Railways Africa - Issue 3

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Publisherbarbara sheat

eDiTOr rollo Dickson

sub eDiTOr Carel Mulder

CONTribuTOrsJohn batwellPeter bagshawe

DesiGN AND lAYOuTCraig DeanGrazia Mutolindsey Patterson

ADVerTiseMeNT DesiGN & PhOTOGrAPhYCraig Dean

subsCriPTiONs Kim bevan

Compressor and engine engineering 2

Opinion: Pete the Pundit 4

railway Profile: Namibia 8

Africa upDate 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 |18

sA railNews 20 | 22 | 24 |28 | 30

launch: NOC Centre 32

Customer Day: bombardier 34

events 36

Mishaps 38

Gautrain 42

book review 46

Middle east upDate 48

railway heritage 50

end of the line 52

rail link Communications ccP.O. box 4794 rANDburG 2125Tel: +27 72 340 5621skype: railwaysafricae-mail: [email protected]: www.railwaysafrica.com

Contents

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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 unless otherwise stated.

Transnet Freight rail CeO siyabonga Gama, quoted by engineering News, says he is reversing spoornet’s “quite perplexing” policy in the recent past of reducing volumes. “if you want to make money, you need to grow the railway, not shrink it.”

This is fighting talk, given the somewhat less constructive ideas his predecessors seemed to have in mind. All strength to Gama’s hand – and our congratulations on the National business leader of the Year award.

COMPRESSOR AND ENGINE ENGINEERING

3 | 2008 RAILWAYS AFRICA 1www.railwaysafrica.com

C&e engineering

being one of only a handful of engineering companies that have been approved by the sArCC (south African rail Commuter Corporation) to refurbish compressors and exhausters on undercarriage components for Metrorail coaches. Compressor and engine engineering prides itself on its unique products and excellent service delivery.

The company was established in 1989. based in the boksburg area, it focused on the commercial compressed air industry. Over the years it moved into the locomotive industry and it is this industry that has become the mainstay of the company.

The main business is the manufacturing of compressed air and exhauster components for the locomotive/metro industries, as well as the repair and servicing of all makes of compressors. The company now possesses extensive facilities, enabling it to perform a large variety of work in both AC and DC applications.

Compressor and engine engineering’s impressive list of clients includes sArCC’s Metrorail business in Cape Town, Pretoria, braamfontein and Durban, as well as union Carriage, Wictra holdings, Transnet rail engineering and the recently established Naledi rail engineering.

The business consists of three separate divisions:• Engineering• Componentrefurbishment• Commercialcompressorrefurbishment

COMPRESSOR AND ENGINE ENGINEERINGEnginEEring division

This division is responsible for the manufacturing of components for rolling stock. it manufactures parts such as pistons, rotors, revolving liners, white-metal bearings and other components for both diesel and electric locomotives. Crankshafts and valves are also refurbished by this division.

The company currently has a contract with Transnet for the resleeving of Wabco cylinders. it has the capability to resleeve cylinders from 1 inch up to 35 inches.

ComponEnt rEfurbishmEnt division

The assembly and testing of rolling stock components is the main focus of this division which undertakes the complete refurbishment of undercarriage equipment in Metrorail coaches. These components include Dh 16, VV 64 and CM 38 compressors, and lPs 54, lPs 44 and 6x8s exhausters. This division also refurbishes Wabco expressors as well as the Gardner Denver expressors used in the diesel locomotive industry.

CommErCial ComprEssor rEpair division

This division services and repairs all types of compressors and is an approved distributor for Compair south Africa, allowing the company to sell new compressors up to 250kW.

VAnE-tEc coMprEssor

Compressor and engine engineering enjoys a unique advantage in that the company has developed the Vane-tec compressor (with the assistance of the sArCC) for the Metrorail coach business. Approximately three years ago, sArCC identified a need to replace the ageing compressors on their metro coaches. Compressor and engine engineering developed the Vane-tec compressor for this application. The air-end, developed specifically for the rail industry, is supplied by Compair south Africa which has extensive experience in the rail industry, having units working in 27 different rail applications throughout the world. Transvaal electrical, a south African-based company, has wide experience in DC motor applications for the rail industry and supplies the motor for the Vane-tec compressor.

Although this rotary vane compressor is already used in 27 rail-related systems world-wide, it is unique within the rail industry in south Africa.

The Vane-tec compressor is available in AC and DC versions and has the following benefits:more efficient than piston units •vane-type compressors run at slower speeds than screw-type compressors •compact and simple in design •quick and easy to install •inexpensive and economical to run •quiet performance •full back-up and support available •oil temperature cut-out •energy saving •direct drive •

RAILWAYS AFRICA 3 | 20082 www.railwaysafrica.com

C&e engineering

For further information please contact:

Gavin Acar

c&E Engineering6 bain street, boksburg east, south Africa

Tel: 011 914 1093/4Fax: 011 914 1113email: [email protected]

Lp X54 EXHAustEr

The lP X54 exhauster was developed in conjunction with the Vane-tec compressor as these components work in sets on metro coaches.

Compressor and engine engineering has improved this exhauster to run at 80°C, thus allowing the unit to re-circulate its oil and reduce the need for maintenance.

otHEr proDucts

vaCuum filtEr systEm

The company has also improved and developed a vacuum filter system to replace the ageing system on Metrorail units.

The use of this system leads to a 20 to 30% reduction in non-conformity experienced by exhausters and also has the following benefits:

low maintenance •easy to service •indicator showing blockages •service inspection only once per year •

vaCuum brakE CylindErs

The company manufactures and refurbishes the 21 inch vacuum brake cylinders used on Metrorail coaches.


opinion

thE priCE WE pay for fuElGoing far beyond the rand-per-litre thing at the pump, the ramifications of the price we pay for fuel become more widespread every day. The increase in south African commuter rail patronage is unsurprising: many people who drove to work previously simply cannot afford to continue. For the immediate present, spare capacity still exists in some Metroplus (former first class) coaches, even if third class accommodation tends to be overloaded.

PETE THE PUNDIT looks at thePRICE WE PAY FOR FUEL, CTC SIGNALLINGand RDC IN AFRICA

CtC signallingit seems ironic that electric colour-light signalling under centralised traffic control (ctc) is currently being introduced to supersede semaphores on the Johannesburg-bloemfontein main-line north of Kroonstad; ironic because – in the very recent past, ctc was dismantled on the same line south of bloemfontein. Difficulty in coping with continuing vandalism of equipment was the main reason advanced at the time, though steadily reducing traffic volumes no doubt entered the picture. This 136km ctc section to springfontein from hamilton (3km south of bloemfontein) came into use early in the nineteen-sixties. in fact, it was one of the first ctc installations in south Africa – though all the main-lines of the former rhodesian railways system, today’s Zambian and Zimbabwe networks, were ctc-controlled by then.

relentless continuing increases in the fuel price, which show no sign of slackening, will quickly fill what little space is left. What happens then? replying to complaints about cancelled trains, Metrorail invariably blames a critical shortage of rolling stock. According to s A Commuter Corporation CeO lucky Montana, well over a third of the fleet of 4,600 coaches is unserviceable. Averaging nearly 40 years in age, further refurbishment, he says, is becoming uneconomic – the technology is “obsolete”.

in any event, with the exception of parts of Cape Town, Metrorail penetration into areas of high car usage is poor. People unable to access trains must look to road-based public transport - with fares inextricably tied to the cost of fuel.

Trains on non-electrified lines – 99% freight carriers - are in a similar boat. inevitably, the spiralling cost of running diesel locomotives has to be passed on to the customer. but there is another aspect to consider. The huge percentage of goods currently conveyed by road (at least 90%) depends entirely on fuel. The extent to which its cost has risen – and continues to rise – makes a mockery of using road in preference to rail – electric rail, that is. According to Cargo info Africa, the third consecutive diesel price hike in three months has pushed up the cost of moving a container from Durban to Gauteng by r1,000. before long, we shall no longer need government persuasion to consign by rail – road will have priced itself out of thinking about.

it is going to be a little late regretting our neglect of railways these past fifteen years. Now, not only do we have insufficient capacity to move the modest amount of freight still left on rail – there is no surplus availability to handle what may well become very real volumes.

here is that question again – what happens then?

