the Wolmerton depot, north of Pretoria, starting in January 2016. A second set is expected in South Africa early in 2016.

NEW PRASA TRAINS WAIT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

A track facility for testing the new suburban passenger trainsets that began arriving from Brazil early in November is to be ready soon, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) spokesman Victor Dlamini told Business Day’s Andiswa Maqutu. The 400 metre test track is being built at the Wolmerton depot north of Pretoria, where stabling for the new sets is being provided. However, upgraded infrastructure needed to operate the rolling stock will not be ready until some six months after testing begins in February 2016.

The 20 sets being built at Alstom’s plant in Brazil are to be followed by 580 constructed locally, reportedly at a new factory yet to be built at Dunnottar. This is not yet started. However, Alstom recently acquired the former Union Carriage property at nearby Nigel and it now seems possible that work may begin there. Nevertheless, the first locally manufactured trains coming off the production line now seems unlikely before some time in 2017.

The R51 billion deal to build 600 trains is one of the biggest procurement contracts the country has seen, second only in fact to the proposed nuclear programme.


railways africa 1-2016sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

FORMER SA TRANSPORT MINISTER IN COURT

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is a division – you might call it a wholly-owned subsidiary – of South Africa’s Department of Transport (DoT). It made headline news - Prasa, that is, not the department - for much of 2015, mainly to do with what could be called irregularities. The Public Protector looked into some of these, entitling her report "Derailed". In there was all to do over buying trains from Spain that didn’t exactly fit in with local ideas on running trains.

All this, it seems, was only the tip of a rather large iceberg. During December, former director-general of the Department of Transport George Mahlalela appeared in the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court, charged with fraud, corruption and money laundering. According to a News24 report quoting a Hawks brigadier, "Mahlalela allegedly spearheaded the renewal of the contract without following proper procedure while he was DoT director-general. "The Hawks investigation revealed that soon after the contract was renewed, Tasima (Pty) Ltd deposited millions of rand in Mahlalela’s bank account. Three co-accused, Zakhele Gilbert Thwala, Sibusiso Justin Ncube, Tebogo Kgosietsile and Trevor Mphuti - allegedly benefited. The four were released on R10,000 bail each and the case has been postponed to 20 July next year to allow for further investigation.

Unfortunately, this is not the end of the story. Former SA transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele appeared subsequently in the Durban commercial crimes court, also charged with fraud and corruption. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Advocate Luvuyo Mfaku told African News Agency that Ndebele was released on R10,000 bail but did not confirm reports alleging that R10 million was received in kickbacks.

KHAYELITSHA PROTESTS METRORAIL SERVICE

Late in November, activist organisation Public Transport Voice (PTV) held a public meeting at Masibambane Hall in Harare, Khayelitsha, to express concerns about train service in the area. Speakers highlighted the lack of security personnel on the trains which they said puts their lives in danger - especially in third class coaches. They accused the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) of discrimination, criticising the absence of railway police that used to do patrols inside coaches. PTV co-ordinator Khanyisa Ngxothani made an impassioned plea for better communication, especially when trains are delayed. Draped over the table from which she spoke was a banner with photos of former president Nelson Mandela and current president Jacob Zuma. The text on the banner read: "Fellow South Africans, how the hell did we go from this [Mandela] to this [Zuma]." Overcrowding on the trains, she said, remains a major problem.

Metrorail customer service manager Cyril Bauer admitted that Prasa is faced with "enormous challenges", and that the services in Khayelitsha, as well as other areas, are not at the level the company would like them to be. Bauer said they are grappling with the issue of overcrowding, adding that cable theft and illegal connections of electricity are a huge problem. Bauer said he would inform the regional manager of Metrorail about the problems raised at the meeting.

Railways Africaonlineconnect

BUSINESS CASE: NEW GAUTRAIN COACHES

Gauteng MEC for roads and transport Dr Ismail Vadi outlined the business case for additional Gautrain rolling stock at a media briefing on 26 January 2015. As previously announced, the Bombela Concession Company (BCC) has invited reputable and established suppliers to qualify as shortlisted bidders by submitting a compliant RFQ document for the design, manufacture, supply and maintenance of 12 new electrical multiple unit trainsets as well as the design and construction of additional depot infrastructure for the Gautrain system.

"The business case for the additional rolling stock is based on a self-funding mechanism. The Gauteng provincial government will use revenue from existing sources of funding within the current concession agreement with BCC as well as funding from the increase in passenger capacity provided by the additional rolling stock.

"The provincial government has engaged the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) as mandated lead arranger to provide loan capital for the new rolling stock procurement. The DBSA has approved in principle a loan of R3,5 billion, to be channelled into the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) to pay for the new rolling stock.

"To maximise value and local content usage as well as socio-economic development potential for Gauteng, the maintenance of the new rolling stock will be included in the procurement. This maintenance will be for a minimum of 15 years although bidders will be able to offer alternative proposals for up to a 35-year maintenance contract."

The bidders are:• Alstom • Bombardier • CSR • Mizana Engineering • DCD Rolling Stock• Transnet Engineering • Siemens


railways africa1-2016 sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

In May 2014, Canadian-based electric motor and generator manufacturer IEC Holden was awarded the contract to manufacture AC traction motors and gearboxes assembled into complete drive units for Bombardier’s Traxx Africa locomotive - part of the R50 billion Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) 1064 contract.

To meet the local content requirements of the contract, IEC Holden has invested R250 million over the last 19 months to establish its South African manufacturing operation. Additionally, they invested heavily in local supplier and skills development.

In mid 2014 they took occupancy of the 7,000m2 facilities located in Isando, Gauteng. Since then, the company has achieved a BBBEE level 3 accreditation, as well as ISO 9001 and ISO 3834 accreditations. Its facility houses 105 employees, which is expected to grow to more than 300 in the next 12 months.

