Railways Africa: Issue 2 - 2016

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Hopefully the extraordinary current litany of strange - and very costly - tales about the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) will be a once-off thing – a 365-day wonder, never to be repeated. Parliament’s portfolio committee on transport has insisted that every identified wrongdoing (and there have been plenty) be tackled and put right.

It’s what Rapport newspaper would probably call a tall order. The lists of bungled tenders, consolation prizes to "friends" and other irregular doings put together by the auditor-general and public protector are – not to put too fine a point on it – mind blowing. It is unbelievable that a single (governmental) body could contrive so much that wasn’t right.

Then according to transport minister Dipuo Peters, taking parliament into her confidence, some 2,575 Prasa officials were suspended (on

full pay) for a range of misdemeanours over the last three years. Altogether an incredible R37 million was paid to these people to sit at home. (They were probably reading Rapport, keeping up with their employer’s shady doings.)

Reportedly, many of them are still based on what might be called the home front. Prasa says it lacks sufficient people to hear disciplinary cases and do what is needed – rap an occasional knuckle, "retrain" some who fall short, fire a couple of hundred really bad ones, or whatever.

Last August, one of the 2,575, Daniel Mtimkulu, actually did get fired. Introduced in mid-2015 to the media as the designer of the controversial, "too tall" Afro4000 locomotives, Mtimkulu claimed he had a National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, a B Tech Degree in Engineering (Maintenance) from the Vaal University of Technology, a Degree in Mechanical and

Maintenance Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Masters Degree in Engineering as well as a Doctorate in Engineering Management conferred in Munich, Germany. We expect he would have thought up more, given half the chance, as Prasa doesn’t waste time checking imaginative qualifications. What the eye doesn’t see, the Passenger Agency doesn’t grieve over.

Not put out at all by being dismissed, Mtimkulu brazenly reported for work in February 2016 as though nothing had happened, finding (no doubt to his surprise) that one cannot fool some people – even Prasa – all the time.

Back On TrackBoard chairman Dr Popo Molefe is reported saying the agency is "back on track". That’s good to hear, though recent stories about intercity trains stuck for hours in distant places without water or food give reason for misgivings.

The worrying thing is the very size of the contracts in Prasa’s hands. It’s not as though they burned their fingers on two or three modest-sized projects and are tentatively clawing their way back to respectability, spending carefully and wisely.

Right now, they’re busy buying more than R50 billion’s worth of commuter passenger coaches. That’s a great deal of money, in anyone’s language. Reputedly it’s the biggest outlay by a South African entity since the notorious "arms deal".

It’s no consolation that the rolling stock should have been acquired decades ago (when it would have cost that much less). Hopefully, the vehicles built at Dunnottar will be more resistant to burning than the coaches we have now. Equally hopefully, let there be no good reason for setting trains on fire in the first place.

Rollo Dickson: editor

Tall stories from Prasa

Photographer not known

Retirement of Rollo DicksonThis issue is the last edition under the editorship of Rollo Dickson. Rollo has been associated with our magazine for just over 25 years and has served as editor for the past 10 years. Railways Africa would like to thank Rollo for his unwavering support and commitment to both the magazine and our website. Hopefully, bar a few glitches here and there, we will continue the unbelievable precedent that he has set.

Phillippa Dean – Publisher

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The copyright on all material in this magazine is expressly reserved and vested in Rail Link Communications cc, unless otherwise stated. No material may be reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without the permission of the publishers. Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers of Rail Link Communications cc unless otherwise stated. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, neither the Editor, Publisher or Contributors can be held liable for any inaccuracies or damages that may arise. E&OE.

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In this issueBallast Supply On Track 4

Tubular Track - Station Solutions 6

Burkino Faso: Lines To Go Ahead 8

Superior Quality Dolerite 10

Africa Update 12

Maputo Development Corridor 28

An African Case For The Luxembourg Rail Protocol 30

Spotlight: South Africa 32

Mishaps 42

End of the Line 48

BALLAST SUPPLY ON

TRACK

MAPUTO DEVELOPMENT

CORRIDOR

SUPERIOR QUALITY DOLERITE

LOCOMOTIVE REFURBISHMENT COMPLETE

STATION SOLUTIONS

THE LUXEMBOURG

RAIL PROTOCOL

2 www.railwaysafrica.com

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There are not many quarries in the country that are able to produce ballast that meets the stringent requirements of South Africa’s leading state-owned railway operators.

The sheer size of AfriSam’s national footprint means that it has operations strategically located within close proximity to many of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) depots, that are tasked with maintaining the vast railway infrastructure criss-crossing South Africa.

These quarries, with materials such as dolerite, granite and meta-quartzite, are all ideally suited to producing high-grade ballast. The aggregate needs to be drainable, stable, strong, hard-wearing, easy to clean and have a low flakiness index.

According to the S406 tests, which were developed by Spoornet (now Transnet Freight Rail) and graded according to the South African National Standard 1083, ballast material must have a flakiness index of more than 30%, a density of less than 2,5, voids content of less than 40%, Los Angeles abrasion of more than 22%, plasticity index of more than 6, mill abrasion over 7% and soundness above 5%.

AfriSam’s Amit Dawneerangen tells Railways Africa that as the leading

producer of local building materials, AfriSam supplies a significant volume of the ballast requirement for both Transnet and Prasa, interacting with at least 40 of the more than 90 main depots tasked with maintaining critical railway infrastructure.

In Gauteng, its Ferro mines meta-quartzite; Olifantsfontein dolomite, Rooikraal dolerite; and Zeekoewater felsite - to produce a minus 73mm stone for ballast.

However, it is the Rooikraal quarry that dominates the company’s quarrying fleet. "It is our biggest supply point," explains Randal Chetty, who handles AfriSam’s TFR account. "The operation supplies between 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes of dolerite material per month to this important customer for its railway sidings, and also some of its roads."

In the Western Cape, AfriSam’s Rheebok quarry is a large supplier, producing 73mm material for ballast applications, with a sizeable share of this servicing the strategic Sishen-Saldanha railway.

Another flagship operation in the company’s fleet of ballast production and supply points is AfriSam’s Newcastle operation which quarries dolerite to produce a 63mm and 53mm stone,

BALLAST SUPPLY ON TRACK

AfriSam can produce in excess of 10 million tonnes of aggregate products per annum.

AfriSam is committed to ensuring that the quality of its product continuously complies with the standards of consumers.

Ballast material is packed below and around the railway sleepers (ties), facilitating drainage of water around the track, at the same time bearing and transmitting loads from the sleepers, anchoring the track and preventing vegetation growth.


railways africa 2-2016AFRISAM

complemented by both Coedmore and Verulam, which mine ortho-quartzite and tillite respectively. At times, it will even mobilise the dolerite mining capacities available at its Pietermaritzburg operation to supplement supply.

While AfriSam has the quarries able to produce the ballast needed to maintain existing railway infrastructure and participate in the anticipated large greenfields railway projects enshrined in government’s National Development Plan, its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) credentials give it a massive competitive edge. It has the highest BBBEE rating in the local building materials industry, placing it in a very strategic position when working on public sector driven contracts, and with major state-owned entities.

AfriSam’s Newcastle operation quarries dolerite to produce a 63mm and 53mm stone.

Over the past 10 years, the building materials producer has built up a solid reputation with the railway operator. More recently, AfriSam has seen an increase in the demand for ballast from TFR. The bulk of the supply comprised 73mm material for the heavy haul lines, with 63mm material supplied for ordinary lines and 53mm material for ballast sats.

TFR is tasked with procuring ballast for both state-owned entities (TRF and Prasa), in terms of a central procurement model.

The material is packed below and around the sleepers (ties), facilitating drainage of water around the tracks, at the same time bearing and transmitting loads from the sleepers, anchoring the track and preventing vegetation growth.

The massive ongoing supply from AfriSam’s quarries reflects the company’s commitment to government’s investment in maintaining, upgrading and extending these national assets.

This commitment was recently put to the test when it delivered 30,000 tonnes of aggregate products in as little as five days, to help TFR re-open a busy route after an incident forced it to shutdown a line. "We immediately mobilised our logistics, operations and procurement divisions to make sure we were able to help our customer get the line operational as soon as possible. Our quarries worked 24 hours a day to ensure ongoing supply. They thoroughly commended us for this effort," says Chetty.

All this showcases the importance AfriSam places on ensuring that the quality of its product continuously complies with the standards of the largest consumer of its ballast offering. "Transnet Freight Rail is one of our key accounts and, as such, it deals directly with us. We interact with its depots for all its ballast needs," he explains.

TFR engineers test the aggregates independently every four years to ensure they comply with the S406 criteria. Further, strict quality controls are in place at all the company’s quarries to ensure that these standards are maintained. It is at the stockpiles - the end of the quarrying value chain - that the aggregate is thoroughly inspected before leaving the quarries.

AfriSam ensures that it complies with strict mining legislation at all its operations, with a number of the ballast producers in its large fleet having received awards from the Aggregate & Sand Producers’ Association of Southern Africa (ASPASA) for the stellar effort they have made in the field of health and safety, as well as sustainability.

While the company has a significant market share, Dawneerangen says there is still significant room to bolster its already formidable quarrying footprint to play an even bigger role in the mandate of both TFR and Prasa, to see more people and goods migrate from road to rail.


railways africa2-2016 AFRISAM

station solutionsTubular TrackPrasa has commenced rehabilitation work at a number of stations where the height between the train and platform could result in injury to passengers.

The work includes replacement of existing conventional ballasted track with ballastless track to ensure consistent rail to platform geometry. This provides a safe platform-to-train interface for passengers boarding and leaving trains.

With more rehabilitation and modernisation projects coming, Tubular Track is offering a unique solution to entrepreneurs in the general building and civil engineering categories who wish to participate in Prasa’s station modernisation tenders. Where localisation is a key factor in the modernisation programme. The ballastless track solution ensures fixed geometry between train and platform, with the added advantage that drainage is visual and effective.

The Tubular Modular Track "Station in a Box" concept is an easy–to–use modular project delivery system that civil contractors can use to build/rebuild track and platforms at passenger rail stations according to Railway Safety Regulator prescribed SANS standards and PRASA specifications. Any firm registered with the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) can perform the work using common off-the-shelf equipment for permanent way line rectification.

Not only is it a proven and robust solution to empower development of emerging railway contractors, it also offers support to established companies who elect to use Tubular Modular Track (TMT) for rail projects. While small projects can be labour intensive, large projects can be mechanised.

Inside the 'box' is an integrated rail track structure that includes all the materials, equipment, and know-how that the contractor may require for building railway track and platforms using TMT.

Contractors can choose from a materials and equipment menu that includes everything and anything required for earthworks, drainage, track works, and the platform train interface. Similarly the menu for know-how includes engineering designs, construction and installation methods, health and safety plans, training and supervision content, various services and tender support.

TMT meets the requirements of SABS ARP 084-1:2009 / RSR 84-1:2009, S410 layer works specifications for railway stations and passenger platforms, and deploys under an ISO 9001 accredited construction methodology.

Tubular Track has been developing TMT in South Africa since the late 1980s. TMT is designed to suit site-specific requirements of clients in respect of gauge, axle load, operating speeds, annual tonnages, and

The system is fully engineered, tested and quality-assured.

Contractors can choose from a materials and equipment menu that includes everything and anything required.


railways africa 2-2016TUBUlar TracK

What's in the box?Inside the 'box' is an integrated rail track structure that includes all the materials, equipment, and know-how that the contractor may require for building railway track and platforms using TMT

prevailing geotechnical conditions. It provides continuous support for rails, which results in a doubling of rail life and a 10 times increase in weld life expectancy.