Anything that uses fuel oil is becoming expensive to run.

In the early nineties, preparations were made to bring the 160km Hamilton-Beaconsfield (Kimberley) line under ctc, but the project was dropped, even though elaborate colour-light signalling was already in operation at the seven intermediate stations (that at De Brug seen here), and all points – including the “skilpad” derailer - were operating electrically.

Up home signal at Paarl, 58km from Cape Town on the main-line: still mechanically signalled in 2008.

in the Western Cape, more than 20 years have elapsed since the 102km Wellington-Worcester portion of the main-line was brought under ctc. since then, ctc has been introduced gradually northwards, and now extends all the way to Gauteng. south of Wellington however, station-to-station control still applies as far as brackenfell, almost 50km, with two of the intermediaries – Paarl and huguenot – still using mechanical boxes to control the busy double track (which also handles Metrorail services), with semaphore signalling. Mechanically worked points are to be found, too, at Klapmuts, Kraaifontein junction and brackenfell, though the signals at these places are electric.

The important junction at bellville, only 20km from the main Cape Town terminus, was also separately controlled until two years ago, when it was incorporated into the area-wide ctc system. The Windermere ctc centre now manages the rest of the Cape Town suburban network as far as Kuils river, on the line to sir lowry’s Pass and bredasdorp. station-to-station control survives beyond, including the stellenbosch loop. eersterivier junction has been all-electric for around 30 years, but further outlying stations still rely on Mr van schoor’s single-line

tablet system, complemented with semaphore signals. electrification continues as far as the strand branch from van der stel junction, today the last signalled station. The rest of the line, including the pass, uses radio token working.


HEAD OFFICE127 Villiers Road Walmer 6070

With the addition of new powerful state of the art Diesel Locomotives to our fleet, we have taken service excellence to the next level....

PO Box 15148 Emerald Hill 6011 Port Elizabeth South Africa

Tel: +27 (041) 581 4400 Fax: +27 (041) 581 4474Email: [email protected] Website: www.sheltam.com

Sheltam adv.indd 1 2007/05/19 02:55:26 PM

opinion

rdC in afriCaThe railroad Development Corporation (rDC) is a privately held Pittsburgh-based railway management and investment company, focusing – to quote its website - on “emerging Corridors in emerging Markets.” Africa, with many emerging corridors in emerging markets and a host of underperforming railways, bristles with scope for the sort of know-how that rDC has to offer. Many African countries that inherited functioning and well-maintained systems at independence subsequently ran into trouble and they look to outside expertise to work miracles with quick-fix solutions.

Governments change of course, as the people running them change. A government that agrees on one point today may see matters differently tomorrow. Patience is invariably a scarce virtue either way, so running a state-owned railway in Africa under concession tends to be a risky business. Corredor de Desenvolvimento do Norte (CDN), the consortium formed in 2003 to manage the port of Nacala and run Mozambique’s northern railway,

could not work magic fast enough. rDC, having put the virtually derelict line back on its feet despite all manner of problems – not least a succession of devastating floods – has now withdrawn from CDN, in company with other us investors who put much into a deal that was supposed to

run for 15 years. rDC says: “We are selling our interests to Mozambiquan entities at a profit, reflecting acknow-ledgement by a third party investor that there has been significant value created. it is our intention to redeploy the profit generated by this transaction elsewhere in Africa.”

The 615km railway from Nacala connects at entre lagos with Malawi railways, run by concessionaire Central east African railways (CeAr) since 1999. The key player in this consortium happens to be rDC, with much to show for what it has put to rights and achieved.

At the 2008 Africa rail Awards in June, recently retired CeAr general manager robert Nkana received the lifetime Achievement Award,with CeAr itself in second place as best Concessionaire. Nkana, who holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, served 10 years as secretary-general of the union of African railways (uAr). his innovative railway skills and leadership, says rDC, were “significant factors in the transition of CeAr from state ownership to a privatised, successful transportation company.”

Sales and rentals of locomotives, trackmobiles and other rolling stock.Repair/reconditioning of locomotives, trackmobiles and other rolling stock in our Pretoria West based workshop and on site.Repair/reconditioning of all locomotive and other rolling stock equipment (engines, bogies, turbo chargers, air and vacuum brake valves and auxiliaries, compressors and exhausters, couplers and draft gears ect.)Service exchange components for most major items on present day locomotives, which include traction motors bogies, power packs, expressors and main generators ect.A full range of spare parts for locomotives and rail wagons, most of which are available off the shelf.Sales and rentals of electric, mechanical and air jacking systems for the lifting of locomotives and rail wagons ect, on site.Operation and control of entire rail systems ranging from the maintenance of customers own locomotives and rolling stock to the control and transport of their products and the maintenance of their railway tracks and switch/signalling systems.

SPECIALIZING IN THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY

OPERATIONS & WORKSHOP

No1 Frikkie Meyer RoadPretoria WestGautengRepublic of South Africa

Tel: +27 12 307-7251Fax: +27 12 [email protected]

HEAD OFFICE

P.O Box 40178Cleveland2022Republic of South Africa

93 Whitworth RoadHeriotdale, JohannesburgGautengRepublic of South Africa

Tel: +27 11 626-3516Fax: +27 11 626-1171/[email protected]

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CD228_ARTS_Adv.indd 1 2007/05/21 01:29:43 PM

Rites of India arranged the recent delivery to CDN of two refurbished, regauged 1,350hp locos in terms of a five-year, US1.3m lease.

One of four locomotives imported by RDC early in 2007 for CDN, seen shunting at Nampula.


C R E A T I V E I N V E S T M E N T S W W W . N L P I . N E T

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Our involvement in infrastructure development in Southern Africa has spanned more than a decade.Our strong track record is a living testament to what can be achieved by working together.

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railway profile: namibia

NAMIBIA’S RAILWAYSby John Batwellback in 1884, Namibia became a German protectorate. After the First World War and Germany’s defeat and reparations, a league of Nation’s mandate handed the territory to south Africa to administer. During this time it was known as south West Africa (sWA). Following a long, protracted war of attrition, it finally became Namibia in 1990.

The colourful history of the country is reflected in its railways - the fine rail museum in Windhoek is testimony to that. it was the German government that laid the first railway of any significance, after the protectorate became a colony. in 1897 a 600mm gauge military railway was started eastwards from swakopmund for the German campaign against the hereros. This saw the origins of the “staatsbahn” (state railway). The first 1,067mm gauge, characterising the regional systems on the continent today, was seen in 1905, when construction started on the line inland from luderitz, reaching Keetmanshoop in 1908 and Windhoek in 1912. Further impetus came when south African allied forces advanced into the colony during the 1914-18 conflict. The line was rapidly extended westwards from Prieska through upington and then across the border, and army engineers converted the 600mm gauge railway inland from Walvis bay (but not the line to Tsumeb) to 1,067mm.

tHE LinEsFor many years until recently, Namibia’s network comprised 2, 382km of track, but current northward expansion towards the Angolan border has augmented the total length. The main-line runs south to north from the town of upington in south Africa’s Northern Cape Province, entering Namibia near the small border station of Nakop. At seeheim, 314km from Nakop, a branch runs westwards to lüderitz (317km), a minor harbour. The main-line continues northwards through the towns of Keetmanshoop and Mariental to the capital, Windhoek. From here the railway continues first north and then generally south-west to swakopmund (370km), turning south to the country’s major port, Walvis bay (410km). At Kranzberg junction, 210km from Windhoek, an important line runs north-east to Tsumeb (387km). From Otjiwarongo on this section (205km from Kranzberg), a branch runs

north-westwards to Outjo (69km). A second branch runs east from Otavi (203km from Kranzberg) to Grootfontein (91km). important railway workshops are based at usakos, 11km west of Kranzberg.

A branch from Windhoek runs 221km eastward to the livestock town of Gobabis.