The contract with Bombardier and IEC Holden requires a total of 1,440 units to be manufactured

IEC Holden SA in motion

"Our product is the quality that we build into the customers’ design. We have to build it to meet the customers’ requirements whatever that requirement may be."

Bombardier designed these units specifically for South African conditions including local performance requirements, temperature variants and temperature parameters.

In a recent interview with Railways Africa, IEC Holden operations director Ralph Robinson stated that these are the first AC drive units ever produced in South Africa for freight locomotives. The AC drive units contain 70% local content, which includes manufacturing of castings and coils, machining, winding, painting, insulation, fabrication and welding of stators, brazing and balancing, as well as the testing of the completed units before they are sent to Bombardier.

"Some components are manufactured on site such as coils and stators, others are manufactured by our local suppliers that we have sourced and qualified," he says.

At the end of 2015, IEC Holden had delivered 21 units. The company has been in series production, although at low volumes, since September. At full production they expect to manufacture approximately 72 units per month.

"We will have to expand our supply base to manage our capacity to meet demands going forward," says Robinson.

for the 240 locomotives ordered by Transnet Freight Rail from Bombardier SA. Each locomotive is equipped with six AC traction motors with a built in gearbox – one on each axle. Each unit weighs 4,500kg.


railways africa 1-2016IEC HOLDEN

[email protected] +27 (0) 10 005 1671www.iecholden.com

TRACTION MOTORMANUFACTURING SPECIALISTSTRUSTED PARTNER TO THE WORLD’SLEADING RAIL EQUIPMENT OEM’S

Product in servicewith the mostdemanding TransitAuthorities includingNYMTA, CTA, TTC, BARTand more;

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Facilities in USA, Canada, Mexico and South Africa provide localisation - including Buy America compliant traction motors, gear boxes and global support;

ISO 9001: 2008certified manufacturing facilities provide exceptional production quality;

Scope of workincludes turnkeyproduction oftraction motors, gear boxes andother rail vehicleassemblies;

Product in servicein over 80 000traction motors andover 15 000 railvehicles worldwide;

Producingtraction motorsand componentsfor locomotive,subway, LRV and bus applications;

Serving the railindustry for over100 years with over55 years in tractionmotors;

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As a contract manufacturer, IEC Holden builds for OEMs and to their specifications.

"Our product is the quality that we build into the customers’ design. We have to build it to meet the customers’ requirements whatever that requirement may be."

He believes that this is what sets them apart from their competitors.

"We build for the OEM manufacturers and we build their product for them and nobody else, and we don’t compete with them."

Whilst in it’s early stages, IEC Holden has signed an agreement with GE Transportation SA.

Through the contract with Bombardier and the investment made in their facility, they have introduced new technology

and capabilities in terms of manufacturing motors for the South African and African markets. This has potential to grow into manufacturing motors and generators for mining and wind power throughout the continent.

IEC Holden expect to develop the Isando operation into a regional and potentially global exporter of advanced manufactured electric motors and generators.

"Some components are manufactured on site such as coils and stators, others are manufactured by our local suppliers that we have sourced and qualified,"


railways africa1-2016 IEC HOLDEN

ACTOM SIGNALLING COMPLETES PILOT ELECTRONIC SIGNALLING CONTRACT FOR TRANSNET FREIGHT RAIL

ACTOM Signalling recently completed a pilot electronic interlocking contract for Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) that encompassed provision of a system for a single existing station. The validation process also required a simulated "validation station" containing the full scope of permutations for electronic signalling systems.

ACTOM Signalling has developed and installed an electronic system designed specifically for Crescent station, situated near Potchefstroom station in North-West Province on the line to Klerksdorp. While the validation station simulation ACTOM has developed as part of the pilot contract serves as a master model for all other stations, TFR may designate the business unit to design and provide electronic interlocking systems in future.

The multi-million rand contract was awarded in mid-2014 and the system at Crescent was completed and commissioned in September 2015.

"The Crescent system will be monitored by TFR prior to granting full and final approval of the interlocking system," said Peter Colborne, ACTOM Signalling’s general manager.

The core of the electronic interlocking system is Alstom’s integrated Vital Processor Interlocking (iVPI), a product that was initially developed for the North American market but has been applied in more than 16 countries.

ACTOM developed the hardware and software interfaces for all the trackside equipment and the CS90 remote control system.

"Our engineering configuration programme, called Engineering Configuration Tool (ECT), has the capability to automatically generate interlocking equations for individual stations according to their specific layout and signalling requirements," Colborne explained.

This custom-designed engineering configuration tool, developed in-house by ACTOM Signalling, is an extra layer of software that utilises the programming tools developed by Alstom. It is programmed to apply TFR’s HR97 interlocking rules to the required station layout.

"For the overall validation system we designed a dummy station model, including a track layout simulation, that incorporates all the features as provided for Crescent station, plus all other possible permutations covered in TFR’s Required Operational Capability (ROC)," he added.

The technology makes provision for both centralised and distributed interlocking systems. A distributed system was chosen for Crescent station for control of a total of 6 points-sets and 26 signals, with the new system installed in the station’s relay room and communicating with the trackside equipment via optical fibre cable in place of the copper cable used in the past. The previous

DC points machines have been replaced with AC points machines.

The system also makes provision for communicating with the Legacy System - still in operation at the adjacent stations Potchefstroom and New Machavie.

The Crescent installation contains most of the features required in an electronic interlocking system serving an average small station.

"These features can be expected to be included in practically all future systems, while the validation model also makes provision for any additional features likely to be required at stations where the signalling functions are more complex and varied, such as passenger stations like Johannesburg and New Canada," Colborne concluded.

ACTOM Signalling’s Frans Badenhorst (left), application engineer, and Leon Pienaar, senior development engineer, with the newly-installed electronic interlocking system in Crescent station’s relay room.