Twin reinforced 6m concrete beams and the layered formation on which the rails are laid are designed as an integral rail track structure. The twin beams are tied together using specially designed galvanised steel tie-bars, not cast into the beams but encircling them. This makes for easy replacement of rails, whilst at the same time ensuring that they do not work loose under the application of repetitive dynamic forces.

While the beams deflect under load, the steel components absorb torsion. To accommodate lateral forces, the tie bars are spaced at 3m intervals on straight track and at lesser intervals on curves. Intermediate rail fastenings are fitted on stirrups, which also

encircle the beams. Rails are fixed to shoulders welded onto the tops of tie bar baseplates and intermediate stirrups by means of proprietary fastenings (e.g. Pandrol or Vossloh).

Resilience is imparted to the system by means of a continuous resilient track pad placed under the rails. These long life pads replace the resilience function of ballast. Manufactured from rubber-bonded cork, Hytrel or Sylodyn material the pads are specifically engineered for required deflections, noise and vibration.

TMT modules are fixed to a geometric track tolerance of 1mm using a non-structural fibre reinforced grout layer between the beams and prepared formation.

The transition zones at interfaces between TMT and conventional ballasted track outside stations have been uniquely designed

to accommodate the change in stiffness between the two systems.

The system is fully engineered, tested and quality-assured. Warranties are provided, dependent on the prescribed installation and maintenance procedures being followed.

To date, Tubular Track has installed ballastless track nationally alongside 26 platforms at 12 Metrorail stations including Park Station in Johannesburg, Kwa Mashu in Durban, and Khayelitsha in Cape Town.

Tubular Track has a Level 4 value-added BBBEE Certificate and a CIDB rating of 8CE.

Tubular Track is ISO9001: 2008 accredited for the Design, Manufacture Supply and Installation of Tubular Modular Track.


railways africa2-2016 TUBUlar TracK

In March 2015, Burkina Faso’s transitional minister of mining and energy suspended a major mining contract with Pan African Minerals, forcing the company to cease operations at the Tambao manganese mine.

The transitional government recently lifted its suspension of Pan African Minerals’ export licence, allowing the firm to restart its operations and reaffirm its commitment to rehabilitating the 103km metre-gauge Ouagadougou-Kaya railway and to construct a new 210km line linking Kaya and Tambao.

The 1,260km metre-gauge railway from Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire to Ouagadougou - about 517km of which lies in Burkina Faso - is the only operational line in the country. In the 1980s, work began on an extension from Ouagadougou to Tambao, but it was only completed as far as Kaya - a distance of about 103km.

Rehabilitation of the Abidjan-Ouagadougou railway began in September 2015. Operating concessionaire Sitarail is part of the Bolloré Group, which has committed to investing €400 million over a five year period - including €15 million in rolling stock. The first six diesel locomotives are scheduled for delivery to Côte d’Ivoire by April 2016.

BURKINA FASO NIGERIAKano

JosKaduna

NiameyKaya

Tambao

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Gulf of Guinea

TakoradiAbidjan

NIGERMALI

COTE D’IVOIRE GHANA

BENIN

TOGO

Km

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NDori

National heroes’ memorial at Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photo: Wikipedia.

Sitarail aims to carry two million passengers annually and to increase freight traffic from the present 910,000 tonnes carried yearly to 5mt, including 3mt from the Tambao manganese mine. Bolloré envisages completing a 2,740km loop comprising the Abidjan-Ouagadougou railway, a new line from Ouagadougou through Niamey in Niger to Parakou in Benin, rehabilitation of the existing line to Cotonou and a new link to Lomé in Togo.

The modernisation of the route will include track and structure rehabilitation, diversions of the alignment to optimise traffic flow and reduce journey times, and restarting passenger services to 10 closed stations north of Bouaké.


railways africa 2-2016BUrKiNo faso

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One of the most demanding applications for crushed aggregate is railway ballast. Used as a bed for railway tracks, ballast provides track stability and facilitates drainage, distributing the load carried by the locomotive, carriages and wagons into the ground below.

Railway ballast is packed beneath the rails to interlock with the capping sub-layer, thereby providing a uniform support layer. It is also packed between the rail and sleepers to lock these in position, facilitating load transfer and track stability.

The application wherein ballast must perform dictates that its properties will be critical to the effective load-carrying capacity of the rail structure, as well as to the in-service life of the track itself. Good ballast must be strong, hard-wearing and stable. It must drain easily, be easy to clean or re-clean, must be workable and resistant to deformation under load.

B&E International in a proactive move is establishing a larger quarry on the footprint of what was previously the Howard Quarry, just outside Witbank, to support the ballast requirements for the heavy haul lines that run from the Mpumalanga coalfields.

Andre Kamfer, quarry manager of newly opened Howard Quarry, says it is ideally situated south of the

N4 between the Balmoral and Highveld Steel off-ramps, and will service all aggregate needs within the greater coalfields area.

"It is significant for the railway sector, being a dolerite quarry. The ballast produced is of superior quality, compared to that produced from other formations," Kamfer says. "Because of the constant friction on railway lines it is important that ballast with a high durability index is used and this is definitely one of the prime characteristics of ballast produced from dolerite."

B&E International has been active in the supply of all aggregates in the region since 2011, when it opened its Kusile Quarry. This was also a hard rock dolerite quarry, producing material superior to anything else found in the region.

Kamfer explains that the reserves at Kusile Quarry are finite and effectively exhausted, whereas the company envisages a 25 year life at Howard Quarry.

In addition to ballast for ordinary lines – N1, N2 and N3 – and S1 for heavy axle lines, Howard Quarry will produce the sub-base layer material for rail track structures including SB and SSB.

Kusile Quarry is an approved national Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) source for the supply of railway ballast SB

Superior Quality Doleriteballast from Howard Quarry

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railways africa 2-2016B&E

and SSB. Transnet has made extensive use of the materials produced and supplied by Kusile Quarry in the past, and material has been delivered by road to as far as Acornhoek 380km from the quarry location.

Jaco van Zyl, sales representative for both Kusile Quarry and Howard Quarry, says the material resources at Howard Quarry are on the same dolerite formation as those at Kusile. "This is very significant as we already know that the aggregates being produced are of superior quality, yet very competitively priced. This added to the superior service provided to our customers is what gives us the edge in this business," he says.

The crushing and screening specialist will provide aggregate requirements for road building across the entire spectrum, including sub-base, G1, G2, all concrete aggregates, the full range of seal and asphalt aggregates, gabion and dump rock aggregate and crusher sands in a minus 7 and minus 475 (super sand).

Kamfer says that the company’s production methods will ensure that the highest quality aggregates are produced. "Currently we have a mobile plant installed at the new quarry, and this will facilitate the transition between the final closure of the Kusile Quarry and the full-scale operation of Howard Quarry," he points out.

He adds that by adopting this approach, B&E International has ensured that there will be no shortage of quality aggregates during this period. The company has entered into strategic partnerships with readymix and asphalt producers as well as brick and block making companies that will establish their own operations at Howard Quarry.

Howard Quarry envisages its future as a commercial quarry, producing aggregates of choice for all sectors. Being able to supply ballast produced from hard rock dolerite positions us well to service the rail industry from this quarry," Kamfer concludes.

Crushing began at Howard Quarry using a mobile plant in December 2015.

Quarry manager at Howard Quarry Andre Kamfer, sales representative (for both Kusile and Howard Quarries) Jaco van Zyl, and general foreman Kabelo Lekgwati.

"It is significant for the railway sector, being a dolerite quarry. The ballast produced is of superior quality, compared to that produced from other formations,"


railways africa2-2016 B&E

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ALGERIAALGERIAN-CHINESE JOINT VENTURE

China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and Algeria’s national company of railway construction (Infrafer) have created a joint venture for the construction of railway track. The agreement was signed by Infrafer CEO Slimane Bouchama and CRCC International vice-general Wei Waizheng, in the presence of Algerian transport minister Boudjemaa Talai. It provides for the building of a plant where parts will be manufactured for electrification projects as well as signalling and telecommunication systems. The partnership intends to undertake railway studies in the country.

ALGERIA REDUCES INTERCITY FARES

Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviares (SNTF - the state railway of Algeria) has announced that ticket fares for some Algerian intercity lines are being reduced.

This reduction, as much as 29%, applies to the lines Algiers- Sétif, Constantine-Biskra and Algiers-Annaba. Usage on these lines is low, the company says.

This measure may affect other lines, SNTF added, while explaining that customer satisfaction is at the heart of its concerns. In order to satisfy clients, SNTF decided on this reduction to enable travellers to benefit from all the advantages offered by rail transport in terms of service quality, safety, punctuality and comfort.

Algiers metro. Photo Yelles/Wikipedia.

Station at Wahran, Algeria. Photo: Boumlik Messaïli/Wikipedia


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EGYPTAFRICAN ECONOMIC SUMMIT IN EGYPT

More than 1,200 delegates, including heads of state, attended a recent two-day African economic summit in Egypt. African Export-Import Bank president Benedict Oramah was quoted saying: "Rail will do for Africa what it did for agriculture in Asia and even in America. If you have power and rail, Africa will explode." The event, organised by Egypt and the African Union (AU) - aimed at attracting private sector investment - was held at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Delegates included the presidents of Sudan, Nigeria, Togo and Gabon.

Africa Development Bank president Akinwumi Adesina said the bank plans to invest $12 billion in the continent's energy sector over the next five years. Africa's economy is projected to grow by 4.4% this year and 5% in 2017, compared with 3% growth expected in developed countries. Despite the economic growth rate, Africa still accounts for only about 2% of global trade.

Delegates pushed for increased trade and investments between countries on the continent, despite infrastructure shortfall and the growing threat of terrorism.

Common Market head for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Sindiso Ngwenya said intra-Africa trade would improve global investor confidence. Trade and investments within Comesa surged from $837 million in 2007 to $12 billion currently.

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari warned against growing international terrorism. Boko Haram has killed about 17,000 people in Nigeria and forced more than 2.6 million to flee their homes.

Egypt's investment minister Ashraf Salman said his country already has investments worth $8 billion in Africa, and more projects are planned.

Soho Square at the Sharm el-Sheikh Red Sea resort. Photo: Marc Ryckaert/Wikipedia

RVR SIGNS WITH EGYPTIAN EXPORT COUNCIL

Rift Valley Railways (RVR) is Qalaa Holdings' primary investment in the African transport sector, holding a 25-year concession to operate 2,352km of metre-gauge track linking the port of Mombasa to the interiors of Kenya, Kampala and northern Uganda. Recently the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian Export Council to attract exports through Mombasa to Kenya and Uganda.

The MoU, signed in Cairo, appoints RVR the official inland transport carrier for Egyptian exporters of chemicals and fertilisers and will promote its services at local and international trade exhibitions. RVR chairman Titus Naikuni says this is a significant step that will help trade and investment between Egypt and East Africa. "We are pleased to cooperate with a company like Expo One in developing larger volumes of trade, and highlight the benefits of rail transport," he is reported saying. RVR offers a door-to-door transport and customs clearance service through its subsidiary East Africa Rail and Handling, which assists exporters in tapping into new markets and increasing intra-regional trade.