GAuGE & MotiVE poWEr conVErsionDuring the years when the south West African lines were operated by the south African railways (sAr) administration, some 547km of 600mm gauge track were converted to 1,067mm and steam was replaced with diesel power. The vast areas with almost no water and the fact that coal had to be transported from the Witbank coalfields made it expedient to terminate the use of steam traction as early as 1962. Two years earlier the last of the narrow gauge lines had disappeared, enabling this decision. by July 1960 the 1,067mm gauge was uniform throughout the country. The 600mm gauge locomotives and rolling stock – which included a unique narrow-gauge sleeping car – were transferred for further use in south Africa.

tHE DiEsELsThe first diesel locomotives seconded to the south West system comprised General electric u18C1 type units, built in 1958 (sAr class 32). later, examples of the American manufacturer’s u20C model, delivered to the sAr between 1966 and 1970 and classified 33, went to south West.

in May 1985, the roads, rail and harbours were placed under the authority of the territory’s government, but south African Transport services (which had superseded sAr) continued to manage the system.

nEW ErA – AnD nEW LiVErYOn 16 May 1986 the first locomotives in south West Africa’s own livery were ceremoniously introduced at Windhoek station. The transport minister at the time noted that the diesel units’ new colour scheme symbolised the transfer of the territory’s complete rail system to it as a national asset. in 1987 the National Transport Corporation Act (NTC) was adopted by the sWA/Namibia national assembly and signed into law by the administrator-general.



The NTC was a private company with its entire shareholding held by government. Assets worth some r150m were transferred to the NTC. These included 128 diesel locomotives, 180 passenger coaches and 2,900 goods wagons. The National Transport Corporation ltd adopted a new name – TransNamib – in July 1988.

cHinA EntErs tHE picturETransNamib holdings ltd was established in terms of the National Transport services holding Company Act of 1998, thus becoming the successor to TransNamib ltd. it is wholly owned by the government of Namibia. Namibia’s first president from 1990, sam Nujoma, was in office until 2005, in time to witness the further growth of the national railway system and the opening of the completed 89km from Tsumeb to Oshivelo of the new northern extension. Nujoma’s tenure of office also witnessed Namibia’s start of a Chinese economic liaison – four Ziyang CKD8C type locomotives, a diesel multiple unit (DMu) for the new northern line, and thirty tank cars being delivered to the country during 2004.

TransNamib’s first Chinese-built motive power delivered in 2004 – Ziyang Loco Works’ CKD8C.

On 15 July 2006, thousands gathered to witness the official opening by the new president hifikepunye Pohamba of the new Nehale lyapingana station at Ondangwa, formally signifying completion of the initial phase of Namibia’s new northern extension. The 246,5km from Tsumeb was completed at a cost of N$841 million in only four years, work having started on 12 June 2002. Financing came from the Arab bank for economic Development in Africa ($us4.9 million) and the Kuwait Fund for Arab economic Development ($8.96 million). Altogether 19,148 local people were employed on the project. in addition, about 44,000 volunteers from the public and private sector helped with the work, including former president sam Nujoma. Other stopping places built include Dr sam Nujoma station at Oshivelo and Omuthiya-Gwiipundi.

Altogether, some 25,000 tonnes of rails were laid on about 352,000 concrete sleepers, all cast at Tsumeb. Today, passenger trains connect Ondangwa and Windhoek in 10 hours.

Construction of phase 2, to Oshikango (55km) on the Angolan border, is in hand, and a branch to Oshakati will follow. A 250km extension across the border is envisaged, to link eventually near Cassinga with a line (currently under rehabilitation) which runs to the Angolan port of Namibe. iron-ore from mines near Cassinga may be exported through Walvis bay at some future date.



LÜDEritZ brAncHAt the same time when TransNamib’s northern extension was being built, rehabilitation of the 139km Aus-lüderitz line was in progress. This has embraced the use of tubular track, a unique track system designed, developed and patented by south African firm Tubular Track Technology. replacing conventional sleepers and ballast, it is made up of twin reinforced concrete beams, linked with steel gauge-bars, on which the rails are continuously supported. To insulate the structure from shock when trains pass, rubber-bonded cork pads are placed between the rails and beams. The ballastless system is well suited to extreme temperature variations that characterise desert areas. The extensive sand dunes encountered as the route approaches lüderitz created serious problems for the original railway. instead of burying the rails – a frequent occurrence in the past – sand now blows through the clear space beneath the beams. rehabilitation of the branch will benefit the movement of export zinc and copper from the skorpion and rosh Pinah mines.

nEW MotiVE poWErDuring 2007, TransNamib expanded its motive power fleet with the delivery of 17 sifang-built sDD6 type diesel locomotives at a cost of N$250 million. The purchase was funded through a loan with the export and import bank of China. rolling stock acquired included 200 wagons from China, including tankcars for transporting fuel and chemicals.

in March 2006, rail india Technical and economic services ltd (rites) signed a Memorandum of understanding (Mou) with TransNamib holdings ltd, in terms of which assistance and expertise is to be provided in upgrading existing railway and other infrastructure including a train control system using GPs-based technology; the rehabilitation of aged u20C locomotives and supply of new Cape-gauge railcars; technical and managerial assistance; advisory services for Public Private Partnership (PPP) and training for commercial and operating staff.

trAnsnAMib LooKs AHEADMeanwhile TransNamib has invited swedish companies to partner the state-owned company in its $us1 billion refurbishment exercise. New TransNamib CeO Titus haimbili says the parastatal needs to upgrade its infrastructure to handle a 18.5 tonne axle load. Further loco-motive refurbishment and acquisitions are mooted. Whilst Namibia’s railways experienced financial losses in the 1990s, things have taken a turn for the better, with TransNamib holdings reporting an annual profit every year since 2003.

As to future network development, an extension of the Gobabis line, to connect with botswana’s main-line at Palapye has been proposed. More recently, an extension from Grootfontein has been mooted, to run to Katimo Mulilo on the Zambian border, from where a connection to livingstone is contemplated. The most ambitious scheme envisaged is for a “1,600km, multi-billion-dollar, electrified Trans-Kalahari railway” running from Palapye in east central botswana past the Morupule Colliery, then by way of Mariental, Maltahohe and Aus in Namibia to a new harbour at shearwater bay, 30km south of lüderitz. The project is being undertaken by a consortium of companies from Namibia, south Africa and Canada, including sekunjalo, Kumba resources, siemens Transportation systems and energem resources.

According to the promoters, it will be the first electrified railway in botswana and Namibia, the first heavy-haul line in either, and the longest heavy-haul line on the continent.

in fact, it won’t be the first electric railway in Namibia. An extensive network of 600mm gauge lines developed after 1905 in the restricted “diamond” area south of Kolmanskop, extending initially to bogenfels and later – after this section was lifted in 1931 - to Oranjemund. Due to the absence of water, much of this system was electrified with overhead wires at 500V DC. sixteen electric locos were still listed in 1964, but the railway has since closed.

TransNamib’s latest Chinese diesel locomotives – a pair of the 17 Sifang SDD6 units

The Luderitz branch: a General Electric U20C locomotive on tubular track.


SPECIALIST CASTINGS FOR THE RAILROAD INDUSTRYSPECIALIST CASTINGS FOR THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY

Tel: +27 11 842-9000 • Fax: +27 11 842-9710Website: www.scaw.co.za

The Scaw Metals Group (Scaw) is an international group, manufacturing a diverse range of steel products. Its principaloperations are located in South Africa, South America, Canada and Australia. Smaller operations are in Namibia,Zimbabwe and Zambia. Scaw’s specialist castings for the railroad industry include bogies used in freight cars,locomotives and passenger cars. Other products manufactured include:

Freight car castings:• Side Frames • Bolsters• Yokes • Cast steel monobloc wheels• Draw-gear components• Centre plates

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

steel, manufactured to customer requirements

Passenger car castings:• High speed, high stability radial axle bogies for motored

and unmotored passenger vehicles• Self steering bogies• Fully machined frames ready for assembly into bogies,

including the fitting of bushings and wear plates• Integrally cast brake hanger brackets and mounting

for auxiliary equipment

Scaw has produced castings for the railroad industry since 1921and is a technological leader in this field and has participated in thedevelopment of unique designs such as the cast adaptor sub-frameassembly used in the “Scheffel” radial axle truck.

Scaw manufactures castings under licence to various licensors, butis an open foundry with the capability to undertake work accordingto individual customer requirements. The company has producedthousands of sets of steel castings for freight cars for both the localand export markets. These include side frames and bolsters thathave been approved by the Association of American Railroads foruse on North American railroads.