ALSTOM TO SUPPLY 26 CITADIS TRAM KITS FOR THE CITY OF SETIF

Through a joint-venture composed of Alstom EMA (Entreprise Métro d'Alger) and Ferrovial1, Alstom is to supply 26 Citadis tram kits to Cital. These are to be assembled in Alstom’s Annaba plant, east of Algeria. Alstom’s share of the contract is worth €85 million. The 26 Citadis trams were ordered by EMA for Cital, for use in the city of Setif and will circulate on a 15.2km line that is scheduled to enter into commercial service in the first quarter of 20182.

This order is part of a frame contract that was signed in 2012 by Cital and EMA for the supply of Citadis trams to serve Algerian cities. Cital was created in 2010 for the assembly and maintenance of Citadis trams in Algeria, to better support the country’s vast programme to develop and enhance urban mobility projects. This JV is part of Alstom’s strategy to be closer to its customer base, to better meet their mobility demand.Alstom Citadis tram in service at Rabat,

Morocco. Photo: Wikipedia.


railways africa 1-2016COMPANY NEWS

The Citadis trams for Setif will be 44 metres long and carry up to 302 passengers. The integral low floor and the 12 side doors will facilitate passenger flow and enable access for all, including people with reduced mobility. The tram will be equipped with air conditioning, CCTV cameras and areas for strollers and wheelchairs.

"Setif is now the seventh city in Algeria to adopt Citadis, a mode of urban transport that is

environmentally friendly, pleasant, comfortable and reliable. We are pleased to collaborate with our partners on this project and to participate in the transport development of the country" said Gian-Luca Erbacci, senior vice-president of Alstom Middle East and Africa.

The tramway kits will be assembled and tested at Cital’s plant in Annaba before delivery to the customer. The plant covers an area of around

46,400m² and houses a 1km test track. It currently employs 90 people on the Citadis assembly line and has capacity to assemble five trams per month.

Alstom has operated in Algeria for more than 60 years and has supplied integrated tramway systems to the cities of Algiers, Oran and Constantine as well as supplying infrastructure for the tramways of Ouargla, Mostagamen and Setif.

ALSTOM’S FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVES REACH 10 MILLION KILOMETRES IN KAZAKHSTAN

On 1 February 2016, Alstom’s freight locomotives Prima KZ8A reached 10 million kilometres on Kazakhstan’s rail network. 31 locos are currently in commercial operation from Tobol to Ekibastuz, and Presnogorkovsk to Chu respectively.

The Prima KZ8A is a two-section Alternating Current freight locomotive capable of towing up to 9,000 tonnes and running at 120km/h. This model is currently one of the most powerful in the world (8,800 kW). Developed on the basis of KTZ (Kazakhstan Railways) technical requirements and in compliance with GOST1 standards and specifications, the locomotive has a cutting edge traction system based on Alstom’s technology and components produced by Alstom and Transmashholding. Prima KZ8A is designed to operate in temperatures from -500C to +500C. Thanks to its modular design it provides a high reliability level and low lifecycle cost.

"We are happy to have provided our client with a high-tech product labelled 'Made in Kazakhstan'. By reaching 10 million kilometres on the Kazakhstan’s rail network, the Prima KZ8A proved its reliability and perfect fit for our customer’s needs.

"Alstom is proud to contribute and support the country’s ambition of becoming the hub of future transport corridors between Asia and Europe." said Bernard Peille, Managing Director Alstom Kazakhstan.

The production of the locomotive is localised at the EKZ plant in Astana, jointly owned by KTZ (50%), Alstom (25%) and Transmashholding (25%). EKZ, as maintainer of the fleet, with the support of Alstom expertise, has secured a 95% availability of the locomotives. Regular maintenance is conducted at Astana and Agadyr depots.

1. Alstom (49%), Ferrovial (41%) and EMA (10%).

2. In 2014 Alstom, as part of a consortium with Yapi Merkezi, was awarded a contract by Setif to provide the system which includes the power supply, catenary, ticketing, telecommunications, signalling and a control centre.


railways africa1-2016 COMPANY NEWS

Only one year after breaking ground the expansion of the sensor production at Frauscher Sensor Technology was opened by CEO Michael Thiel in an internal ceremony.

Cornerstones for more capacitiesThe new production area covers more than 500m2. The foundation for increased capacities is built on a combination of job optimisation, various approaches to improve the material flow and additional machines. Besides two curing ovens a second vacuum potting line was installed. This enables a comprehensive acceleration and automation of all processes related to this step. Overall, capacities have been raised from 17,000 pieces (2014) a year to 30,000 sensors.

Various measures for optimised processesAgainst the background of closely linked production processes, the goals behind the expansion went far beyond creating more space, Gerald Buchinger, director Frauscher Sensor Technology reports: "The expansion also became a base for job optimisation, shortening of lead times as well as measures for securing maximum product quality. It was a major challenge to combine intensive planning of technological improvements and ongoing operation within the production area during the

construction phase. Finally, after finishing all building and installation works, new processes and ideas for improved workflows and working conditions have been implemented."

Best working conditionsBased on experiences of operating Frauscher products in more than 70 countries worldwide it is a principle of the company to focus on working conditions too. In order to be able to fulfil national and international requirements and standards, maximum product quality has to be guaranteed at any time. This is achieved by combining optimised production processes with best possible designed working places, to keep workflows as flexible as possible.

Well-equipped for steady growthAs a technology leader for axle counters and wheel detection systems Frauscher employs more than 150 persons at its headquarters in St. Marienkirchen, Austria.

Together with all subsidiaries, the company counts more than 240 employees globally. Almost the entire production of wheel sensors and evaluation boards is achieved in Austria. From here, Frauscher products are shipped to the world.

The expansion of the sensor production ensures Frauscher to be perfectly equipped for increased demand in global railway markets.