According to Qalaa Holdings managing director transportation and logistics Karim Sadek, "RVR's move into a contract-based revenue model, with incentives to clients based on higher volumes, will set a precedent that can be applied to other countries which trade with Kenya and Uganda."


railways africa2-2016 africa UPDaTE

NAIROBI TO GET 10 COMMUTER TRAINS

Transport and infrastructure principal secretary in Kenya, Irungu Nyakera, announced on 23 February that ten new commuter trainsets are to be acquired for use in the Nairobi area. They will make it possible to carry 200,000 passengers daily. The existing service moves 12,000, many travelling on carriage roofs. The new trains form part of a project worth 12 billion shillings, which includes refurbishing and doubling the present metre-gauge line from Syokimau in Machakos County to Nairobi. Five existing stations - Ruiru, Kahawa, Dandora, Kikuyu and Athi River – are to be rehabilitated. New halts are to be provided at Githurai, Mwiki, Pipeline, Embakasi and Donholm. The coaches used in the present commuter service are to be refurbished. "The standard gauge railway will be terminating at Syokimau." Nyakera was quoted saying. "We do not want those alighting here to end up on Mombasa Road." The development is part of the Nairobi metropolitan transport master plan, he explains.

HUNGARIAN LRT FOR NAIROBI

President Uhuru Kenyatta announced on 19 February that construction of a $US150 million light rail system in Nairobi is due to start by June 2016. In the first phase, the city’s present metre-gauge railway station is to be linked with the standard gauge line, which is being built from Nairobi to Mombasa. Extensions to the suburbs are planned, with branches to Thika Road, Ngong Road, Ongata Rongai and Limuru Road. Initially, 300,000 passengers a day are expected. According to Hungarian Ambassador Eduard Laszlo Mathe, the Kenyan government showed interest in a prototype tram that the Dunai Repülogépgyár concern built, for possible sale to cities in Africa. The cost of the tram system is to be "co-financed" by Hungary. "In line with Hungary's new foreign policy, to reinforce economic relations with Africa, "the ambassador explained, "we will train and equip Kenyans with skills to develop the project and own it".

NEW KENYA RAILWAY MAY BE DELAYED

Kenya's National Environment Tribunal (NET) cancelled an environmental impact assessment licence issued to China Roads & Bridges Corporation (CRBC), and as a result completion of the Nairobi-Mombasa standard gauge railway may be delayed. The issuing of the licence by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) was taken on appeal by Kwale residents who feared that the sand harvesting authorised would affect the best formed coral reef, fish breeding ground, quality of water and livelihoods of local people. CRBC intended to harvest 800,000 tonnes of sand offshore along the Indian Ocean from Likoni through Waa to the Tiwi area in Kwale, to be used in the construction of a container terminal at Port Reitz in Mombasa. Potential damage to the marine habitat and sea life off Diani and Tiwi beaches, which support tourism and fishing along the country's coastline, was cited in the appeal. "No socio-economic study was conducted to identify potentially affected community members," the NET found. The tribunal directed that "a full EIA study be expeditiously conducted in full compliance with the law, including regulation of the EIA and audit regulations, based on specific and current baseline information."

KENYAKENYA TO ELECTRIFY THE NEW RAILWAY

Ministers from Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan who met in Kampala to discuss the implementation of projects under the Northern Corridor Integration Projects Initiative, approved a proposal by Kenya to electrify the new standard gauge railway. Electrification, it is felt, will result in reduced journey times and increased capacity, thereby spurring economic growth.

Initially, the line will run on diesel power, but Kenya will move ahead with plans to provide for electric traction in the engineering and construction contracts for all sections including the Nairobi-Malaba route.

In December 2015, construction of the Mombasa-Nairobi section was certified by Kenya Railways consultants as 63% complete. It is expected to be finished in about 16 months, in June 2017 or thereabouts.

Station scene, Nairobi. Photo: RVR.

About 9,000 households that accommodate some 30,000 people are to be relocated from the railway corridor, creating a 40 metre buffer zone, at a cost of 9 billion shillings. To date, 1,200 families have moved into newly constructed permanent houses. Relocation is expected to be finished by December 2016.

Artists’ impression of proposed Mariakani station. Image: KRC.



NIGERIANIGERIA: 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 (about $US2 million) is allocated for capital projects. He was quoted saying, "much of that sum goes towards personnel cost." The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has 9,700 employees altogether.

Director of NRC operations Niyi Ali said lack of funding for the Safe Train Control system had slowed down its 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.

NIGERIAN RAIL CONTRACTS UNDER SCRUTINY

Nigeria’s House of Representatives has been hearing evidence on allegations of mismanagement relating to over N1 trillion’s worth of railway contracts across the country. An ad-hoc committee led by Ehoizuwa Johnson Agbonayinma was appointed to investigate the matter. During December, his committee interrogated two former Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) chairmen on the subject - Bamanga Tukur and Abubakar Kawu Baraje. Both denied complicity.

Former NRC chairman Bello Haliru Mohammed said he could not remember signing any contract outside the law during his tenure from 2009 to 2011. While he was directed to sign contracts on behalf of the NRC on many occasions, he said, the process and the decision that led to the award of any contract were taken by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

His mandate as acting chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Bello explained, was to make sure that - after 25 years - the railway started functioning again. In order to get tracks and signals back into service, the board needed to start almost from scratch and had to acquire the necessary rolling stock at the same time.

NIGERIA: FUNDING FROM CHINA-EXIM BANK

According to Nigerian vice-president Yemi Osinbajo, the China-Exim bank has agreed to finance standard gauge rail projects to link Lagos with both Kano and Calabar. He explained this as well as a number of other financial matters to a delegation from the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry that paid him a courtesy call early in February.

TANZANIATANZANIAN RAIL OFFICIALS IN COURT

A number of prominent railway officials appeared recently in court at Dar es Salaam. It is alleged that between 1 February 2013 and 30 June 2014, at Tanzanian Railways Limited (TRL) head office in the city, in the discharge of his duties, TRL managing director Kisamfu failed to ensure the awarding of a contract to supply 25 ballast hopper wagons was "proper".

According to the prosecution, this was in violation of the Public Procurement Act, "thereby causing India’s Hindusthan Engineering and Industries Limited to obtain an undue advantage accrued from the said contract." Ten other very senior officials appeared in court in connection with the same contract. They include chief of finance Jasper Hurbert Kisiraga and chief civil engineer Mathias Andrew Massae. Others are acting principal mechanical engineering and works manager Muungano Gabriel Kaupunda, chief mechanical engineer and works manager Ngoso Joseph Ngosomwiles, chief mechanical engineer Paschal John Mafikiriand plant engineer Kedmon Peter Mapunda.

Four others are acting engineer communication Felix Rwezaura Kashaigili, chief of rail transport Lowland Watson Simtengu, chief design draughtsman Joseph Mlinda Syaizyagi and acting chief transport manager Charles Florence Ndenge.

Julius Nyerere convention centre in Dar es Salaam. Photo: Prof Chen Hualin/Wikipedia.

All pleaded not guilty in the Kisutu resident magistrate's court in Dar es Salaam. In agreeing to bail conditions, the presiding magistrate ordered the accused to provide three sureties each, signing a Sh10 million bond.

Only three of the accused met the bail conditions. The others were sent to remand prison until the case resumed.



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TANZANIA: SABOTAGE FROM WITHIN

Locomotives and wagons belonging to Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) have been deliberately disabled. This has resulted in derailments. Sabotage is suspected.

Minister of communications and transport Professor Makame Mbarawa says: "I have been reliably informed that this is the work of railway employees. The matter is being investigated and if miscreants are brought to book, no mercy will be shown." He declared "zero tolerance" to saboteurs.

According to President John Magufuli, state power company employees have been known to drain dams at night, cutting electricity supply. Their objective is to benefit from fuel import deals, to supply emergency power.

TANZANIA: NEW ROLLING STOCK

In the 2014/15 financial year, Tanzania Railways Limited remanufactured 8 locomotives and 89 wagons. Altogether 274 new freight wagons, 25 new ballast hopper wagons, 13 new locomotives, 34 brake vans and 22 new passenger coaches were procured and are operating on the existing metre gauge lines.

The government is investing heavily in reviving the central line. It plans to construct a 2,561km standard gauge railway connecting Dar es Salaam to land-locked neighbouring countries at a cost of $US7.6 billion. Two additional lines, at a cost of $US6.6 billion, are to connect Dar es Salaam to the coal, iron ore and soda ash mining areas in the south and northern parts of the country.

TANGA CEMENT PLC SIGNS MOU WITH TANZANIA RAILWAYS (TRL)

In March Tanga Cement Public Limited Company (TCPLC) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tanzania Railways Limited (TRL) that will see the multi-billion Cement Factory use rail for the efficient transportation of cement to its customers in Kigoma and Mwanza regions.

The agreement increases Tanzania Railway Limited’s operations on the Tanga line and offers Tanga Cement Plc a safer, environmentally friendly and more efficient mode of transport.

The MoU, signed by Managing Director of Tanga Cement Plc, Reinhardt Swart and TRL’s Acting Managing Director, Masanja Kadogosa, will facilitate phased implementation of the transportation of more than 35,000 tonnes of cement per month - a volume that matches a third of the plant's existing monthly production of 105,000 tonnes.

Speaking during a brief signing ceremony and flagging off for the first train in Tanga today, officiated by the minister for works, transport and communication, Prof. Makame Mbarawa. Swart said the agreement will offer Tanga Cement Plc a logistics solution that will improve efficiency, enhance its competitive advantage and reduce transport costs.

"As a local cement manufacturer, an efficient distribution

scheme is crucial for our competitive growth. Rail is globally preferred as a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly mode of transport than trucks for cement, and we look forward to using the rail network to further enhance the efficiency of our distribution system to our customers," the Swart said.

Detailing the MoU, Kadogosa revealed that the railway authority has permanently allocated five locomotives and a shunting locomotive to Tanga Cement Plc to transport a minimum of 20,000 tonnes of cement monthly from Pongwe to Kigoma and 15,000 tonnes from Pongwe to Mwanza.

He revealed that the cement company will pay for the freight services in advance thereby ensuring funds are received in good time by TRL."We are delighted to provide the local factory

with a sustainable transport solution that will positively impact their customers and the Tanzanian community in general," Kadogosa said.

Earlier this month, the TRL official was quoted saying in the 2014-15 period, TCPLC dispatched 44,000 tonnes of cement, whereas from July to December 2015 a total of 24,960 tonnes were delivered via the railway line.

The development comes less than a month after the minister Mbarawa revealed that the government was in final talks with Tanga Cement Plc to use the Usambara railway line for product distribution, in a move intended to minimise damage to the country’s road network.

Masanja Kadogosa of TRL and Reinhardt Swart of Tanga Cement Plc



FINANCING TANZANIAN STANDARD GAUGE

In May 2015, Tanzanian transport minister Samwel Sitta informed parliament in Dodoma that a Chinese consortium led by China Railway Materials had been awarded a $US7.6 billion contract to build a 2,561km standard gauge railway from Dar es Salaam to Burundi and Rwanda. Former president Jakaya Kikwete was to launch construction on 15 September 2015. However, according to finance and planning minister Dr Philipo Mpango, the contract was revoked because the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) found flaws in the tendering process.

Dr Mpango told parliament that Tanzania can not afford to finance the project using its own funds. He explained that studies by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and African Development Bank (AfDB) had found the central corridor "the most commercially viable", thus the government was doing all it could to implement this. The WEF and AfDB are working closely with Tanzania, he said, to raise the required funds, but it seems the project will only be viable through a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Dr Mpango said there are Chinese and American companies showing interest in investing in the project.

At the end of April 2016 China announced its official backing for the 2,561km standard gauge railway project.