Scaw supplies globally and also offers nationwide distributionin South Africa through its strategically located branchesthroughout the country.

RAILWAYS ADVERT lk 15/4/08 22:32 Page 1

afriCa Update

ANGOLAnamibE CommutEr sErviCErail commuter service into the southern Angolan port of Namibe, 250km north of the Cunene river on the border with Namibia, is to be restored shortly. since January, work has concentrated on the first 30km of line out of the town. Caminhos de ferro Namibe (CFN) official Paulo Ndala told the Angolan News Agency that the revived commuter trains will link the centre with saco-Mar and Giras.

Meanwhile the $us1.2 billion rehabilitation project continues on the rest of CFl’s 756km line to Menongue, and the two branches – 100km to Chiange and 80km to Cassinga. eventually it is hoped to link Cassinga, where there are deposits of high grade iron-ore, with Oshikango on Namibia’s northern border. This is the endpoint of TransNamib’s northern extension, currently under construction. both railways use the 1,067mm gauge.

CFN expects to carry about 2 million passengers annually, and move some 15 million tonnes of goods.

[CFN, known formerly as the Moçâmedes railway, was originally laid to 600mm gauge. it was widened some 50 years ago. – editor]

EGYPTEgyptian Crossing problEmsAccording to egypt’s official MeNA news agency, at least 37 people were killed and 38 injured on 16 July when a truck pushed waiting vehicles onto the track at a level crossing 80km east of Mersa Matruh on the northern egyptian coast. A bus, a truck and several cars were hit by the locomotive of a passenger train travelling at speed. Four coaches derailed, two overturned on top of two cars, but the loco did not leave the track. emergency vehicles sent to the scene included ambulances from Cairo, several hundred kilometres away.

in a concentrated effort to reduce collisions at the busiest of egypt’s 1,300 level crossings, invensys rail Group (irG), a specialist in rail control and automation systems, is making proposals to the country’s Department of Transport. To meet the specific demands of egyptian railways in terms of its geography, climate and the location of the crossings, invensys aims to adapt technology it has developed for applications on railways throughout the world.

Impressive Henschel-built Garratt no 102 of 1953, one of six on the Moçâmedes Railway displaced by diesel power before 1970 (photo: P F Bagshawe).

Cfl – a million passEngErsbetween January and May 2008, more than a million passengers were carried by Caminhos de ferro de luanda (CFl) between the Musseques and Viana stations. Operations head Aurélio russo told the Angolan news agency Angop that 99,176 people out of a total of 1,227,206 were carried by the express train which makes two weekday trips at a fare of 200 Angolan Kwanzas (about $us2). The ordinary train, consisting of 12 coaches, makes four weekday journeys and two on saturdays at a fare of 30 Kwanzas (about 30 us cents).

KENYArift vallEy railWays During July, rift Valley railways (rVr), the holder of the 25-year concession to operate the lines in Kenya and part of uganda, took two Kenyan investor companies on board. in August, it appointed brown Ondego as executive chairman, a new post, and is entering into a Technical service Agreement (TsA) with PDl Toll - a subsidiary of Australia’s Toll holdings - which is providing senior management personnel and related technical services to rVr. roy Puffet has stepped down as managing director (though retaining his directorship), the new CeO being PDl nominee Kevin Whiteway. rVr, Ondego explains, now has access to “PDl Toll’s back office support including finance, purchasing power, risk and training expertise.”

speaking for rVr consortium member Centum investment Company, managing director Peter Mwangi told business

BOTSWANAbotsWana loCo rEfurbishEdin May, botswana railways (br) GM-built diesel-electric locomotive bD 220 was handed over following refurbishment in the bulawayo shops of the National railways of Zimbabwe (NrZ). The overhaul, in terms of a bi-lateral arrangement for the repair of traction and rolling stock concluded in 2004, was completed in 45 days. br supplied all requisite spares, including injectors, turbo blower, engine protector, traction motors, brake cylinders, bogie cylinders, and bogie springs.

4 - 6 march 2009Cape Town


afriCa Update

Daily (published in Nairobi) that little return is expected for between five and ten years. “it’s a long-term investment and a lot of rehabilitation of infrastructure has to take place before we can reap returns,” he points out.

The first delivery of new locomotives ordered by rVr is scheduled in August 2009, three months before the performance review due two years into the concession. however, Kenyan and uganda government dissatisfaction with rVr progress in the 18 months since it took over management of the railway has resulted in demands for an immediate assessment.

business Daily recalls that “Kenya’s rail infrastructure and rolling stock were in appalling condition at takeover, with many locomotives inoperable. Persisting unrest in the wake of the late-December elections saw kilometre-long sections of the main-line removed near Nairobi. in recent weeks, flood damage to ancient, ill-maintained bridgework in uganda put everything out of action again, this time for at least two months.”

[exactly the words we used in recent editorial comment. Great minds, it seems, still think alike. – editor]

kisumu linE rEpairsrVr is making comprehensive repairs to the Nakuru-Kisumu line, temporarily closed due to damage to bridges and culverts, and the destruction and/or theft of fishplates, pandrol clips,

sleepers and sections of rail. More than seven bridges were sabotaged in the five

months to June 2008, during which 127 instances of vandalism were reported. According to outgoing rVr CeO roy Puffet, “The vandalism, geared at causing fatal derailments on the railway, has been expertly perpetrated by person(s) with clear technical railway know-how.”

MALAWImalaWi CEntEnaryOn 17 June 2008, the centenary of the arrival of the first train at blantyre (on 1 March 1908) was commemorated by celebrations attended by President bingu Mutharika. he visited a photograph exhibition at limbe station before proceeding to the Ferries football ground in blantyre where the festivities took place.

Originally established in 1902 as the shire highlands railway, the name was changed to Nyasaland railways in 1909 and Malawi railways limited in 1964. Following privatisation in 1999, the system became Central east African railways (CeAr) with railroad Development Corporation of the usA as a major shareholder.

CeAr achievements mentioned to the Nyasa Times by public relations and administration officer Daniel undani, include the introduction of radio communication between locomotive drivers and central control, the reinstating of the rivirivi bridge following severe washaways some years ago and the setting up of a fully fledged safety department.

undani concedes that competition from road hauliers is affecting the company’s performance, though some areas are accessible to rail only.

encroachment on the railway reserve is a problem, with agricultural activity too close to the line resulting in washaways during heavy rain. “Another serious problem,” undani told the paper, “is vandalism of the railway structures.”

CeAr statistics reflect that 400,000 tonnes of freight were carried by the railway in 2007, compared with only 150,000 tonnes in 2001. Passenger totals of a million are expected in 2008, up from 650,000. Planned augmentation of the present 14 passenger coaches will make it possible to extend commuter service at blantyre and lilongwe. CeAr also plans to bring in six additional locomotives, raising the fleet total to 22.

MOROCCOhigh spEEd in moroCCoAccording to Office National des Chemins de fer (ONCF - the national railway of Morocco), work on the new $us2.7 billion high-speed railway system is to start this year. Totalling some 1,500km, the network will include an Atlantic route connecting Tanger, Casablanca and Marrakech with Agadir and laâyoune; as well as the Maghreb line from rabat to Fès, Oujda and possibly Alger. it is hoped to complete the project by 2013, when it is estimated that eight million passengers will be carried annually. Journey time for 400km journeys between Casablanca and Tanger will reduce from five hours 45 minutes to 2 hours 10 minutes.

One line will run for 200km from Tanger to Kénitra, and the other for 170km from settat to Marrakech. between the two, trains will use part of the existing Fès - rabat - Casablanca line which is being double-tracked and upgraded for 200km/h operation. Other plans envisage spending $us755m in the north of the country, including the modernising of stations and building a 43km link between Tanger and the new Tanger-Mediterranean port development.


afriCa Update

MOZAMBIQUEmoZambiQuE’s marromEu branChreconstruction of Mozambique’s sena line is now complete as far as Marromeu, the Zambezi river terminus of an 80km branch from inhamitanga, 175km from beira. export sugar will comprise the principal traffic on this section. limestone from Muanza (128km from beira), is being moved 100km on the main-line to the cement factory in Dondo. Timber from Cheringoma will also be carried on the railway.