MORE CAPACITY FOR INCREASING DEMAND

Frauscher expands sensor production facility at HQs in St. Marienkirchen

Improved processes and optimised working conditions within the new Frauscher sensor production area.

WABTEC CONTRACT WORTH US$160M

Wabtec Corporation is providing brake systems for the 3,600 suburban commuter coaches being supplied by the Gibela consortium to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

The equipment includes brake control, bogie brakes and air generation. Altogether the contract is worth about $160 million to Wabtec over 10 years. The company is to expand operations in South Africa significantly to meet localisation requirements. The corporation plans to increase its local employment and to use procurement initiatives designed to meet South African Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies. It will work with training institutes to develop skilled technical workers and engineering technicians.

Wabtec Corporation is a global provider of technology-based products and services for rail and industrial markets. The company and its subsidiaries manufacture a range of products for locomotives, freight wagons and passenger coaches.

TAILOR-MADE HMI

Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company (DLOCO) 12.1in Pixy-HMI has been selected for a project in South Africa.

The high quality and reliability of the technology, as well as the excellent technical support meet the high demands made on durability and computing performance.

To fulfil the requirements, the front plate, dimensions and various electrical components had to be modified in a short period of time.

Pixy has a long standing relationship with Dloco who has been using Pixy-HMI units in their subway trains, locomotives and trams. In some projects, Pixy has delivered the entirety of the hardware and software as a turnkey solution.

An HMI is the interface method used between human and equipment/machine. Typically, it is local to one machine or piece of equipment. (Wikipedia)


railways africa 1-2016comPaNy NEws

Focusing on the entire lifecycle of lifting equipmentKonecranes has been present in Southern Africa for many years. Their knowledgeable local technicians focus on the entire lifecycle of the crane to help improve the safety and productivity of customer operations and reduce the cost of crane ownership over the lifetime of the crane. With insights on local requirements and evolving crane technology on all types of cranes, Konecranes has developed a comprehensive maintenance programme that supports long-term safety and performance.

Preventive maintenance is the foundation of Lifecycle CareLifecycle Care is a systematic, consistent, comprehensive and professional approach to maintenance, supported by world-class tools and processes.

The foundation of Lifecycle Care is inspections and preventive maintenance. Konecranes tailors their CARE Preventive Maintenance programme to their customers’ operations and take into account crane usage, the operating environment, duty classification, manufacturer’s recommendations and local regulations.

If a customer is looking for a more comprehensive maintenance agreement that goes beyond preventive maintenance, Konecranes offers the COMMITMENT and COMPLETE programmes. And if a customer needs only basic service, Konecranes offers the CONDITION and CONTACT programmes.

Leading technology and trained specialists offer a variety of Consultation ServicesKonecranes offers a variety of Consultation

Services that can provide a deeper analysis of a customer's lifting equipment requirements and help identify improvement opportunities. Trained technicians can provide equipment analyses beyond simple visual inspection, such as:

• RopeQ™ Magnetic Rope Inspection, which analyses the condition of internal wires, strands and wire rope core

• RailQ™ Crane Runway Survey, which uses a remotely operated robot to analyse the alignment of the crane rails

• CraneQ™ Crane Geometric Survey, which provides an accurate geometric analysis of the crane.

The Konecranes consultative approach can help guide customer decision-making. Taking the time to meet with customers to provide

recommendations based on industry-leading expertise.

"We don’t just drop off a report on our way out but take the time to share our findings and discuss how each action impacts the operation of our customer. With our industry-leading technology and non-destructive testing, we can uncover latent or hidden defects with minimum disruption," says Konecranes service and marketing manager John MacDonald.

Konecranes and Southern AfricaWith an extensive service offering that delivers Lifecycle care and a worldwide network of support, Konecranes has the experience and resources to help meet customer objectives, both globally and locally in South Africa.

THE KONECRANES COMPREHENSIVE AND SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO MAINTENANCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Skilled service team. Konecranes RailQ.

Konecranes RopeQ.


railways africa1-2016 COMPANY NEWS

Mishaps 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 atleast - this might help avoid recurrences.

ANGOLAN DERAILMENT

A freight derailment on Caminhos de Ferro de Luanda (CFL) in the last week of December resulted in a 21-day interruption in passenger train service that only resumed on 16 January. Further dislocation was caused by heavy rain in the Cuanza-Norte province that caused flooding. CFL management apologised to passengers for the inconvenience caused.

FIRE AT GLENCAIRN

On 21 January, the last two vehicles of an 8-coach Metrorail 5M2A set caught fire near Glencairn station, between Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town. The flames ignited vegetation close to the line and a strong south-easter set the adjoining mountain ablaze. All passengers in the train were evacuated except for one – presumably a passenger - whose body was discovered once the fire had been extinguished. The flames were carried over the mountain to Fish Hoek, where a number of houses had to be evacuated. In the event, none were burned but it came very close and three helicopters fighting the blaze had to be withdrawn because of high wind and poor visibility in the smoke. Long queues of traffic formed on the Main Road, which had to be closed next to the burning train.

SENA LINE DERAILMENT

Heavy rains in Mozambique’s Zambezi Valley undermined the Sena railway to Moatize on 16 January, causing the derailment of a Vale coal train and considerable track damage. At one point the rails were left hanging in mid-air. The derailment occurred between Sinjal and Mapangali stations in Tete province but reportedly nobody was hurt. Caminhos de Ferro do Moçambique (CFM – the state railway) sent heavy equipment, from Beira and Tete, to effect repairs as quickly as possible. Normally the line carries up to 25 trains every day, most conveying coal. A derailment in February 2013 in which 800 metres of track was damaged cost some $US6 million in operating losses, not including the repairs.

JOHANNESBURG-EAST LONDON MEYL STRANDED IN HEAT-WAVE

A train from Johannesburg bound for East London was stranded in Burgersdorp at 07:00 for five hours in a heat-wave on 4 January. Prasa spokesman Mthura Swartz confirmed the five-hour delay, explaining that there had been an "unauthorised movement by another train which passed a signal. When this happens, for the safety of passengers and operations, trains have to travel to certain points through manual operations."