DIKKM RAIL PROJECT SHORTLIST UPDATED

Following an official appeal of the Request for Expressions of Interest evaluation process, the shortlist for the Dar es Salaam-Isaka-Kigali/Keza-Musongati Railway Project has been updated.

The Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA) is pleased to announce the following firms have been shortlisted for the project:

• China Railway Group• Sinohydro Corporation Ltd in partnership

with China Railway Materials Co. Ltd (CRM) and Beijing National Railway Research & Design Institute of Signal & Communication Group Co. Ltd (CRSCD)

• China Communications Construction Company• Yapi Merkezi Insaat• Il & FS Transportation and

Frontline Development• Grindrod Rail• Kolin Insaat Turizm Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S.• China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation• AVENG Group in association with Arcus

Gibb, Siemens, CTLE, DBSA, KfW, Deutsche Bank and Euler Hermes

• Transnet• Mota-Engil Engnharia E Construcao Africa, S.A.• NGE Contracting in Partnership with TSO,

Alstom and System• Unity Development Group

Attributed to lack of investment over many years, only 13.3% of Ghana’s railway is operational, carrying only a fraction of the country’s passengers and freight. In January 2015, the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) reported the reactivation of a master plan to expand the network by 4,000km. According to the deputy minister of transport Joyce Mogtari, this is to be achieved in terms of a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

BOANKRA PORT AND GHANA EASTERN RAILWAY

The existing 953km railway forms a triangle between Accra-Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi. In 2010, a $US10.4 billion deal was signed with China’s Export-Import Bank to rehabilitate the Western line and eventually extend track length to 4,000km. In parallel with this, a Boankra inland port was to be created near Kumasi. This dry port was envisaged as an intermodal transport centre with customs and logistics facilities on a 160ha site.

Negotiations between government and investors are likely to begin in June 2016. The Boankra dry port is intended to ease pressure on the port of Tema, enabling goods to be transported inland for customs clearance and processing before being forwarded elsewhere.

The $300 million Boankra inland port and the $1.2 billion Eastern Railway project have been packaged together because the viability of one depends on the other. The Eastern railway will involve 330km of track, provision of rolling stock, station upgrades and signalling and communication equipment. The inland port will involve the construction of the depot as well as shippers and freight forwarders’ offices, warehouses, commercial buildings, customs coordination protocols, and customs clearance procedures and controls.



ZIMBABWE SAFETY AT NRZ

National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) public relations manager Fanuel Masikati is concerned about the "disturbing and increasing incidence of level crossing accidents recently", as well as cases of suicide along the line. From January 2010 to July 2015, 87 people jumped in front of Zimbabwe trains. During the same period, 114 people died and 552 were injured in accidents at level crossings. "You cannot win an argument with a train," Masikati reminds the public.

NRZ class DE9A at left and DE10A at Mutare in February 2015. Photo: G Cooke

ZIMBABWE: MABENA SHEDS LIGHT

Former National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) general manager Alvord Mabena was appointed board chairman in 2014 under former transport minister Obert Mpofu. Mabena, who was fired in November 2015, says the rail industry is complex and needs expertise. The people who run it should have wide experience and know-how. Things were beginning to come right under his board. He has no idea why he was taken out. "The reasons have still to be advised," he says. NRZ has had no general manager since Mike Karakadzai died in an accident in 2013. Mabena’s board sourced a replacement with the necessary background and credentials but new minister of transport and infrastructure development Jorum Gumbo directed that the selection process be redone.

UGANDAKAMPALA PASSENGER SERVICE

A five-coach passenger train has been operating an experimental commuter service at Kampala for a few months. For a city with a population of about 2 million, the roads are poor and characterised by traffic congestion. Amazingly, comparatively few people are taking

the train. On a good day, there may be as many as 300 altogether – 60 to a coach designed to accommodate 200. The coaches are spotless, being cleaned twice each day, and the 15km journey from Namanve takes a leisurely 50 minutes, including three intermediate stops. It

takes seven minutes to reach Namboole, another seven to reach Kireka, 15 minutes to reach Nakawa and another 15 minutes to reach Rift Valley Railways’ station in Kampala. It seems that Kampala’s present generation is unaccustomed to trains – few of those using it have ever been on a train

before. The operation is a partnership between Uganda Railways Corporation (URC), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Rift Valley Railways (RVR). Hopefully, patronage will pick up because if the service is not supported by the end of the year, it will be withdrawn.

In mid-December, it was reported that China and Uganda had signed a $440million deal for a 240km light rail project between Kampala and neighbouring districts.

NRZ AUDIT REVEALS GROSS IRREGULARITIES

The Zimbabwe Sunday News quotes an October 2015 audit report produced by the railway works council, "a combination of both management and workers’ representatives". The audit investigations reveal that the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) appeared "over the years to be saddled with a culture of delay in making or implementing business decisions... a culture that has cost NRZ millions". The audit reveals "gross irregularities", especially with regard to rent collection, where about $10 million was foregone in 2015. Procurement inefficiency resulted in NRZ paying for an "oversupply of grid resistors with stock enough to last 100 years". The auditors suspect that "organised syndicates" are coordinating the theft of fuel from NRZ trains. The railway, holding a "huge inventory of properties throughout the country" is losing heavily through non-collection of rental income. This occurs widely unless tenants come forward with payment on their own accord. Some tenants have paid no rent for five years.

Of 30 electric locomotives owned, only four are believed to be serviceable. Stolen copper components said to be worth more than $1 million were recovered from the bush at Dabuka. The auditor suggests that the locos possess scrap value which should be realised before the thieves get around to helping themselves.

NRZ continues to pay electricity bills for sidings that have been out of use for many years. Steam locos are hired to Hwange but not invoiced. The list goes on…

In other disturbing cases, children and elderly people have been seen throwing stones at moving trains, especially passenger trains. Passengers have been seriously injured in these incidents and coach windows have been shattered. Children (and adults) have been observed lying and sitting on railway lines. Masikati appeals to the general public to "desist from such retrogressive acts and to report cases to the nearest police or railway security stations".



REFORMING ZIMBABWE’S PARASTATALS ONE ENTERPRISE AT A TIME

HARARE, March 22 – Not so long ago, many communities in Zimbabwe began their day to the rhythmic vibration of trains passing by on the railway tracks. The trains used to run like clockwork, literally marking the time of day for many rural and urban residents. Such was the reliability of the National Railways of Zimbabwe- it was an efficient, and often the preferred, mover of people and goods. This parastatal, like other state-owned enterprises (SOEs) at the time, was a crucial cog in Zimbabwe’s economic gearbox.

Now, years down the line, the parastatal cogs are worn and rusty. Across almost all sectors where they operate, SOEs are currently laden with myriad challenges – lack of capital, ballooning wage bills, low productivity and/or unsustainable debt. The services they provide to firms and households have deteriorated substantially and even the welfare of their own employees is often in jeopardy.

Against this background, the Government of Zimbabwe launched an initiative in 2015 to re-engineer the parastatal sector by "reducing costs to the fiscus, enhancing service delivery and improving accountability," said Patrick Chinamasa, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, in his 2016 budget presentation.

As a first step, the government has prioritized 10 parastatals and begun to undertake audits of the first few. They include:

• Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe (IDCZ)

• Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA)

• Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ)

• Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA)

• Air Zimbabwe, Cold Storage Company (CSC)

• Grain Marketing Board (GMB)• National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)• TelOne, Zimbabwe Iron and Steel

Company, and• Zimbabwe Power Corporation (ZPC).

To date, two audits have been fully completed in GMB and CSC, and three turn-around strategies submitted for approval to Cabinet for Tel One, ZINWA and IDCZ. Decisions have also been made to seek strategic and technical partners in

Continues on page 22


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Air Zimbabwe and the National Railways of Zimbabwe. There are also plans to unbundle CAAZ into separate regulatory and commercial entity, while ARDA is in the process of establishing joint venture partnerships for several of its farming estates.

The authorities have solicited and received support from the World Bank (WB), under the Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (ZIMREF), to help design a new governance framework for state-owned enterprises and to give peer review comments on turn-around strategies for selected companies. The $4.3 million Capital Budgets Technical Assistance (TA) Program was approved by the ZIMREF donors and the World Bank in August 2015 and it including a major component on state-owned enterprises. This TA program seeks to improve oversight and governance of parastatals so as to reduce their fiscal burden, better manage fiscal risk, improve performance and service delivery, and strengthen accountability.

In November 2015, the WB supported a workshop with senior government officials to review different models of SOE governance from around the world, which led to a particular interest in the centralized ownership model practiced in Latin America and Europe. In January 2016, the WB and authorities hosted another workshop for top management of all Zimbabwe’s 97 parastatals to launch the collection of baseline data on each entity.

"Fundamentally, it is unacceptable to continuously make transfers to state enterprises and parastatals unless we have baseline data of the state enterprises' assets and liabilities," said Walter Chidakwa, acting Minister of Finance and Economic Development.

The WB is also supporting the government in preparing a Bill to legally apply the new National Code for Corporate Governance (NCCG) to parastatals.

"The principles of the NCCG are aligned with the OECD Guidelines

for Corporate Governance of State-owned Enterprises, representing international best practice," said Fanny Weiner, World Bank senior public management specialist. "The Bill is major a step in putting the code into practice and to introduce a corporate governance framework for public enterprises in Zimbabwe."

The next steps supported by the WB include an assessment of current corporate governance practices in selected public enterprises, which will serve as a starting point for the implementation of the upcoming Corporate Governance Bill.

The Zimbabwe Reconstruction Fund (ZIMREF) has received contributions of $39 million from the Denmark, European Union, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the World Bank’s State and Peace Building Fund. ZIMREF aims to support the strengthening of Zimbabwe’s systems for reconstruction and development.

Published with permission of the World Bank.

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

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LOCOMOTIVE REFURBISHMENT COMPLETE

African Rail & Traction Services (Pty) Ltd (AR&TS) has completed the refurbishment of the final two of four GE U20C locomotives for Caminhos de Ferro de Luanda (CFL), part of the Angolan state railway system.

The locomotives due for refurbishment were shipped from Luanda via the port of Durban. Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) then hauled the locos through Swaziland to reach their final destination at the AR&TS workshops in Pretoria West. It was arranged that the locomotives arrived in sets of two, with one runner and one non-runner in each set. The work was then divided into phases, with phase one refurbishing a non-runner together with a runner locomotive, leaving the other set for phase two of the project. This resulted in two locomotives being returned to service in the best possible time frame.

All four locomotives underwent a total refurbishment, including a complete engine rebuild. Some modifications were included in the refurbishment process based on the lease fleet, which AR&TS owns and maintains. AR&TS runs similar locomotives in their lease fleet and are well versed in the maintenance thereof. In line with this, the fuel injection pumps and injectors were upgraded to a larger system, a new dual exhaust system was fitted, the wheel slip system was upgraded and an air-conditioning unit was installed in the cab. Accident damage where applicable has been repaired on all of the locos and missing commodities replaced.

The rewired and overhauled locomotives have been tested and all warranties are provided with their workmanship. "We strip and rebuild the entire locomotive so that the customer takes delivery of a unit that is good for another 15

years. AR&TS also provides support with technicians and training in their refurbishment contracts," says Francois Barnard director AR&TS.

One has to take into consideration that these locomotives are already 40 years old and, as seen with South Africa’s rolling stock, with good maintenance and refurbishment they will continue to provide many more years of service.

"CFL’s Chief Engineer, the company’s procurement team and their artisans and inspectors have visited AR&TS on a regular basis to inspect the locomotives. They have worked side-by-side with our team, as the locomotives were being overhauled and refurbished. Our team will also accompany the locomotives during the hand-over and commissioning." concludes Barnard.