According to sofala Provincial Director of Transport and Communications, Manuel Guimaraes, a further 12 months is needed to finish rehabilitation of the entire 590km sena line to the coal mines at Moatize and on to Tete, the endpoint. The work is being carried out by a consortium comprising rail india Technical and economic services ltd (rites) and ircon international (riCON), which won the concession covering the entire central system of Caminhos de ferro do Moçambique. Progress is being impeded by vandalism. At the partly rebuilt station at savane, thieves have stolen the newly installed doors and windows.

No trains have run on the sena line since 1983, due to the large-scale removal of track by renamo rebels. in 1986, a section of the 3km Zambezi bridge at Dona Ana, the longest in Africa, was blown up.

The total estimated cost for the revamping of infrastructure, establishing and constructing new lines, and buying in new passenger coaches and freight wagons totals about $us1.044 billion.

transnamib goEs digitalin terms of an agreement with south Korea’s samsung signed on 11 July, TransNamib is to replace its analogue communication system with digital equipment. TransNamib CeO Titus haimbili was quoted by the Namibian (published in Windhoek) saying that among many benefits, maintenance costs would be reduced and drivers would be prevented from exceeding speed restrictions.

“Other benefits of a digital system are that the need for rail maintenance could be predicted by simply using onboard equipment to detect changes in the rail, and accurate

Cfm traffiC According to the Maputo daily “Noticias”, Caminhos de ferro do Moçambique (CFM – the state railway) handled 1,65 million tonnes of freight in the first five months of 2008, an increase of 9.2% on the same period in 2007. This growth occurred exclusively on the southern rail system (which is managed by CFM), comprising the lines from Maputo to south Africa, swaziland and Zimbabwe. Together these lines carried 1,477 million tonnes.

Mozambique’s two other functioning lines - from beira to Zimbabwe, and from the northern port of Nacala to Malawi - were run until mid 2008 by consortia headed by private companies. between them, they handled only 173,000 tonnes of freight from January to May, a decline of 43.7% compared with 2007. The Nacala line concession was reconstituted recently with solely Mozambiquan membership.

Of course, there has been a huge reduction in Zimbabwean trade. in the first five months of 2007, the Mozambican lines (to beira and Maputo) handled 202,200 tonnes to and from Zimbabwe, a figure that fell to 186,200 tonnes in the same period this year.

The ressano Garcia line from Maputo to south Africa handled 1,063 million tonnes, of which 34,000 tonnes was Mozambican domestic traffic, and the rest was international (mainly south African). Traffic on the Goba line to swaziland increased by 53.5% - mainly consisting of coal and containerised goods.

NAMIBIAhugE transnamib dEvElopmEnt plansTransNamib needs to upgrade its infrastructure to handle 18,5 tonne axle-loads at 80km/h (current 40km/h) says newly appointed Chief executive Officer Titus haimbili, quoted by New era, published in Windhoek. The estimated cost is $us564 million. The necessary refurbishing of 30 locomotives within the next three years will cost $us15 million. in addition, the utility needs to purchase 10 new locomotives at an estimated cost of $us17 million.

information on the location and speed of the locomotives could be provided on the system. in order for trains to be able to run according to schedule the railway system must be able to meet the challenges of constant disruptions effectively. Delayed or cancelled trains are detrimental to the effective service delivery of any railway operator,” haimbili was quoted saying.

NIGERIAnigErian statEs must Chip inThe federal government has allocated “close to zero” capital to railways in the current year’s budget, Nigeria railways Corporation (NrC) managing director Mazi Jetteson Nwankwo told the press on 18 June, during a district management meeting in enugu.

To sustain the provision of rail services, he said, NrC is “reaching out” to state governments for assistance. in terms of such partnership, Nwankwo explained, the states are expected to provide wagons, coaches and locomotives. states that have already committed themselves to help wth running intercity rail services are Kaduna, Cross river, Delta, benue, lagos and Adamawa. The benue, Niger and Kano states have asked NrC management to forward proposals.

Quoted by This Day (published in lagos), Nwankwo said that “Kaduna state has already indicated readiness to go into phase 2 of the partnership which may include extending railway services to other states.” NrC has to work hard to salvage the situation, the managing director conceded. he said the management team must be “diligent, pro-active, honest, transparent, willing and ready to put in more hard work that will make the difference between success and failure.”

RWANDArWanda-drC linE proposEdAgence rwandaise d’information, the rwanda national news agency, quotes President Paul Kagame saying that the government intends to construct a railway connecting the country with the Democratic republic of Congo (DrC), to reduce dependence on Kenyan and Tanzanian transport

TransNamib train hauled by ex-SAR class 33 diesel


Transportation

afriCa Update

routes. rwanda relies largely on the Kenyan port of Mombasa for imports and exports, and much traffic is routed via the isaka dry port in Tanzania to Dar-es-salaam. The need for alternative routes came to the fore during the political violence in Kenya in January and February.

[it is about 100km from the rwandan capital Kigali to the DrC border at the northern end of lake Kivu. Kindu, the nearest DrC railhead, lies about 300km further, to the south-west. The DrC line from Kindu to lubumbashi – nearly

1,500km – takes trains to a point almost 300km from the Zambian border. From there, it is still a very long way to a port. ironically, the nearest is Dar-es-salaam, by way of the Tanzam line. – editor]

TANZANIAnEW trl sErviCEsOn 13 July, Tanzania railways limited (Trl) launched an additional passenger train service between Dar-es-salaam and Kigoma on lake Tanganyika. There are now three trips every week, a number that it is intended to double. Trl has ordered 23 third class sleepers from india, infrastructure permanent secretary Omar Chambo has announced. Freight service has been restarted on the line running north from Dar to Tanga, following the arrival of 25 additional locomotives, and is to be extended to Moshi.

northErn tanZanian sErviCEs rEsumEOn 19 June, rail services were reinstated on Tanzania’s northern line. Tanga regional commissioner Mohamed Abdulaziz officiated at the launch. Tanzania railways limited suspended operations in October 2007, at which time the condition of infrastructure had deteriorated to a serious extent, largely due to vandalism.

Abdulaziz asked that the possibility be considered of relocating the railway workshop back to Tanga from Moshi to which it was transferred some years ago. he said that most railway activities take place in Tanga.

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afriCa Update

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

TAZARAtaZara tariffs uppEdNew fares applicable on the Tanzania-Zambia railway came into effect on 1 July. Ticket prices on ordinary passenger trains as well as the Tazara express went up 20% while parcels and luggage rates rose 30%. Travellers from Dar-es-salaam in Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia now pay Tsh72,600 ($us72) in first class on the Tazara express, up from Tsh60,500 ($us60).

To Makambako (iringa) from Dar-es-salaam now costs Tsh29,000 ($us29) instead of Tsh24,200 ($us24). To rujewa (Mbeya) the fare is now Tsh29,900 ($us29) instead of Tsh24,900 ($us24).

Tazara managing director Clement subulwa Mwiya points out that the company’s policy is to adjust tariffs annually. high operational costs are being experienced, notably in the wage bill and the continually rising cost of diesel. Tazara is upgrading its facilities at a cost of $us10 million, he says, and 18 locomotives are being rehabilitated currently

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

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

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

uganda ratEs inCrEasErift Valley railways (rVr) has increased freight rates between Mombasa and Kampala from $us80 per tonne to $110. Former managing director roy Puffet explained in July: “The tariff adjustment was driven by continued upward costs of energy, petroleum products and steel. The price of diesel has gone up by 24% in the last eight months and there is double digit inflation as well as dollar revaluation”.

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

ZAMBIArsZ takEn to taskin an editorial, The Times of Zambia takes rail systems of Zambia (rsZ), the concessionaire running Zambian railways, to task for buying “brand new motor vehicles worth $us1.4 million”, while apparently falling short in service delivery. “While the company has every right to purchase vehicles for operations, we feel their priorities are misplaced,” the paper writes.