Later in the extended journey, when a point beyond Cathcart was reached, another train approaching from East London hit a cow. Engineers had to be called in because of damage to the locomotive resulting in a major delay. Reportedly, the East London-bound train "suddenly stopped in a forest outside Cathcart," face-to-face with another train. The two

trains remained stationary for "a long time."

In a call to the Dispatch newspaper in East London at 16:20, a passenger reported: "We have no water and no food. The kids are crying. They said we would arrive in East London at 09:00".

Asked why passengers ran out of water, Prasa spokesman Mthura Swartz explained that the capacity of water tanks in the trains are calculated on normal circumstances. "There is no backup water."

"A delay of five hours means water will run out", he said, adding that "there are no facilities between Burgersdorp and East London where the tanks can be filled." Similarly the toilets could not cope when there were lengthy delays.

Swartz confirmed a similar incident on 31 December when passengers "abandoned" a train outside Queenstown. He said disciplinary action was to be taken due to negligence on the part of the train staff. The level of diesel in the tank in the power car had not been checked. When the fuel ran out, and the water pumps and lights became inoperable, Swartz commented that the train "became a health and safety hazard and had to stop".

PE MEYL TAKES 31 HRS TO JOHANNESBURG

Something went wrong with the brakes on a Shosholoza Meyl express from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg on 3 January 2016. On a video clip taken by a passenger, screeching noises could be heard that began right at the start of the journey, accompanied by jerking that threw passengers around. This persisted throughout the trip, which ended up taking 31 hours instead of 20. The train reportedly ran out of food and


railways africa 1-2016misHaPs

water supplies and the toilets stopped flushing. Attempts to phone Shosholoza Meyl offices were unsuccessful as nobody answered. The train manager said there was nothing she could do. The train left Port Elizabeth at 15:15 on 3 January 2016, and only arrived in Johannesburg around 22:30 on the night of 4 January.

US STORM CUTS RAIL SERVICE

An unusually severe storm hit the United States east coast on Friday 22 January. Ten people were initially reported to have died and a state of emergency was declared in 10 states as well as Washington DC. Between 70 and 90cm of snow fell in various places, exacerbated by winds of up to 80km/h. Airlines cancelled more than 7,100 flights in the US on Friday and Saturday, and an additional 7,000 flights were delayed on Friday alone. By Friday evening, 132,739 customers were without power across the south- east, 125,000 in the Carolinas. Except for some below-ground subway trains, all surface rail service was halted in New York, Baltimore and Washington DC.

On Tuesday 26 January, Progressive Railroading reported that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) initially planned to reopen its Metrorail system in the morning, with service on all routes except the Silver Line. However, weather-related damage and icing issues on the third rail prevented the agency from opening four Orange Line stations. Damage was discovered overnight as test trains ran on the line. The trains couldn't move through the area reliably and maintain third-rail power to sustain service, WMATA officials said.

The Maryland Transit Administration suspended all light-rail service on the Monday while maintenance crews cleared snow and ice from the tracks. The agency operated limited light-rail service with the hope of returning to normal operations by the following weekend.

In New York city, MTA’s Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) said it would resume service system-wide on Tuesday the 26th, after workers cleared the branch lines left snowbound by the blizzard.

Amtrak said it would continue running a modified schedule. As at Tuesday 26 January, most services would operate between 80% and 100% of normal levels.

Most Acela Express, North-east Regional and other services between Boston and Washington DC would operate, with full restoration of Keystone Service between Harrisburg, Pa., and New York, modified North-east Regional service between Washington and points in Virginia, including Lynchburg, Norfolk and Newport News.

Amtrak services cancelled or truncated on 26 January included:• Capitol Limited (Washington, DC

– Chicago), Trains 29 & 30 would operate only between Chicago and Pittsburgh.

• Carolinian (Charlotte, NC – New York), Trains 79 & 80, would operate between Charlotte and Raleigh, NC, with other sections of Trains 79 & 80 operating between New York and Washington.

• Palmetto (New York – Savannah, Ga), Trains 89 & 90, would operate only between New York and Washington.

• Silver Star (New York – Miami), Trains 91 & 92, would operate only between Miami and Jacksonville.

COCKROACHES ON TRANSLUX

On 28 December, passengers on an overnight Translux coach from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth had to stay awake all night, fending off the cockroaches, which appeared – judging from the photos they took - to have infested the whole vehicle.

Translux said in its reply to the complaint: "We are currently reviewing our current service contract with the intention of strengthening this area of our business."

ACID TANKCARS DERAIL AT MARTINEZ

There was alarm at Martinez in San Francisco’s East Bay area on 20 January when three tankcars carrying sulphuric acid came off the track beneath the Benicia road bridge and one turned over on its side. Fortunately, there were no leaks and nobody was hurt. Public concern arose over the possibility of derailments and explosions in light of increasing shipments of crude oil by rail nationally and a number of high-profile derailments that have taken place in North America. Five oil refineries are located near heavily populated areas in the vicinity of Martinez.

Similar complaints about cockroaches on Translux buses appeared on the HelloPeter site late last year.

Although the tankcars weren't carrying crude oil, anti-crude-by-rail activists around the Bay Area say this incident is a reminder of the potential dangers inherent in transporting explosive materials by train.

BRIDGE PARAPET HIT BY HIGH-SPEED TRAIN

UK Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report:At around 17:31 on 22 February 2015, a high speed passenger train (HST), the 16:34 First Great Western service from London Paddington to Penzance, struck and ran over part of the fallen masonry parapet of an overline bridge at Froxfield, Wiltshire.