NAMIBIAN TENDER ON TRACK

In 2012, voestalpine VAE SA (Pty) Ltd in a joint venture with a local partner, submitted a tender for the procurement of rails for the Aus-Lüderitz railway line upgrade in Namibia.

In November 2012, the Namibian transport ministry recommended to their Tender Board that the Profile - VAE joint venture be awarded the N$62 million contract. However, the unsuccessful tenderer then took the Ministry to court after being disqualified during the first technical evaluation phase. This resulted in the ministry of works and transport to reverse its view. According to the ministry, the tender was cancelled due to a conflict of interest regarding a construction company, D&M Rail Construction, that was subcontracted by the voestalpine VAE joint venture. The ministry misinterpreted D&M’s documentation for “previous projects completed” that was submitted with previous tenders. It was misconstrued that the principal consultant to the ministry for this tender was previously employed by D&M, which was not the case. The unsuccessful tenderer claimed that the principal consultant to the government allegedly designed the tender in such a way that it favoured the successful joint venture company.

Unhappy with the decision, the joint venture company took the matter to court and won. In November 2013, Profile-VAE was successfully re-awarded the deal. The Tender Board found no irregularities in the tendering process and in July 2014, Profile-VAE was instructed to proceed with the rail supply.

Soon after, the order for the rails was placed with voestalpine’s rolling mill in Austria, which is the most advanced, dedicated rail rolling mill in the world. Rolling of the rails was scheduled and in February this year, the rails arrived in Walvis Bay and are in the process of being delivered to the end destination. Although the price of rail steel has remained relatively stable during the period from 2012 to today, fluctuating exchange rates and an increase in local Namibian costs have resulted in a drastic increase in the cost of the

rails. The Euro, worth approximately R11.00 in 2012, was at R17.95 by February this year when the rails arrived. The local Namibian costs, including port, railage and handling costs etc. increased by just less than 28% during the intervening period.

However, the Namibian exchange rate, coupled to the Rand, was dependent on and influenced by the South African economy and political decisions, and as such the price was accepted and the joint venture delivering on the tender now worth N$83 million.

voestalpine’s rolling mill in Austria produces approximately 640,000 tonnes of rail per annum and features a cutting-edge, high-volume, heat-treatment facility. All rail produced at this plant comply with very strict EN-standards and the rail steel undergoes a specialised, industry required vacuum degassing process. The HSH® (Head Special Hardened) technology enables thermal treatment of 120m ultra-long rails and ensures a longer life cycle on track. voestalpine Schienen GmbH is committed to continued investment in research and development. The voestalpine group, in partnership with the University of Gratz in Austria, continuously invests in research and development of rail steel and new railway technology. The group continuously contributes to the development of a new generation of railway engineers to drive new railway technology and developments into the future.

voestalpine VAE SA (Pty) Ltd has three manufacturing plants in South Africa, employing around 350 people. The plant specialises in the manufacturing of railway turnouts (switches) and all other permanent way steel components. Additionally, voestalpine VAE SA supplies high-quality timber sleepers that comply with industry specifications and are treated to last in the local African environment. Recently they have entered the signalling and monitoring equipment market and are currently supplying the Transnet heavy-haul lines with their custom designed SPHEROLOCKTM systems and DLD-machines.

Recently refurbished GE U20C locomotive for Caminhos de Ferro de Luanda. Photo Craig Dean

One has to take into consideration that these locomotives are already 40 years old and, as seen with South Africa’s rolling stock, with good maintenance and refurbishment they will continue to provide many more years of service.



The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa has long stated that economic integration is a key component in the economic transformation of the African Continent1. In light of this, an initiative was activated in 2013 between the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to develop a centralised data system on regional integration to inform policy decisions and provide governments, investors, media and the general population with accessible, reliable, standardised data on integration between African states based on predefined dimensions.

On 2 April, in Addis Ababa, this project came to fruition with the launch of the African Regional Integration Index (ARII). According to the report, the SADC region continues to fare better on regional integration across dimensions of regional infrastructure, free movement of people, financial and macroeconomic integration,

The Maputo Development Corridor sets the bar for economic development corridors in Africa

CFM rehabilitation programme on the Ressano Garcia line in 2007.

than the other seven African regions identified2. The AfDB has supported the development of transport corridors for the past 15 years and has put strategies in place to support these projects and the corresponding economic corridors that they hope will drive development across the continent3. One such corridor is the Maputo Development Corridor (MDC), which runs from Johannesburg to Maputo covering some 581km of road and 590km of rail.

On 20 April, at the Mozambique Transport Infrastructure Development Seminar – hosted by the South Africa-Mozambique Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright - Ivor Masher, Manager of Customs, Cross-Border and ICT at the MCLI, presented on the tremendous gains that the MDC has achieved since it was officially launched in May 1996.

The main objective at the time was to develop an economic corridor linking the economic hub of South

Africa to the Port of Maputo. The original framework agreement, signed in July 1996, provided for the development of a toll road, the rehabilitation and modernisation of railway infrastructure and harbour facilities and the establishment of a Corridor Company. While the implementation of these objectives has been fraught with difficulties over the intervening years they have, by and large, been achieved. The corridor has seen investment in excess of $US5 billion over the last two decades. Areas that have benefited from this investment include rail infrastructure and port facilities, road infrastructure and border facilities. An independent evaluation of the socio-economic impact of the project has shown positive results, with promising projections for the future.

Much of the success of the MDC has been due to the establishment of the MCLI. The organisation, formed in 2004, is a non-profit, private sector membership organisation that focuses on freight logistics and transport issues along the Corridor.


railways africa 2-2016EcoNomic DEVEloPmENT

In 2003, prior to the formal registration of the organisation, there were major constraints hampering the effective functioning of the Corridor. In his presentation, Masher listed them as:• The lack of a corridor

institutional framework;• The lack of a safe railway line

and a deficit in rail capacity and services;

• Difficulties at the border post; • The lack of container lines calling

at the Port of Maputo; and• An overall lack of promotion

of public-private partnerships (PPP) that could have provided the Corridor with much-needed capital investment.

In answer to these challenges, the MCLI identified their role to include participation in key national and regional bodies and forums, the dissemination of information and research on the Maputo Corridor, facilitation of engagement between the public and private sector to resolve constraints and the promotion of the strategic benefits and opportunities of the Corridor. In August 2012, the MDC achieved a significant milestone in this regard when a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique (CFM), Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and Swaziland Railway. The MoU served to establish a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to service the Corridor. This has been fundamental in creating transparency between agencies with interests in the Corridor and

1 http://www.uneca.org/publications/assessing-regional-integration-africa-vii

2 http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Generic-Documents/ARII-Report2016_EN_web.pdf

3 AfDB Regional Integration Brief: http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/Regional_Integration_Brief_-_Developing_Economic_Corridors_in_Africa_-_Rationale_for_the_Participation_of_the_AfDB.pdf

improving engagement between rail service providers, port authorities and the customer. Under the control of the JOC, there has been a significant reduction in turn-around times of cargo moving from pit to port, from 193 hours to 100 hours. In addition, capacity has grown significantly on the line. In 2010, there was a total of 17 trains running on the line per week and the line currently carries 42 cargo and 35 passenger trains per week.

According to the South African Foreign Policy and African Drivers Programme (SAIIA), the Maputo Development Corridor remains the largest and most successful project of this nature in the region, and arguably in Africa as a whole. The MDC has proven itself to a be successful tool in supporting economic integration by promoting increased trade and investment from both the private and public sector. By linking landlocked neighbouring countries to essential port facilities it provides opportunities for economic growth for the whole region. While the journey towards a functional, efficient economic corridor from Johannesburg to Maputo has not been without its challenges, it serves as an invaluable case study for initiatives of this nature across the region.

Through two decades of trial and error, many of the policies and practices that have proven successful in the implementation of the MDC could be adapted to other economic development corridors across the continent, furthering the strategic objectives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the AfDB. It is not surprising that the MCLI has received numerous awards for its work in the region.


railways africa2-2016 EcoNomic DEVEloPmENT

The Rail Working Group represents the position of the rail industry relating to adoption and implementation of the 2007 Luxembourg Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on matters relating to railway rolling stock (commonly known as the Luxembourg Rail Protocol).

The Luxembourg Rail Protocol is a worldwide legal framework that recognises and regulates the security interests of investors in railway rolling stock. It then establishes a public international registry, to be located in Luxembourg and operating 24/7, in which the interests may be registered and searched for via the internet. It benefits lenders, lessors and vendors selling under conditional sale agreements and applies to all rolling stock. It creates a common system for repossession of assets on default or insolvency of the debtor, making it particularly helpful in respect of equipment that crosses borders. By better securing investors, it will attract more private capital into the industry at cheaper rates, according to Rail Working Group chairman Howard Rosen. "In many cases, particularly in Africa," Rosen states, "the Protocol will be an essential precondition for private finance and will stimulate operating leasing of rolling stock; a major step forward for operators in the future."

As finance rates drop and funders’ views on residual values become less conservative, the daily cost for operators will decrease markedly. The European Union has already ratified the Protocol (in respect of its competence) as has Luxembourg and a growing number of European countries. Countries outside Europe, including South Africa, are working towards this. The international registry is expected to begin operations in 2017.

The Rail Working Group has thus been encouraging the rail industry to press for the Luxembourg Rail Protocol’s prompt signature and ratification. Generally, however, the Protocol is not yet well understood within the rail and finance industries when it comes to its practical benefits.

Having recently brokered a successful rail leasing transaction in Cameroon, GPR Leasing (a Grindrod Rail and Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund joint venture) and Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited, two members of the Rail Working Group, are well placed to explain how the process would have been smoother, had the Protocol been in place.

Greg McKenzie, of Rand Merchant Bank’s Investment Banking Asset and Infrastructure Finance division, points out that there is a similar protocol

An African Case For The Luxembourg Rail Protocol

"In fact, the ratification of the Luxembourg Protocol by African states would have a direct impact in terms of securing foreign investment, negotiating credit rates and speeding up the deal-making process."

Jacques de Klerk - GPR Leasing

Africa is a continent of opportunity. Truth be told, it’s also sometimes a continent of risk. For South African and multinational companies looking to establish businesses or partnerships in some of Africa’s less commercially or legally secure zones, there is a need for a level of risk assessment and mitigation when deals are brokered. This is particularly true in the case of the rail industry – set to be a key factor in Africa’s transformation – where assets are costly and projects are of an infrastructural nature. It’s no small feat to get a locomotive across borders, but it’s a steep risk if there is no legal framework in place to ensure that the interest in the asset is protected. Enter the Luxembourg Protocol.


railways africa 2-2016GriNDroD

"In many cases, particularly in Africa the Protocol will be an essential precondition for private finance and will stimulate operating leasing of rolling stock; a major step forward for operators in the future."

Howard Rosen - Rail Working Group Chairman

already in place that governs international interests in mobile equipment on matters specific to aircraft. "With the Luxembourg Protocol, we are trying to apply the same principles to railway equipment," he says.

Recently, Rand Merchant Bank was approached by GPR Leasing regarding a potential rolling stock leasing deal of four locomotives to a client in Cameroon.

McKenzie explains that Rand Merchant Bank does not have a presence in Cameroon or view it as a strategic jurisdiction at this point in time. "If there is a South African company wanting to do business there, Rand Merchant Bank will support them to the extent that they can externalise certain risks," he says. "This was the case with GPR Leasing – because we were concerned about certain risks in this jurisdiction, we required support from GPR Leasing’s shareholders that they would take

the expropriation risk in order for Rand Merchant Bank to finance the deal. Having done our due diligence, we also recommended that GPR Leasing take out political risk insurance to further mitigate any political risks in Cameroon."