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

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

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

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



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MOVIA_AD_Railvolution_A4.indd 1 20.05.2008 18:08:22 Uhr

spEEding up thE EastErn CapEAn advert in the Johannesburg sunday Times of 13 July 2008 invited expressions of interest from persons interested in providing and running a high-speed railway in south Africa’s eastern Cape province. The scope covered “Manufacture, supply, Commissioning, life Cycle Maintenance and Operating of new or refurbished high speed inter-City Passenger Trains, inclusive of an appropriate system of Movement Authority.

“The existing 282 km, 1,067mm gauge, non-electrified route, traverses mountainous terrain with associated infrastructure constraints. The intention of the new train service is to reduce the transit time from the current approximately ten hours to not more than five hours, by applying appropriate rolling stock technologies and changes to existing infrastructure.

“The requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:“supply and commissioning of sixteen new or refurbished luxury high speed inter-city rail passenger vehicles, operable in sets consisting of two to eight vehicles each. The number of vehicles can be increased in future.”

[The description leaves little doubt that the Kei line to Mthatha is to be the lucky beneficiary. Though a journey of 282km in five hours would seem to imply an undemanding average speed of fifty-something km/h. in railway terms “mountainous terrain with associated infrastructure constraints” somewhat understates the situation. – editor]

ramos thE trail-blaZErin an insightful recent article in the sunday Times, Chris barron reviewed the impressive career and achievements of Transnet CeO Maria ramos. One of four children whose father was a bricklayer, she had to fight to earn a bursary from the bank where she was a clerk, because in those days women were not eligible. After gaining a b Comm at Wits, a helen suzman scholarship took her to london to do her Masters. she was director-general of the south African Ministry of Finance when Transport Minister Jeff radebe persuaded her – at the age of 45 - to move to Transnet in January 2004.

sa railnews

The problem is “an ageing fleet of about 2,300 locomotives that were never maintained and keep breaking down. And cable theft. A missing few metres (of cable) shuts down a whole rail network,” barron learned.

“ramos attributes her success to leaving her executive suite on the 49th floor of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg as often as possible. she climbs cranes at Durban port to interview crane drivers and sits on the footplate with train drivers to understand why driving a train in a shunting yard for six or seven hours is such a difficult job.”

According to News24, “ramos has won over the unions... some of the unions would prefer her to stay when her contract expires at the end of October... united Transport and Allied Trade union (utata) secretary-general Chris de Vos says they hope she stays on for another year or two.”

[ramos subsequently announced she is staying on. – editor]

CapE toWn station rEvamp bEginsThe revamp of Cape Town’s main station by intersite, the south African rail Commuter Corporation’s (sArCC) property management company, began in June. Project manager Pierre Cronje, quoted by Metrorail’s newsletter “blits”, says people using the station can expect work to be completed by April 2009. The present complex was constructed in the early 1960s but little development or expansion has taken place since then, despite changing needs. The station precinct plays a pivotal role in the economic life of the city and provides an important interface between the central city and the remainder of the metropolitan area.

The FiFA soccer World Cup 2010 matches are likely to result in the largest spectator gatherings south Africa has ever experienced.

The Green Point stadium, located within a 5km radius of the station, is currently being rebuilt to host the matches in Cape Town. “This has placed significant emphasis on the station, as it is the major public transportation hub in relation to the stadium,” Cronje points out. “it is expected that the soccer fans will converge at the station on match days, making their way to the Green Point stadium.”

[still, it’s a pity that the venue selected is so far from the railway – Cape Town’s major mode of commuter transport. The World Cup matches are to be played in the middle of winter, characterised in the Cape by persisting rain and cold. in mid-July 2008, eight consecutive days of continuous heavy rain left much of the city under water. – editor]

“how will the economic slowdown affect Transnet’s future growth?” barron asked. “We anticipated that growth would slow,” ramos replied, “so plans for this and next year are based on lower growth rates of 3.5% to 4%. Transnet’s share of the transport market is now 12%. it’s not a cost issue, that’s the frustrating thing. Per ton per kilometre we are cheaper than road. it’s an efficiency issue and a reliability issue.”

Artist’s impression of Cape Town station as it is to look (from Metrorail’s “Blits” newsletter).


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latEst on CapE toWn airportAccording to south African rail Commuter Corporation CeO lucky Montana, the envisaged rail connection to Cape Town’s airport will not be tackled until after the Gautrain line to Johannesburg’s O r Tambo airport is in operation. speaking at the Africa rail conference, he said a feasibility study has been completed and the corporation is looking to partner with the private sector on the project.

[A line of about 4km is envisaged, branching off the langa-sarepta route east of bonteheuwel. – editor]

montana namEd rail man of thE yEarThe latest employee to be awarded for “excellent service, managerial skills and a sparkling personality” is sArCC/Metrorail CeO Tshepo lucky Montana, says “blits”, the Metrorail (Cape Town) weekly newsletter:

mEtrorail farEs subsidisEd 67%Addressing the Africa rail conference, south African rail Commuter Corporation CeO lucky Montana said government subsidises Metrorail tickets by an average 67%. Metrorail is suffering from years of underinvestment, he explained, which has driven down passenger levels. No less than 100 million passenger trips have been lost in ten years. An investment of at least r25 billion is needed over the next three years, Montana suggests.

some 80% of Metrorail’s passengers are working class males earning less than r2,500 a month.

South Africa’s UN-award-winning Phelophepa health train, which brings optical, dental, psychiatric and many other medical services to outlying communities across the land.

Tshepo Lucky Montana, SARCC CEO (photo: Blits)

Montana was presented with the Africa rail Personality of the Year on 5 June at the sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

“The CeO was voted Personality of the Year by rail operators, transport authorities, suppliers, media and stakeholders on the African continent,” blits continues. “The award was in recognition of Montana’s contribution to the development and growth of the rail engineering industry and the rail passenger

transport sector, his promotion of innovation in the industry, and the CeO’s visionary leadership in the industry and the passenger transport sector as a whole. he realised that the provision of critical and scarce engineering and technical skills will soon prove a challenge, but his vision of a rail training institution came to fruition this year with the establishment of the Centre for Public Transport studies. The centre is based in the faculty of engineering and built environment at the university of Cape Town. it undertakes multi-disciplinary research and teaching within the public transport realm.

“With conservation uppermost in the minds of south Africans, the future of public transport in general, and rail in particular, has never been this rosy. There is light at the end of the tunnel,” blits concludes, “and the public can be assured that it is an oncoming train - a clean and punctual express.”

transnEt punCtualityTransnet Freight rail (TFr) CeO siyabonga Gama told delegates at the annual Africa rail conference in June that the organisation had come from “a low service level base”, where it “didn’t even measure” statistics such as punctuality. At present, he said, average journey times on TFr’s busiest route – Johannesburg-Durban – have been reduced from 22 hours to between 15 and 16. Countrywide, 60% on-time arrival and departures are being achieved on average and “steady progress” is being made in reducing this figure. This in itself represents a substantial improvement in a situation where previously trains were expected to arrive “within a day or two” of scheduled time.

Metrorail tickets: 67% subsidised Today’s train – or yesterday’s?


hEalth train Wins aWard Transnet’s Phelophepa health-Care Train, inaugurated in 1993, has won the united Nations Public service Award (uNPsA) in the category of improved delivery of services. The awards ceremony formed part of celebrations for the uN Public service Day, which recognises the value and virtue of public service to the community.


The position for Secretary General for the Union of African Railways will become vacant soon and candidates are requested to apply for the position to be installed in the position in November 2008.

The Union of African Railways is an organisation of railway and railway related companies and departments from member countries of the African Union. The UAR aims to ensure the following:• Improvement in the running of railways in Africa• Expansion to current railway networks to ensure regional interconnectivity• The standardisation of railways in Africa to ensure future interoperability in order to facilitate the flow of goods and passengers between African countries.• Promote the cooperation between member railways in order to facilitate an improvement in systems and processes that would result in a reduction of costs, improvement in the quality of service and the creation of common standards and processes.

The UAR is therefore inviting interested candidates to apply for the position of Secretary General of the Union of African Railways. The following is an extract from the Constitution of the UAR concerning the Secretary General:

1. The Secretary General shall be the head of the General Secretariat. He shall be responsible for applying the work programme of the Union and shall implement the decisions of the General Assembly and of the Executive Board.