The train was fully loaded with around 750 passengers and was travelling at a speed of 138km/h when the driver saw the obstruction. He applied the emergency brake but there was insufficient distance to reduce the speed significantly before the train struck the parapet. The train did not derail. It came to a stop around 720 metres beyond the bridge. There were no injuries. The leading power car sustained damage to its leading bogie, braking system, running gear and underframe equipment.


railways africa1-2016 misHaPs

The immediate cause of the collision was that the eastern parapet of Oak Hill Road overline bridge had been pushed off and onto the tracks, by a heavy goods vehicle which had reversed into it. The train had not been stopped before it collided with the debris because of delays in informing the railway about the obstruction on the tracks.

RAIB has made four recommendations relating to the following:

• Installation of identification plates on all overline bridges with a carriageway unless the consequence of a parapet falling onto the tracks or a road vehicle incursion at a particular bridge are assessed as likely to be minor

• Enhancing current road vehicle incursion assessment procedures to include consideration of the risk from large road vehicles knocking over parapets of overline bridges (two recommendations)

• Introduction of a specific requirement in a Railway Group Standard relating to the onward movement of a train that is damaged in an incident, so that the circumstances of the incident and the limitations of any on-site damage assessment are fully considered when deciding a suitable speed restriction, especially when there are passengers on board.

RAIB has identified two learning points, one for police forces regarding the importance of contacting the appropriate railway control centre immediately when the safety of the line is affected and the other for road vehicle standards bodies and the road haulage industry about the benefits of having reversing cameras or sensors fitted to heavy goods vehicles.

[RAIB: Crown copyright]

DERAILMENT AT BAD AXE

Four wagons derailed on 15 January near the Huron and Eastern Railway building at the end of Irwin Street, Bad Axe, blocking Woolworth Street for some time before the wreckage could be cleared. One vehicle landed on its side, spilling the contents.

Bad Axe, population 3,055 in the 2013 census, is a city in Michigan, USA. Surveyors Rudolph Papst and George Willis Pack, working on the first state road through Huron County in 1861, made camp at the future site of the city and found a much-used and badly damaged axe. Papst used the name "Bad Axe Camp" in the minutes of the survey and on a sign he placed along the main trail. (Wikipedia).

DERAILED WAGON DAMAGES FOUR CROSSINGS

Four level crossings in Ogden, Iowa, were damaged by a derailed Union Pacific wagon that was dragged through the town on 28 December, before crew members realised what was happening. The crossings remained blocked while civic authorities prepared remedial attention.

BRIDGE PROBLEMS IN SYDNEY

Two of 24 concrete spans erected for the "Skytrain" section of a new rail line to Sydney's north-west suburbs may need to be pulled down after cracking. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the issue involves cracking in the precast concrete used to form the elevated railway. The Skytrain is being built using two gantry cranes to assemble about 1,200 precast segments up to the level of 130 concrete piers. These segments form spans between the piers, and are partly held in place by steel cords that run through the segments. The spans have an average length of about 40 metres. Transport for New South Wales says there should be no delay in the overall construction of the A$8.3 billion Sydney Metro North-West project, due to open in 2019.

UP DERAILMENT IN LINN COUNTY, KANSAS

On 4 January, ten of 166 wagons in a Union Pacific train headed to Fort Worth in Texas from North Platte, Nebraska, came off the track in Linn County, Kansas. There were no injuries, and though the train was carrying hazardous materials, these

were not among those derailed which are understood to have been carrying grain. Several wagons overturned onto their sides.

THAILAND DERAILMENT DISRUPTS SERVICES

On 6 January, a freight train carrying over 300,000 litres of diesel derailed near Nonglom station in Lamphun province, Thailand, disrupting rail service between Bangkok and cities in the north of the country. Passengers unable to complete their journeys were promised fare refunds.

EVENTS AT HEATHROW TUNNEL JUNCTION

Rail Accident Investigation Branch (Raib) report:On 27 December 2014, and again on 28 December, track workers were at serious risk of being struck by trains at the Stockley Flyover construction site, on the Heathrow Airport branch line. In the second incident, a train did collide with a small trolley which was being placed on the line by track workers. During the first incident, 14 track workers walked along the open Down Airport line; an area where limited visibility meant that it was unsafe to do this when train services were operating. They mistakenly believed that train services had been stopped. A Heathrow Airport to London train used the line shortly after the workgroup had been warned by other staff and had moved clear. The investigation found that an inappropriate system was used to control access to the track, permitting trains to start operating when track workers could reasonably believe services remained suspended. Staff had also been directed to walk along a line when paperwork showed it was open to traffic.



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The following day, two track workers were placing a small trolley on the Up Airport line when a train emerged from a nearby tunnel at a speed of 72 km/h. The track workers moved clear of the line seconds before the train struck the trolley. There were no injuries and only minor damage. The track workers believed the line was closed, a consequence of being accustomed to working in a way which differed from the mandated site safety system.

The two incidents, and other safety shortcomings found, showed that site supervision processes had not identified that deviation from

Typical rail "skate".

the mandated site safety system had become normal practice. Also, formalised briefings had not been supplemented by any site signage to increase the likelihood of staff being aware of which lines were open.

RAIB has made four recommendations, all addressed to Network Rail with some also seeking input from major contractors. The first seeks an improvement in monitoring of railway safety arrangements on major construction sites. The second relates to effective monitoring of staff controlling access to worksites. The third seeks to provide workers on major construction sites with additional sources of information about the lines on which it is safe to work. The final recommendation seeks a review, and if necessary improvement, of the railway access control systems used on large construction sites.

Three learning points are included to remind engineering supervisors that they should comply with safety requirements and query any

safety-related anomalies in their paperwork. There are two other learning points made which are not directly related to the incidents: a reminder to employers that they should ensure that their staff have received railway rule book updates; and a reminder to those preparing site safety paperwork to make it comprehensive, but concise.