If, however, the Luxembourg Protocol had been adopted by Cameroon, either of these mitigation measures may not have been deemed necessary and the financier could have placed greater reliance on the collateral of the financed assets.

"The Protocol wouldn’t help with the risk of rental default or debtor insolvency, but it would assist with securing our interest in the asset if it occurred," McKenzie explains.

With the Protocol in place, there is reduced risk for funders and lessors, Jacques de Klerk of GPR Leasing notes. "We would normally not need political risk insurance, which would lower our expenses, and there

would be the possibility of better interest rates," he explains.

McKenzie adds that the definition of mobile rail assets as set out in the Protocol also apply in the broadest sense, from locomotives to wagons, trams, metro trains, cable cars, monorails and gantries, and cranes running on tracks. Ratification of the Protocol would therefore also benefit ports, harbours, governments and private sector businesses outside of direct rail industry operators in terms of attracting investment.

"This is not a theoretical protocol developed in Europe with no practical application in Africa," says De Klerk. "In fact, the ratification of the Luxembourg Protocol by African states would have a direct impact in terms of securing foreign investment, negotiating credit rates and speeding up the deal-making process."


railways africa2-2016 GriNDroD

Spotlight

South Africa

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.

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RICHARDS BAY RECORD

A new record of 75.4 million tonnes of coal exported in a year has been achieved at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. The figure exceeded the target set and represented an increase of 5.6% over the 2014 total of 71.2 million tonnes. This was remarkable, coming at a time when low prices were being paid globally for the commodity. The terminal is hoping to repeat the 75 million tonne throughput in 2016, even though coal is selling at only $US48 a ton.

The terminal received on average 27 trains per day during 2015, 3.8% more than in 2014. Altogether, 73.9 million tonnes arrived by rail and 925 ships were loaded. This was 17.7% more than in 2014.

PRASA TEST TRACKS READY

It was reported in November 2015 that test infrastructure had not yet been completed for the first new imported commuter trains. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) appointed Grindrod Rail Consulting and Mota-Engil Construction SA to construct test tracks and depot facilities at Wolmerton. Staff worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to have these ready. One test track, where first-line testing of the new trains will take place, has been extended from an 800 metre length to 1.6km. A second track will be used to check train speeds. Head of Prasa's fleet renewal programme, Piet Sebola, says testing of the two new trainsets is already under way.

Of total coal exports, 59% went to Asia - 7% down on 2014 - and 19% to Europe - 6% down. Coal exports into Africa increased by 7%.

Shunting coal at Richards Bay. Photo: Col Andre Kritzinger.


railways africa 2-2016sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

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

PRASA PUBLIC DISPLAY COACH

A public display train coach (PDTC) has arrived from Brazil. It will be moved around South Africa’s principal cities where it is to be parked at selected stations for public inspection. The vehicle is fully fitted with seats, lighting etc., to give commuters a foretaste of the new generation rolling stock.

Both six-coach sets T1 and T2 are now at Wolmerton near Pretoria, where they will undergo exhaustive testing. Neither train is intended for public service. Set T2 comprises three fully fitted vehicles and three without seats, allowing easy access to the equipment, cabling and other amenities, which are normally concealed.

PRASA SIGNALS CONTRACT

Siemens has been awarded a R2.7 billion contract to complete the replacement of signalling in Gauteng, much of which dates back to before World War II. This is the second contract in the area for Siemens, with the first being authorised in 2011. Worth R1 billion, the contract encompasses construction of the Gauteng "nerve centre" at Kaalfontein and replacing about a quarter of the area’s signalling.

The new technology will make it possible to run trains more frequently – at five-minute intervals – and to use both tracks bi-directionally on dual track sections. Work on the new contract will start immediately, Siemens SA senior project manager Lucio Lefebvre says, and will finish in 2018.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is to spend R7 billion on signalling overhaul - R3.8bn in Gauteng, R1.3bn in Durban and R1.8bn in Cape Town. Single-lens "searchlight" type signals

on the main-line near Johannesburg main station. They date from 1938.

TESTING PRASA’S NEW TRAINS

The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) is to test the performance of the first two trainsets built in Brazil for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). These will have to demonstrate operation not only on the Wolmerton test track but also on the main-line, where they will be required to attain speeds of 132km/h - 10% more than the maximum speed of 120km/h under normal operating conditions.

OBJECTIONS TO 25M HIGH PRASA TOWER

There have been 434 objections to a proposal by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) as they want to erect a 25-metre-high telecommunications tower at Wittebome station, 14km south of Cape Town. The free-standing base station will have 12 antennae mounted on top of the pole, microwave dishes and four equipment containers, enclosed by a 2.4-metre-high palisade fencing. Local residents have complained that the structure will be an eyesore and a health risk. City councillors considering Prasa’s application have decided to do an inspection in situ.


railways africa2-2016 sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

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SAPPI DONATES LOCO TO NBL GROUP

Sappi Saiccor (Pty) Ltd. has donated their last working 19D class 4-8-2 no 3 to the North British Locomotive Preservation Group. In fact, as the group points out, this loco was not built by the North British (NBL) concern in Glasgow, but by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns (RSH) in Darlington. "However, this particular engine has great significance as, when it was taken out of service in August last year, it was the very last British steam locomotive in regular day-to-day service in South Africa."

As it happens, Saiccor no 3 only missed being a North British engine by three digits, as it was the third from last to be built by RSH in 1947, the following batch of 50 19Ds being constructed by NBL in 1948. "Sir Nigel Gresley once described the 19D’s as ‘one of the best steam locomotive designs the

world has ever seen’ so the chance for us to acquire one in full working order was too good an opportunity to miss."

Photo: Paul Ash

GARRY PITA APPOINTED TRANSNET CFO

Garry Pita has been appointed the chief financial officer at Transnet. He has been acting CFO since August 2015, succeeding Anoj Singh who was seconded to Eskom. A chartered accountant who has been at Transnet for ten years, Pita led key strategic aspects, heading the international financial reporting standard conversion as well as Transnet's group internal control. He assumes responsibility for all aspects of the group's financial strategy, overseeing funding and capital investment programmes, managing procurement, financial risks and ensuring adherence to the highest standards of governance and internal control.

CABINET CONFIRMS SIYABONGA GAMA AS TRANSNET GROUP CE

Transnet has announced the appointment of Siyabonga Gama as group chief executive officer.

Minister of Public Enterprises, Ms Lynne Browne confirmed the Cabinet decision to appoint Mr Siyabonga Gama as group chief executive at Transnet with immediate effect, for an initial period of five years. Gama has been at the helm as acting group chief executive since April 2015.

Once the Board was confident of Siya’s suitability, it made a recommendation to the Shareholder Ministry, the Department of Public Enterprises, which in turn was submitted to Cabinet. Gama is one of the longest-serving and most experienced members of the Transnet executive team and is well-known to all of us. Gama joined the company 21 years ago and has proved to be an innovative, visionary and resourceful leader while rising through the ranks.

Prior to acting as Group Chief Executive, he led Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), the biggest division in terms of people, profit, investments and assets. He radically transformed TFR from yearly losses averaging R21 million in 2005 to a R5,1 billion giant in profit during the last financial year of his leadership.

GLENCAIRN BEACH AND RAILWAY MEASURES

The City of Cape Town together with the provincial public works department and Prasa is evaluating remedial measures at Glencairn, where erosion is threatening the safety of the railway. Wind-blown sand accumulation and wave inundation affect the beach, the parking area, main road and rail line. A concept design by the city, which has been made public, includes the provision of two sections of wave return wall along the northern and southern sides of the beach, coupled with dune rehabilitation. The wall sections will be joined by geotextile sandbag revetments.

Used successfully in the Middle East, as well as in Port Elizabeth, the sandbags will be "visually agreeable" and are expected to improve beach access, as they can be walked on. The remnants of the dune are to be reshaped, and plant material will be rescued for re-use. The back of the dune will be planted with Marram grass and local species. A fence is envisaged to deter beachgoers from accessing and disturbing the dune.

Alternative design concepts considered, included the building of a wall along the beach, but this would be more costly and less aesthetically pleasing. It is hoped to go to tender and have a contractor on site from July.

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Garry PitaSiyabonga Gama

10M3 set passing Glencairn beach Photo: Malcolm Bates



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DISASTER SIMULATION

The City of Cape Town's disaster risk management centre recently coordinated a safety exercise at Simons Town station. The scenario involved a train "colliding" with a diesel tanker en route to the Simons Town naval base, causing the train to catch alight. A "hazardous spill" formed part of the scene. Members of the public - pet owners in particular - were advised that smoke grenades and thunder flashes were going to be used.

The exercise was carried out in collaboration with various agencies, including City Fire and Rescue Services, and the National Sea Rescue Institute. The purpose was to test response times, the incident command system and how the various role-players work together.

METRORAIL SUSPENDS DAVEYTON SERVICE

Reports of violent behaviour, intimidation and physical attacks by criminals on Metrorail train drivers and guards resulted in service to Daveyton (north of Benoni) being suspended late in February. Drivers had to "run for their lives" on 22 February and carriages were set alight. Gauteng transport MEC Ismail Vadi said he supported the suspension, as the safety of drivers and passengers has to come first. If the wilful torching and stoning of trains and assaults on train drivers do not stop immediately, Metrorail services will remain suspended.

"Commuters don't understand that a train can't continue if cable theft takes place," one official explained.

EMPOWERMENT: PARTNERS AND OTHERS

The beneficiaries of recent contracts for the supply of rail-related components mostly include "empowerment" partners. Apparently these entities share – to a lesser and sometimes greater degree - in part of the proceeds. The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), less subtle than some about the partners it chooses, has been the subject of criticism in several quarters, not least that of the auditor-general. No doubt many of the questions raised will disappear beneath the proverbial carpet but it would be a pity if one or two escape a second look. Like the "questionable payments" of some R40 million made by a director of Swifambo – which orders and leases Spanish trains - to law firm Nkosi Sabelo and Similex, a business controlled by somebody vaguely described as "an Angolan businesswoman". Maria Gomes, the businesswoman in question, allegedly says her company performed work related to Prasa’s Spanish locomotive tender and that the payment was related to that. She told City Press that she couldn't recall the details. According to the newspaper Rapport, Gomes "is a close friend of the South African president, while the lawyer is a business partner to one of his sons."

Prasa insists that all its empowerment partners were appointed through a "strict, fair, competitive and transparent" tender process and are a mix of black-owned companies already involved in the rail industry, black-owned companies looking to enter this industry and black-owned investment companies.

"Inference that Khiphunyawo Rail was chosen on the grounds of the relationship of one of its shareholders [Pearl Zuma] with political figures is rejected with the contempt it deserves," says Prasa spokesperson Moffet Mofokeng.

SA MANGANESE OUTPUT CURTAILED

Faced with rising costs and falling prices, South32 (listed in Australia) - which was spun off from BHP Billiton in May 2015 - is to cut more than 400 jobs at its South African manganese mine. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has called on the mines ministry to intervene to prevent the layoffs. Manganese is one of the industrial mainstays that have been hardest hit globally in the wake of China's economic slowdown.

PRASA TO GO TO COURT AGAIN

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) chairman Popo Molefe has filed yet another case in court. This one revolves around property deals allegedly involving former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana, at the time of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.