2. The Secretary General shall be appointed by the General Assembly on the basis of a curriculum vitae presented by his Railway for a three (4) year term of office. This term of office can be renewed once for a further 3 years through recommendation and unanimous agreement of the General assembly

3. The Secretary General shall provide secretarial services to the General Assembly and the Executive Board and convene their meetings in accordance with this Constitution and any rules made under the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 3 and paragraph 1 of Article 4 of this Constitution.

4. The Head of the General Secretariat shall be called the Secretary General and shall be entitled to attend in an advisory capacity all meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Board.

The General Secretariat shall:

a) prepare the provisional programme of activities, budget and accounts of the union and its organs and submit them to the Executive Board for consideration;b) ensure the dissemination of the decision of the organs of the Union to the members of the Union and their implementation, andc) Perform any of the functions that may be delegated to it by the Executive Board.d) Propose to the Executive Board, the appointment and the renewal of contracts for staff of the General Secretariat and takes disciplinary actions concerning the staff.

5. The Secretary General shall unless otherwise provided, represent the Union at meetings where the Union is required to be represented. A list of all meetings will be presented to the Executive Committee that will approve the meetings to be attended by the Union.

The Secretary General of the UAR is an elected position:

"The Secretary General shall be elected by the General Assembly on the basis of a curriculum vitae presented by his railway of origin for a four-year term of office renewable only once for a further 3 years". The renewing of the term will be based on good performance and will be subject to a vote by members of the Union.

Candidates should fulfil the following conditions:1. Be national of member states of AU and ECA2. Have a minimum of 10 years railway experience at least 3 years of which must have been in a management position3. Have a University degree4. Have a mastery of either English or French, knowledge of both will be an added advantage.

In accordance with the UAR Rules and Regulations as amended from time to time, the Secretary General’s salary is paid by his railway and the annual allowance in the amount of US 42,000 that shall be paid by the UAR.

The Secretary General is provided with free accommodation at the residence placed at the disposal of the Union by the Government of DRC and enjoys free transportation provided by the Union.

The Secretary General of the UAR will be a member of the Diplomatic Corps and will enjoy Diplomatic Immunity in the DRC.

- Candidates, and their curriculum vitae, will be scrutinised and vetted by the Executive Board to assess their professional competence before their candidatures are all submitted to the General Assembly for election.- Management and professional staff are seconded from their Railways but continue to be paid directly by their Railways, at the scales of remuneration prevailing in their railways, the basic salary, monthly allowances and pension contributions.

Interested candidates are required to forward their letter of interest, Curriculum Vitae together with a letter of support from their current Railway or state department to:

Per Address:

The President of the UARThe Chief ExecutiveTransnet Freight RailPrivate Bag X47Johannesburg2000

Or email: [email protected]

Applications close on 25.09.2008 and interviews will be held in Johannes-burg, South Africa during 1st 2 weeks in October 2008. Your railway should be prepared to cover the cost of the air- ticket to attend the interview.

U.A.R. U.A.C.

Secretary General – Union of African Railways

Le poste de secrétaire général de l’Union africaine des chemins de fer sera bientôt vacant. Il est demandé aux candidats intéressés de postuler à ce poste dont l’élection interviendra en novembre 2008.

L’Union Africaine des Chemins de Fer est une organisation de chemins de fer comprenant les pays membres de l’Union Africaine. Elle poursuit les buts ci-après :• Assurer l’amélioration des services ferroviaires en Afrique• Construction des nouvelles et expansion des lignes pour relier les réseaux ferroviaires existants en vue d’assurer l’interconnexion régionale• Standardisation des chemins de fer en Afrique afin de faciliter le transport de biens et de passagers entre les pays d’Afrique• Promouvoir la coopération entre réseaux membres et faciliter l’amélioration des modes de transport afin de permettre la réduction des coûts, l’amélioration des qualités de service et la standardisation du matériel,

L’UAC invite donc les candidats intéressés de bien vouloir postuler au poste de Secrétaire Général de l’Union Africaine des Chemins de Fer. Les dispositions ci-dessous sont extraites du Statut de l’UAC relatives au poste du Secrétaire Général.

1. Le Secrétaire Général est le chef du Secrétariat Général. Il est le responsable de la mise en œuvre du programme de travail de l’Union et des décisions de l’Assemblée Générale et du Conseil Exécutif.

2. Le Secrétaire Général sera élu par l’Assemblée Générale sur la base du curriculum vitae présenté par son réseau pour un mandat de quatre (4) ans. Ce mandat peut être renouvelé une seule fois sur recommandation et à l’unanimité de l’Assemblée Générale pour une période maximale de (3) ans.

3. Le Secrétaire Général assure les services du Conseil Exécutif et en convoque les réunions conformément aux présents statuts et à tous les règlements établis en vertu des dispositions du paragraphe 5, article 3 et du paragraphe 1 et l’article 4 de ces statuts.

4. Le Chef du Secrétariat est appelé «Le Secrétaire Général » et participe avec voix consultative à toutes les réunions de l’Assemblée Générale et du Conseil Exécutif.

Le Secrétariat Général a les attributions suivantes:

a) Il prépare les projets de programmes d’activités, le budget et les comptes de l’Union et organes et les soumet au Conseil Exécutif pour examen.b) Assure la diffusion de décisions des organes de l’Union aux membres de celle-ci, ainsi que leur mise en œuvre; etc) Il assure toutes les fonctions qui peuvent lui être déléguées par le Conseil Exécutif.d) Il propose au Conseil Exécutif, la nomination, le renouvellement des contrats du personnel du Secrétariat et prend toutes les mesures disciplinaires concernant le personnel.5. Le Secrétaire Général, sauf dispositions contraires, représente l’Union à toutes les réunions où une représentation de celle-ci est requise. Une liste des toutes les réunions sera soumise au Conseil Exécutif pour approbation des réunions auxquelles l’Union peut participer.

Le poste de Secrétaire Général de l’UAC est soumis à une élection

«Le Secrétaire Général est élu par l’Assemblée Générale sur la base de son curriculum vitae présenté par son réseau d’origine pour un mandat de quatre (4) ans.». Le Secrétaire Général est éligible pour un second mandat sur la base de ses performances sous réserve d’un vote par les membres de l’Union renouvelable qu’une seule fois pour une période de trois (3) ans

Les candidats doivent remplir les conditions suivantes :

1. Etre ressortissant d’un pays membre d l’Union Africaine (UA) et de la Communauté Economique pour l’Afrique (CEA)2. Avoir au minimum 10 ans d’expérience dans le domaine du chemin de fer dont 3 ans au poste de direction.3. Etre porteur d’un diplôme d’Université4. Avoir la maîtrise de langue anglaise ou française. La connaissance de ces deux langues est un avantage de plus

Conformément au Règlement de gestion de l’UAC tel que modifié de temps à autre, le salaire du Secrétaire Général est payé par son réseau d’origine et une indemnité forfaitaire d’un montant de 42.000 $ lui sera versée par l’UAC.

Le Secrétaire Général bénéficie d’un logement gratuit à la résidence mise à la disposition de l’Union par le Gouvernement de la République Démocra-tique du Congo et bénéficie d’un transport gratuit assuré par l’Union.

Le Secrétaire Général de l’Union a le statut de diplomate et bénéficie des immunités et privilèges diplomatiques accordés par la République Démocratique du Congo.

- Sur la base de leurs curriculum vitae, les candidats seront soumis à une interview et examinés par le Conseil Exécutif pour évaluer leur compétence professionnelle avant de soumettre leurs candidatures à l’Assemblée Générale pour élection.- Les cadres de direction et les autres cadres professionnels en détachement auprès de l’UAC continueront d’être payés directement par leurs réseaux, les rémunérations sur la base des barèmes en vigueur comprenant les indemnités mensuelles, les salaires et les contributions à leurs caisses nationales de retraite.

Les candidats intéressés doivent adresser leurs demandes avec curriculum vitae soutenus par une lettre délivrée par leurs réseaux et par le Départe-ment Ministériel de leurs pays.

A :Mr. le Président de l’UACChef ExécutifTransnet Freight RailPrivate Bag X47Johannesburg 2000

Ou Email: [email protected] au Secrétariat Général UAC: [email protected]

Les applications fermeront le 25 Septembre 2008 et les interviews seront conduit a Johannesburg, Afrique du Sud pendant les deux premières semaines d’Octobre 2008.Votre ligne de Chemin de Fer devrais couvrir tous vos frais afin que vous pouvez participer a votre interview.