[RAIB Crown copyright]

TFR DRIVER KILLED BY PRASA TRAIN

On 4 January, a TFR driver was conducting an external inspection of diesel locomotives 37 066, 37 095 and 37 019 heading train 9693 which was stationary on the South Coast main-line. The driver had been conveyed to the area by a TFR road vehicle. After completing inspection of the first locomotive, he walked from the Down South Coast line towards the Up Reunion line where he was knocked down by a passing Prasa Train 3020 (empty coaches). Paramedics declared the driver deceased at 04h10.


railways africa1-2016 MISHAPS

DERAILMENT AT ROCKLEDGE

A 57-vehicle Florida East Coast Railway freight train travelling up the coast from Miami on 21 December derailed the second of two locomotives and four wagons carrying containers at Rockledge at about 05:00. The locomotive landed on its side, with the leading unit still on the track. According to Brevard County Fire Rescue, there was a diesel spill, but this was contained. No injuries were reported. One southbound lane of US Highway 1, just south of Viera Boulevard, was blocked and closed indefinitely.

WEST ALABAMA DERAILMENT

A number of wagons – most of them empty - in a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train derailed on 16 December in Vance, Alabama, near Highway 11, but had no effect on road traffic in the area. The reason for the accident could not be ascertained immediately but investigations continue. Authorities say no one was injured.

Vance had a population of 1,529 in the 2010 census – Wikipedia.

CAPE TOWN STATION: FIVE COACHES GUTTED

Five Metrorail coaches were gutted when a fire broke out at platform 15 on Cape Town’s main station on Sunday 27 December. No injuries were reported. The municipal fire department attended and extinguished the flames. A cleaner told the press the train had been at the station the entire day and no people were on it at the time the fire started. She was on the platform at the time. City fire and rescue spokesman Theo Layne said the fire started at about 16:00 on Sunday.

Layne said they had to wait for the power to be isolated before they could act. Metrorail has offered a reward of R100,000 for information leading to the conviction of those responsible.

TEN CSX LPG WAGONS DERAIL

Ten CSX tankcars carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) derailed near New Martinsville, West Virginia, on 24 December. Four vehicles fell on their sides but there were no leaks and nobody was hurt. Local fire chief Larry Couch said the railway was investigating but there was no apparent reason for the accident.

BABY ABANDONED NEXT TO RAILWAY

On 29 November, two young men came across a baby, about two months old, wrapped in a blanket, lying next to the railway in Cullinan, east of Pretoria. They took the child to the local police, who are investigating a case of child neglect.

SULPHURIC ACID IN AUSTRALIAN DERAILMENT.

Heavy rains are believed to be responsible for the derailing of the locomotive and 26 tankcars in a freight train about 20km east of Julia Creek in Queensland. About 200,000 litres of sulphuric acid were on board. Three crew members were hurt and taken to hospital. A state of emergency was declared in a two-kilometre radius around the site and all train services in the area were cancelled. Details remain unclear as there was no access to the accident scene as all roads were under water at the time.

INDIAN DERAILMENT

The derailing of a Khurda-bound goods train between the Garividi and Cheepurupalli stations on 21 December disrupted train services in the Visakhapatnam-Palasa area. Some trains were cancelled, others short terminated or diverted.

TRAIN WASHED OFF BY FLOODWATERS

On 27 December, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway (BNSF) freight from California ran into Shoal Creek floodwaters in Neosho, Missouri. The train was stationary when it was swept off the line in its entirety, including 30 containers. Up to 40 trains which use the route into Springfield daily were having to be rerouted while the track was rebuilt.

DERAILMENT IN ATTICA

Crews attending the scene of a derailment in Attica, Indiana, on 2 January had to replace more than 120 metres of track that was torn up. Seven grain wagons in a train of the Norfolk Southern Railway left the track while passing through the town. Three wagons remained upright while four fell off to the side. The incident is under investigation.

The population of Attica was 3,245 at the 2010 census. - Wikipedia

UK MAIN-LINE REOPENS AFTER FLOODS

Two days after the UK West Coast main-line north of Carlisle was submerged under more than 2 metres of water on 5 December, engineers managed to reopen it to traffic. Mud and other debris had to be removed and signalling apparatus repaired. The Cumbrian Coast Line between Carlisle and Workington remained closed for several more days however, while work crews tackled three landslides and two flood sites.

DERAILMENT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an incident on 11 December between Rawlinna and Naretha, 350km east of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, when 39 wagons in a 59-wagon container train from Perth derailed. Some 600 metres of track were



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torn up, vehicles towards the rear of the train were badly damaged and a fire started in a refrigerated food van. No hazardous cargo was involved, there were no fuel spills and no one was injured in the accident. However, two relief drivers travelling in a crew van at the head of the train were "badly shaken" when it rolled onto its side.

SIXTY-FOUR WAGONS BLOWN OFF BRIDGE

On Sunday morning 13 December, high winds blew down street signs, power lines, trees and advertising billboards in Lufkin, Texas. A train comprising 64 empty wagons was blown off the track. Loop 287/ North John Redditt Drive was blocked at the point where the track crosses on a bridge, effectively closing the road from Highway 103 West to Highway 69 North.

Equipment was brought in from Houston but Texas transportation department officials anticipated it would take two days to get all 64 wagons upright and back on the rails.

FIRE CLOSES MARYLEBONE STATION

A coach air conditioning unit is believed to have been the cause of a fire on a train entering Marylebone station in Central London. Train operator Chiltern Railways suspended services and some 700 people were evacuated from the station. Five fire crews attended.

CN GRAIN TRAIN DERAILS NEAR HINTON

On 10 December, a Canadian National freight train derailed 12 loaded grain wagons near Hinton, about 288km west of Edmonton in Alberta. The incident is under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). Reportedly there were no injuries and no hazardous cargo was involved.