Molefe says Siyangena Technologies, named in the papers, obtained a R3.9 billion Prasa tender between 2009 and 2010. He asks the court to set aside the contract awarded to Mario Ferreira, owner of Siyangena Technologies and soccer club Vasco Da Gama. Montana has responded to the allegations, tabling a schedule of his own property transactions. He claims the probe is illegal and a waste of taxpayer's money.



GIBELA AT DUNNOTTAR SITE

The Dunnottar site being developed by the Gibela consortium for its plant to manufacture Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) trainsets requires extensive earthworks, as it slopes significantly. CEO Marc Granger hopes that construction of the first building - the training centre – will start in May 2016. Transport minister Dipuo Peters officially launched Groundworks in March.

The site is to house offices, the factory, a test track and a training centre as a single construction project, scheduled to take 18 months. A "supplier park" is

planned as a second project, but Granger is keen to tackle both projects simultaneously. Gibela’s current 200 employees are expected to grow to 500 in 2017, and 1,500 by 2018. Ultimately there are likely to be 2,000 on the payroll. "A massive training programme will be needed before the first of 580 trains are built in South Africa," Granger observes. The first train manufactured at Dunnottar may be ready towards the end of 2017.

Gibela hopes that local parts suppliers will be able to deliver by the beginning of 2017.

BAKARA TOILETS FOR BOTSWANA RAIL

South African-based Bakara Engineering was awarded a R7.5 million (ex VAT) contract by Transnet Engineering to provide 81 Glova Rail vacuum toilet sets for the new luxury coaches supplied to Botswana Railways.

To ensure a suitable independent air supply, these unique toggle-valve toilets have their own mini-compressor. The key components in the toilet system consist of line replacement units for ease of fitment and removal that simplifies both installation and maintenance. The toilet-management system

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Artist’s impression of R1 million Gibela plant to be built at Dunnottar.



COMMODITY PRICES STILL FALLING

The global fall in commodity pricing continues. World Bank analysts expect prices for 37 of the 46 commodities the bank monitors to fall during 2016. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, during January, economists and investors were pessimistic about short-to-medium-term prospects for

countries in Africa and elsewhere that are reliant on commodity exports. The effects are beginning to hurt. Early in February, Kumba Iron Ore announced it would be laying-off more than 4,000 workers and contractors. Other mines will be under similar pressure.

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eliminating the wear and tear that comes with frequent connecting and disconnecting. The silver-nickel tips allow for outstanding conductivity and resistance to corrosion, vibration, shocks and temperature variation, up to 10,000 more cycles than required by EN 60309-1.

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Railways Africa_Issue 2/2016_180x35_0216.indd 1 29/02/2016 10:38

Shongololo Express at Swakopmund

SHONGOLOLO EXPRESS

The Shongololo Express long-distance sleeping-car tour train is now a division of Rovos Rail. The rolling stock is based at Rovos’ Capital Park headquarters in Pretoria.

The first departure of 14 coaches was scheduled to leave Pretoria on 18 February for Cape Town as train 81600. A three-hour layover was scheduled at Matjiesfontein on the morning of 19 February. Arrival at Cape Town’s platform 24 was booked for 18:05.


railways africa2-2016 sPoTliGHT: soUTH africa

PRASA: "HIGH COURT MUST CANCEL CONTRACTS"

Many tall stories involve "an offer you cannot refuse". The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), it seems, has gone one better. It devised a system that ensured, in its own supply chain, that only one tenderer could win. Chairman Popo Molefe has been back in the High Court, this time asking that contracts with a security company, Siyangena Technologies, be declared invalid. The contracts were awarded to Siyangena for the supply and installation of "integrated security-access management systems" at Prasa stations. However, Molefe contends the tenders were worded so that nobody except Siyangena could fulfil the requirements.

In a report last August, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said that an investigation into Prasa found the company had a culture of "systemic failure" to comply with its own supply-chain policy.

GAUTRAIN EXTENSION "VEHEMENTLY" OPPOSED

According to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), it is time to focus on an affordable, accessible and efficient public transport system.

"What we should be discussing now, is the immediate rolling out of an affordable, accessible and efficient public transport system. We should be sitting down as stakeholders mapping out strategies and systems to do away with the current fragmentation. The federation will vehemently oppose the attempts to extend the elitist Gautrain project," they explained. "The majority of workers and the poor cannot access nor afford the Gautrain and it is unacceptable that they have to be made to foot the bill for this vanity project that caters for the well-off minority."

The feasibility study into the proposed Gautrain extensions was expected to be complete early in 2016.

M&R CLAIMS AGAINST GAUTRAIN

It appears uncertain whether the Gautrain system – previously expected to cost around R7 billion – came out to cost R30 or R35 billion in the end. Whatever the figure, it still has to be adjusted to include substantial claims against the entity by Murray & Roberts (M&R). One of these – relating to Sandton station - was finalised on 2 March 2016, awarding M&R more than R159 million. The others have still to be settled.

Any award that may be made in the "multi-million" Gautrain delay-and disruption-claim by the Bombela Concession company (BCC) against the Gauteng province will attract interest calculated from 2009, it is pointed out. This could amount to a further substantial sum. To date, "some" arbitration rulings have been made that – according to M&R - were largely in favour of BCC.

A ruling on extra costs relating to two cantilever bridges is expected before the end of 2016, but the rest of the claim will only be heard in 2017.

The Gautrain water ingress dispute between the Gauteng Province and the Bombela Concession Company (BCC) was ruled in favour of the province in 2013. In this case, M&R made provision of R300 million for its share of the potential cost that Bombela Civils Joint Venture (BCJV) might face. Disputes in respect of this claim are set down for a June 2016 court hearing.

GIBELA AT WOLMERTON

Until its new facilities at Dunnottar are ready for use, the Gibela consortium is to use testing arrangements at the Wolmerton depot owned by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). Prasa strategic asset development executive, Piet Sebola, explains that Wolmerton is being leased to Gibela in a phased approach. The first phase comprises upgrading Line 4, to accommodate the first two test trainsets from Brazil. A new workshop is to be made available to Gibela including Lines 5-7, Sebola says, probably by the beginning of April. When this phase is complete, Gibela will vacate Line 4. When Gibela vacates Wolmerton once the new plant at Dunnottar is completed, Lines 4-7 will revert to Prasa, for use in maintaining the new trains.

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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.

WEEDKILLER TRAIN BUT NO LINE

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has a designated train, which runs through certain branch lines in order to eradicate weeds. As the train drives down the tracks it sprays weed killer from nozzles attached to its side. However, this can only occur when a line exists where the weeds are growing.

duly ran out of rail, demonstrating convincingly that weed killer trains don’t run well on ballast. Jacque Wepener, who sent us photos, observes that this appears to have involved more than just one guy with a hacksaw blade.

According to the Daily Voice newspaper, 14-year-old Reagan Payne from Kuils River died after he allegedly fell out of a moving train in early February, while travelling home from school.

PUSHED OUT OF METRORAIL TRAIN

On 22 February, commuters reported a man being pushed out of a Metrorail train near Vereeniging. ER24 paramedics found the 23-year-old lying on the ground with a badly hurt leg. He was taken to hospital in "critical" condition.

DERAILMENT IN DOWNTOWN SHREVEPORT

On 18 February, "at least" seven wagons derailed and partially overturned in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana. The derailment occurred near the Holiday Inn in Lake Street. Heavy equipment was brought in to clear the scene. • On 2 November 1969, the

last passenger train to serve Shreveport arrived at the Union station. Two days later, the fine building caught fire and burned to the ground. Today only freight trains serve the city. Amtrak runs a 105km connecting bus service to the station at Longview in Texas, where passengers may board the Texas Eagle to Chicago.

TFR branch lines have fallen into disuse, and this unfortunately, includes Wolwehoek on the Free State main-line to Arlington, on the Kroonstad-Bethlehem section.

The Wolwehoek end is long gone, and not much in the way of trains runs from Arlington. It has probably been a good two weeks since the last train ran on the line. This has given ‘entrepreneurs’, with the right gear, plenty of time to help themselves to a kilometre or two of good steel rail near Heilbron, complete with sleepers.

Loco 35 256 and train, due for a spot of weed killing on 18 February,

Run out of track at Heilbron.

FIVE METRORAIL COACHES GUTTED AT PRETORIA

Three coaches from the Metroplus Express and two from the Business Express burned out in a fire inside Pretoria’s main station on 23 February. Four people were arrested. Two other trains were reportedly "pelted with stones" and a third was delayed approximately 30 minutes. Nobody was injured.

According to Metrorail provincial manager Tembela Kulu, 67 drivers and security guards had been attacked by commuters at Gauteng stations since November 2015.

TWO-YEAR-OLD FALLS FROM METRORAIL

A two-year-old girl fell from a Metrorail train between Cape Town’s Heathfield and Diep River stations on 22 February. She was taken to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital where she recovered from head injuries. She was travelling with her family, standing near a door in the packed morning peak-hour train. Apparently the door "suddenly opened" and she fell out.

Railway bridge across the Red River between Bossier and Shreveport, Louisiana, Photo: M Barera/Wikipedia.


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After the accident, the train was moved at low speed to Loughborough station where the passengers were detrained to continue their journeys on other services.

The wagon involved in the accident was part of a train, which had been loaded with aggregates, ready for departure the following day. It was being prepared for service by the member of staff at the time of the accident.

BARROW-ON-SOAR COLLISION

Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is looking into an accident that took place in Leicestershire. At around 10:27 on 14 February 2016, a passenger train collided with a conveyor boom projecting from an aggregates train standing in sidings at Barrow-on-Soar. The 10:20 from Leicester to York (East Midlands operating company), a seven-coach class 222 diesel multiple-unit, struck the boom of a wagon which was projecting over the line, at approximately 163 km/h. The maximum speed allowed for this type of train at this location is 176 km/h. The driver applied the emergency brakes and the train stopped approximately 1.21km from the point of impact.

The front coach of the train was damaged by the impact but did not derail. The unloading conveyor arm was also damaged. A member of staff who had been working on the conveyor was seriously injured and taken to hospital by air ambulance. Nobody on the train was injured, but reportedly the driver was "badly shaken".

EGYPTIAN TRAIN INTO CONCRETE WALL: 70 HURT

On 11 February, a train headed to the Egyptian capital from the temple city of Luxor, was involved in an accident in Bani Sueif province south, of Cairo. Altogether 70 passengers were reported hurt. According to the government health ministry, fifty-eight people were treated for their injuries and discharged, while the rest were kept under observation in hospital.

It appears that the train had been diverted onto a siding where it collided with a concrete wall. Eyewitnesses and others gave varying versions of what happened. In the words of one of these, "the train hit a cement wall while trying to avoid a second one heading in the opposite direction, causing two of its compartments to overturn."

Police arrested the driver.

DRIVER DIES IN DUTCH DERAILMENT

On 22 February, a near-empty passenger train travelling between the eastern Dutch cities of Emmen

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and had to be lifted by crane from the railway and transported by road back to the Northern Ireland Railways depot in Belfast.

The 06:25 was the first train to use the line following engineering work the night before. Routine maintenance work between Knockmore Junction and Moira (towards Portadown) required the use of two road-rail excavator vehicles and a trailer. During this work, staff were unaware that an excavator bucket was left on the track.