UK CONTAINER ACCIDENTS

The UK Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into two incidents involving containers detaching from freight trains. On 7 March 2015, an empty 30ft container became detached from a freight train on the West Coast main-line at Scout Green, Cumbria. It fell over the adjacent track and came to rest down an embankment. There was no damage to the railway infrastructure or to other trains. A sleeper train had passed the site in the opposite direction about four minutes earlier.

In a separate incident on 31 March 2015, an empty 40ft container was blown off a freight train by high winds near Deeping St Nicholas, Lincolnshire. The container was dragged a short distance by the train, causing extensive damage to the infrastructure, before coming to rest on the adjacent track. There were no passenger services in the area at the time although a freight train had passed the site about five minutes earlier.


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In both cases, the container detachments were caused by strong gusting winds combined with the speed of the trains, and defective means of securing the containers.

RecommendationsThe circumstances of these events were very similar to container detachments at Hardendale and Cheddington in 2008, which were investigated by the RAIB. That investigation report made a number of recommendations which, had they been implemented, would have prevented these further detachments. This report, therefore, makes no further recommendations. However, three learning points have been identified. These relate to the implementation of the previous recommendations and, where risk is

mitigated by procedural measures, to the need for the systematic integration of freight operating companies’ operating procedures with Network Rail’s procedures.

[RAIB Crown copyright]

CABLE THEFT COSTS TRANSNET R1.6M A DAY

In an affidavit handed to the Pietermaritzburg High Court, Transnet Freight Rail senior investigator Zacharias de Bruin says the theft of overhead copper conductor cable delays on average 3,285 trains annually or 9 per a day. Once one includes penalties, replacement expenses and related sundries, this costs Transnet R1.6 million a day, equivalent to R584 million for a full year. Damage caused could result in trains colliding and loss of life, he adds.

The police "Operation Nuclear" has led to the arrests of 26 people, including one Bashier Rashid, owner of the firm Afro Metals with branches in Phoenix and Stanger, who currently is standing trial in Pietermaritzburg. According to the

draft charge sheet, the accused faces 189 charges, which include theft of copper cables, racketeering, malicious damage to property and money laundering.

Two undercover police agents took in copper cabling weighing 449kg to Afro Metals whose cashier paid them R17,700.

METRORAIL CURTAILED

Intensive services on Metrorail’s Central Line in Cape Town had to be cut short at Mandalay, on the outskirts of Khayelitsha, when illegal electrical connections were discovered crossing the track. Adjoining residents had tapped the municipal supply, taking wires across the railway and were supplying electricity to people on the other side of the track. Technicians said the illegal wiring was inadequate to carry the current and posed a danger to train services. Services were resumed once the wiring had been removed but affected residents began protest action that caused further disruptions.




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RAILWAYS FINED FOR CARTEL

"Collusion in marketing" in the block train sector between July 2004 and June 2012 resulted in fines by the European Commission for subsidiaries of Austrian Federal Railways and Deutsche Bahn. The former paid €17.4m and the latter €31.8m. Express Interfracht and Schenker were also part of the cartel but parent Kuhne & Nagel was granted immunity and escaped a fine of €62m because it reported the cartel’s existence. According to the Commission, the three companies allocated customers, co-ordinated prices and exchanged confidential information on requests for their Balkantrain and Soptrain services. "Intrinsic upstream co-ordination", the commission decided - such as joint purchasing of traction and other services - is not anti-competitive. The fines would have been higher had the companies denied liability and not cooperated with the investigation.

SINGLE TRACK HIGH SPEED IN SPAIN

The new 162.7km Valladolid-Palencia-León high-speed line was officially inaugurated on 29 September. Around 50% of the 110km stretch from Palencia to León is single track. This will be the first of several high-speed lines in Spain which will open with only a single track installed - despite being designed and built for double track - in a bid to minimise construction and maintenance costs on those routes where present demand will be well below capacity.

The longer the journey

They say that you get what you pay for,

So the longer you spend on a train -

The better the value for money.

An hour or two late means you gain.

Where from is this urge to go quickly,

With all the best scenery missed -

At Beaufort and Kraankuil and Witput -

And everywhere else on the list?

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With masses of time on your hands.

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But you’re left with more time for

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Though Transnet trains might be smallish,

They fit what’s in place overhead.

Locos at Prasa walk proudly and tall,

But wires in the sky leave them dead.

~LRD

The fastest services will link León and Madrid in 2 hours and 6 minutes, a 44-minute improvement compared with the current journey time. Initially the line will operate with trains running at a maximum speed of 200km/h because ETCS has not yet been commissioned. A build-maintain contract to equip the Valladolid-León and the Valladolid-Burgos high-speed lines with ETCS Level 2 was awarded to an Alstom-Bombardier-Indra consortium in March 2014, with a delivery time of 24 months. When ETCS is commissioned, the maximum speed will rise to 300km/h.

GERMANY-AUSTRIA LINK CLOSED

Due to the imposition of frontier controls by the German government, Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced on 21 September that it was suspending all passenger trains between Germany and Austria on the busy Munich to Salzburg route. For much of September, the number of refugees trying to reach Germany has been greater than the capacity of the rail network. All long-distance services between Munich and Salzburg were suspended. Some services were operating either east of Salzburg and terminating there or solely in Germany, terminating in Munich.

Services routed via Rosenheim which run non-stop in Germany were operating normally.

SOUTH AFRICA RAILROAD 2016 POSTPONED

The South Africa RailRoad 2016 conference, which was scheduled to be held on the 22 and 23 February, 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa, has been postponed until further notice.

According to conference organisers, the opening of the Gauteng Legislature Assembly scheduled for 22 February 2016 coincides with the event and is hampering key government sector attendance.

New dates shall be assigned soon and advised accordingly for the month of November 2016.


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Rail Track Installation and Maintenance Tools.

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Railways Africa - Issue 1 2016

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Transcript of Railways Africa - Issue 1 2016