RVR RUNAWAY LOCO AT NAIROBI

On 10 February, a locomotive of the Rift Valley Railway (RVR) company reportedly ran away in Nairobi and travelled some 14km with nobody on board. Apparently the driver had problems with the braking system at Makadara station. When he discovered that he could not stop the unit, he bailed out, leaving it to proceed on its own. It passed through several stations including Mutindwa and Dandora before coming to a stand near Mwiki. Fortunately, there was no collision with another train and no injury to anyone. The government has ordered an investigation into the incident.

WEST WICKHAM DOOR ACCIDENT

Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into a serious accident at West Wickham station on 10 April 2015. At around 11:35, a passenger was dragged along the platform at West Wickham station, south London. When the 11:00 from London Cannon Street to Hayes (Kent) was departing, her backpack strap became trapped in the doors of the train. As it moved off, she fell onto the platform and then through the gap between the platform and train, suffering life-changing injuries.

The backpack strap became trapped when the train doors closed unexpectedly and quickly while she was alighting. Testing showed that this potentially unsafe situation could only occur when a passenger pressed a door-open button, illuminated to show it was available

for use, within a period of less than one second, beginning shortly after the train driver initiated the door closure sequence.

RAIB identified this door behaviour, which was not known to the owner or operator, and issued urgent safety advice. In response to this, the railway industry undertook a review which identified 21 other types of train that permit passenger doors to be opened for a short period after door closure is initiated by train crew. The industry is now seeking ways to deal with this risk.

The train was being driven by a trainee driver under the supervision of an instructor. The service was driver only operation, which meant that before leaving West Wickham station, and after all train doors were closed, drivers were required to check that it was safe to depart by viewing CCTV monitors located on the platform. Two of these monitor images showed that a passenger appeared to be trapped but, although visible from the driving cab, neither the trainee driver nor the instructor was aware of this. Although the RAIB has not been able to establish why the trapped passenger was not seen before the train departed, a number of possible explanations have been identified.

QUEEN’S PARK INCIDENT

Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has issued a preliminary report on an incident at Queen's Park on 5 January 2016, which is being investigated. At approximately 08:30, the 07:39 train from Bletchley to London Euston travelled at a speed of 120 km/h over a section of track near Queen's Park station, where an eight km/h emergency speed restriction

and Zwolle collided at speed with a crane crossing the line at a barrier-equipped crossing near Dalfsen, 125km east of Amsterdam. The four coaches derailed and were reported lying on their sides across the rails and in "waterlogged fields." The train driver died in the collision and seven passengers were injured, two being taken to hospital. The accident occurred at about 09:00. Had it been a little earlier, a crowded commuter train would have been involved. Police detained the driver of the crane for questioning.

UK PASSENGERS FAIL TO "MIND THE GAP"

Accidents involving passengers falling into the gap between train and platform have increased alarmingly, statistics show. In 2003, there were 56 incidents but the figure for 2014 was 298 - an increase of 432%. There are many contributory reasons. For one thing, passenger numbers overall have grown by 34% during that time. A total of 942 million passenger journeys in 2002/3 compare with 1.26 billion today.

IRISH TRAIN HITS EXCAVATOR BUCKET

The UK Rail Accident Investigation Branch(RAIB) is looking into a collision between a train and an excavator bucket at Knockmore Junction, County Antrim, Ireland, on 4 February 2016. The 06:25 of Northern Ireland Railways from Great Victoria Street, Belfast to Portadown, consisting of two class 3000, three-car diesel multiple units, was travelling at about 96km/h when it struck the bucket off an excavator. This was about 2.4km west of Lisburn station near Knockmore Junction. The driver applied brakes and stopped about 330 metres after the point of impact.

As the train pushed the bucket along the track, the leading vehicle was lifted off the rails as it rode over the obstruction. The train stopped with all wheels back on the rails and the excavator bucket wedged under the fuel tank, about 8-10 metres from the front of the vehicle.

One passenger received medical attention after the accident. The leading vehicle was badly damaged

CCTV monitors at West Wickham


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applied. The train (operated by the London Midland company), reporting number 2B14, consisted of three class 350 electric multiple units coupled together; a total of 12 coaches. It was being driven by a driver-manager who was being assessed, as part of a routine competence management process, by a second driver-manager travelling in the driving cab. No injuries or damage resulted from the incident, and the train continued normally to its destination.

The maximum speed generally permitted at this location is 120 km/h, but an emergency speed restriction had been imposed during the previous night after a cracked rail was found at a set of points near the east end of Queen's Park station. The correct lineside signs and warnings had been placed on the approach to the speed restriction, and a notice warning of the speed restriction had been correctly displayed on the late notices board at the drivers' depot. In addition, emails relating to the speed restriction had been sent to various London Midland managers, including the driver-managers involved in the incident.

DERAILMENT IN CALGARY

Nearly 300 local residents were left without power following the derailing of some 15 wagons in a Canadian Pacific freight train in south-east Calgary on 18 February. No injuries were reported. Early coverage of the accident had no word on any spillage or hazardous implications for the surrounding community.

BREWSTER, OHIO, DERAILMENT

1 February derailment in the village of Brewster, Ohio, sparked a fire between two wagons, one carrying butane. Because of fumes and the possibility of an explosion, Brewster police evacuated people within about a kilometre of the accident. Between 300 and 500 people were sent to Fairless high school as a precaution.

Ten fire departments, the Brewster police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Stark County hazmat team, the EPA and the train company were all on the scene.

TEARING UP 800M OF VICTORIAN TRACK

Problems with Melbourne’s suburban train services have cost the state of Victoria millions. Now 800 metres of newly-laid track are to be ripped up because of damage caused by suspected defective wheels on new rolling stock. Monash University rail experts are busy analysing what actually happened. The track replacement requires the shutdown of part of the regional rail link, which has been in full service for less than seven months.

Meanwhile, wheel failure has caused serious problems in the city, with the provision of buses to replace inoperable trains costing about A$250,000 a day. All told, 1,376 wheels on the "VLocity" fleet of 172 coaches are being assessed for replacement or reprofiling by manufacturer Bombardier. The repair work is expected to take until mid-year to complete.

CP DERAILS 15 WAGONS NEAR RENO

Late on 26 January, 15 wagons in a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train derailed near Reno, Minnesota. Six tankcars landed in the adjacent Mississippi River, spilling soybean oil.

Crews transferred soybean oil from the wagons lying in the water. A Canadian Pacific spokesman said it would take "several days" to clean up the area. Valves sustained damage on two of the tankcars that landed in the river, spilling 3,200 litres of oil to spill into the water. Concerned local environmental group CARS (Citizens Acting for Rail Safety) issued a statement on the incident:

"Today’s derailment involving a CP train hauling a variety of toxic materials brings to light the potential for serious accidents that can cause disastrous consequences to our communities and environment. If the rail car carrying sodium chlorate (a herbicide) had fallen into the river it would have been a serious disaster. So many other hazardous materials besides crude oil and ethanol traverse our area on a daily basis."

DEBRIS ON TRACK DERAILS PASSENGER TRAIN

The derailment of a train with about 40 passengers aboard at in Pompano Beach, Florida, on 28 January was due to debris on the track, according to the crew. Rail services were disrupted; they were replaced using buses between Pompano Beach and Cypress Creek stations. Reportedly one person was injured. A diesel spill from the locomotive was contained by railway staff. The cause of the derailment is being investigated.

BULGARIAN FREIGHT DERAILS

Bulgarski Durzhavni Zheleznitzi (BDZ – Bulgaria’s state railway) says four tankcars and five freight wagons carrying cement derailed at Dupnitsa station on 29 January, but nobody was injured. The train was travelling from Dimitrovgrad to either Blagoevgrad or Kulata. Track damage was speedily repaired, avoiding any service disruption between Sofia and Kulata.

IDAHO: 31 WAGONS DERAIL

On 10 February, 31 wagons carrying soda ash came off the track on the Union Pacific’s Nampa Subdivision in Eastern Idaho. Used as a domestic water softener, soda ash is not considered hazardous unless it seeps into waterways. A hazmat team was sent to the site to monitor the situation and ensure that no waterway became contaminated. The cause of the derailment is under investigation by Union Pacific, which said several days were needed to clear the site. The public were asked to avoid the area while efforts were made to clean up the spill.

DERAILMENT AT INDIANAPOLIS

On 19 February, an 111-wagon freight train bound for Cincinnati with two locomotives derailed two vehicles in its originating town, Indianapolis. Both fell on their sides. One wagon was carrying flour, the other lubricating oil. No one was injured in the accident, which is under investigation.


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PRASA’S LITANY OF WOE

Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) has been listening to a bewildering succession of strange stories from Prasa (the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa), which reported a loss of R1.18 million for the 2014/15 financial year.

The auditor-general, among other concerns mentioned in his report, listed "defective supply chain management systems", which led to irregular expenditure of R550 million, "fruitless and wasteful expenditure" of nearly R20 million and the awarding of "an unsolicited proposal to the value of R91 million".

There were "substantial inconsistencies" in contracts issued by Prasa, to the value of "billions of rands." They included an increase of R8 billion in a contract for new Metrorail trainsets and "non-compliance" when a R17.9 billion contract was awarded to "broad-based black economic empowerment equity partners". In addition, the agency failed to disqualify certain bidders for conflict of interest, as required by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

Prasa chairman Popo Molefe and acting CEO Nathi Khena admitted that supply chain management and record-keeping were not "up to scratch." Investigations are under way, they say, to hold those responsible accountable for fraud and contravening the PFMA.

A curious part of the story concerns the chief financial officer, who was appointed in June 2014. Since then, nobody had seen her until the parliamentary portfolio committee on transport somehow prevailed upon her to put in an appearance at its meeting in March 2016 – 21 months later. Khena told the committee "she has a medical condition that impacts on her performing duty".

Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters told Scopa she had never seen or met Prasa's CFO. Acting CEO Khena had never seen her either, "She hasn't been at work for quite a long time," he explained.

As in 2015, Prasa could not provide details of contracts under investigation. MPs asked if the Prasa board intends to resign because of its "messy internal affairs". "These are all legacy issues," Molefe responded. "There would be no basis for anyone to resign. Only some of these issues happened on our watch".

Members were told that Prasa is afflicted by a "culture of non-accountability, non-compliance, disregard for the law, multiple investigations, disciplinary cases and suspensions".

UK COMMUTERS PAY BLUE TRAIN RATES

The fares per kilometre on British commuter trains almost rival those on South Africa’s Blue Train, The Telegraph journalist Hugh Morris has worked out. The UK travellers do not always find seats, whereas Blue Train charges – at 64p per km - include beds, meals and drinks. London to Manchester (£166 for 275km) costs 60p per km, very nearly as much. The Heathrow Express used to be known as one of the costliest in Britain. However, a journey of 260 metres from Covent Garden to Leicester Square on the London tube (£4.90) works out at around 48p per km.

PREDICTING DELAYS

Stockholmståg, operator of commuter trains in Stockholm, has developed a mathematical algorithm enabling it to predict the extent of delays anywhere on the network up to two hours before they occur. Developed by Swedish mathematician and data scientist Wilhelm Landerholm, the "commuter prognosis" uses historic data to forecast the impact across the network when a train runs behind schedule. Landerholm explains: "Imagine that the commuter prognosis forecasts that a train will be 10 minutes late arriving at station C in two hours. The traffic control centre dispatches an extra train from station A that will arrive on time at station C. As soon as the extra train has set off, the algorithm recalculates and provides the traffic control centre with an updated forecast for the entire network within minutes. "According to Stockholmståg, automated forecasting will enable it to improve service levels "significantly".

"Due to technical problems, there will be no trains from this platform until further notice". Photo: Jacque Wepener


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Railways Africa: Issue 2 - 2016

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