U.A.R. U.A.C.

Secrétaire Général de l’Union Africaine des Chemins de Fer

sa railnews

mEtrorail punCtualityMetrorail says its services have improved in the areas of punctuality, cancellations, security and safety. Punctuality has improved from 4% of trains on time to an average of 86.4% for the full financial year. Only 1.83% of scheduled trains were cancelled on average.

[Taking a recent week at random, Metrorail stats for the Western Cape showed:

Train cancellations: 3.4%•Morning peak trains late: 31.3%•Afternoon peak trains late: 24.5%•Off-peak trains late: 12.2% •The on-time target is 93%.•

– editor]

gfb margins “papEr thin”According to engineering News, Transnet Freight rail’s (TFr) general freight business (GFb) is responsible for 75% of total revenue, but the margins are “paper-thin”. Operations are prejudiced by increasing unreliability in the ageing locomotive and wagon fleet. rail’s share of the important corridor linking Durban to Johannesburg is estimated at only 21%, but at the same time it follows that TFr’s biggest opportunity for business growth lies here. This is why, of r38 billion being spent between 2008 and 2013 on modernising and expanding rail infrastructure, r25.3 billion is being devoted to the Gauteng-Kwazulu Natal line.

beeld quotes executive director Jannie de Villiers of the Chamber of Millers, who points out that 85% of grain transport was on rail in 1985, a figure that has dropped to less than 50% now, despite road transport’s higher cost.

transnEt frEight sEt to go Transnet’s turnaround strategy is largely complete, but asset utilisation is still too low, chief executive Maria ramos told business report. she said it was expected “that the organisation would grow general freight volumes by 6.5% a year and would raise its share of this crucial market to 17% by 2013. it is 11.5% now, up from 10% three years ago but way off the 20% levels last seen in the late 1990s.

kEi rail progrEssThe Kei rail passenger service has grown consistently since its reintroduction. some 240 people use the train between Amabele and Mthatha every saturday and 260 on sundays at a cost of r30 per trip. Due to their obvious popularity and pressure of demand, trains are soon to run every day.

“We believe that this service will grow rapidly due to the economic climate in the country and the fuel costs. it will link up with the shosholoza Meyl Train service that operates between east london and Johannesburg daily except on saturdays and Wednesdays,” says Ncedo Kumbaca, spokesman for the eastern Cape Department of Transport. Trains will also run on Friday and sunday nights.

“later this year, we will commence a freight service. Our main targets include timber, cement, fuel, agricultural products etc. Through our agreement with Transnet rail engineering, we will be able to provide container wagons to move the goods,” Kumbaca explains.

The area between east london and umzimvubu has been declared the Kei Development Corridor with Kei rail as one of the anchor projects. some of the socio-economic benefits identified in this corridor, include providing 28,000 jobs over the next 20 years, saving in road haulage and road maintenance costs and avoiding road accidents.

Kei Rail: soon to run every day



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SAFE SOLUTIONS FOREFFICIENT TRAINMAINTENANCE

Physical Address 12 Laser Park Square34 Zeiss RoadLaser Park Honeydew South Africa

Postal Address PO Box 4431 Honeydew 2040 South Africa

Tel: +27 11 794-2910Fax: +27 11 794-3560Email: [email protected]: www.yale.co.za

YALE Engineering Products (PTY) Ltd.

CD324_Yale_adv.indd 3 2007/10/24 09:54:05 PM

Physical Address 12 Laser Park Square34 Zeiss RoadLaser Park Honeydew South Africa

Postal Address PO Box 4431 Honeydew 2040 South Africa

Tel: +27 11 794-2910Fax: +27 11 794-3560Email: [email protected]: www.yalejhb.co.za

YALE Engineering Products (PTY) Ltd.

“it is not my motto to play too much in the public domain, and i hope that you will understand when i ask that we use this award to continue to build our house on the hill. We pause ever so briefly to take in the exciting energy that such recognition brings, but tomorrow we wake up to ensure that our life’s work becomes a beacon that reflects all of our efforts.

“i am proud of the support i have received so far and am confident that once our house on the hill is complete, it will become a shining symbol of sustainable business

transformation in south Africa. i am proud to continue to serve you and use this opportunity to seek your permission to declare on behalf of all of us ‘we are on track!’”

applE EXprEss During the weekend of 27–29 June, the first of a new series of narrow-gauge Apple express excursions was operated from Port elizabeth to Assegaaibosch (163km). Motive power was a Transnet Freight rail class 91 diesel, due to the fire hazard present at this time of year. regular weekend trips are to be

sa railnews

railWay training in EastErn CapEDuring August, the eastern Cape Department of Transport is to provide training aimed at preparing the province’s youth to become train drivers, train control officers, track masters, track welders and operations managers. According to departmental spokesperson Ncedo Kumbaca, “This initiative presents a good opportunity for the department to effectively transform the rail sector through providing massive skill training to previously marginalised individuals”.

grahamstoWn linE ClosingAccording to a local press report, the 56km branch line from Alicedale junction, 114km north of Port elizabeth, was to be closed at the end of July. The operating loss is said to have been r20 million annually. Originally it was intended to close the line at the end of June but the date was extended to accommodate the annual Grahamstown Festival.

[hopefully the eastern Cape Department of Transport, which is keen to keep railway branch-lines alive, will come to the rescue. – editor]

gama’s housE on thE hillFollowing his recent award as National business leader of the Year, Transnet Freight rail (TFr) chief executive siyabonga Gama addressed the employees who nominated him, saying:

“When i accepted the award, i indicated that it is not mine but it belongs to Transnet Freight rail and in particular to all Transnet Freight rail employees. it is a reflection of the track we have travelled and the challenges we have yet to overcome.

Business leader Siyabonga Gama: building TFR’s house on the hill.


Cummins Engines for Rail

EVERYTRACK.

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Head Office + 27 11 321 8700

run once a month until summer. Day trips from Port elizabeth to loerie (72km) will run on all sundays when there is no weekend operation.

The initiatives form part of a new Apple express tourism campaign, offering three-day weekend packages. A return ticket costs r550 per person and includes a picnic-basket lunch on both legs. The train has a well-stocked Apple Tavern, where snacks, cold drinks, memorabilia and postcards may be purchased during “leg-stretch” stops. “Accommodation hosts” and “experience hosts” transport passengers from the station to a variety of interesting venues.

transnEt frEight rEvEnuE up in the year to 31 March 2008, Transnet Freight rail (TFr) reported increased revenue which rose 13.9% to r16.6 billion. revenue at Transnet rail engineering (Tre) increased too, by 5.7% to r7.1 billion. TFr’s general freight business (GFb) turned in increased traffic volumes – the first rise in this division in 10 years.

All Apple Express trains cross the spectacular van Stadens bridge, at 45,7 metres the highest narrow-gauge structure in the world, then wind down the steep (200m drop in 13km) from Summit to Loerie, which lies only 30m above sea level.

The sishen-saldanha iron-ore export line carried 31.9 million tons, a 6.3% improvement, but coal line performance dropped by 5.2% to 63,5 million tons, attributed jointly to “short supply of product from the coal mines and disrupted service levels at TFr resulting mainly from operational issues such as derailments and cable theft”.

saving south afriCa’s branCh linEs During July, Transnet advertised for expressions of interest in branch lines, though it is not clear how this invitation dovetails with its recently announced intention to hand over responsibility for secondary routes to the Department of Transport. The lines listed were:

Naboomspruit - Zebediela; Pienaarsrivier - Marble hall;•Volksrust-Charlestown; Gingindlovu - eshowe (KZN);•Merrivale - howick; Cedara-hilton; Pentrich - Mkondeni;•Port shepstone-harding; Wolwehoek-Gottenburg; Dover - •Vredefort;sannaspos - Zastron; springfontein - Koffiefontein;• Theunissen - Winburg;•Aliwal North - Zastron;•Calvinia - hutchinson;•Kootjieskolk - sakrivier;•Calitzdorp - Oudtshoorn;•De Doorns - Matroosberg;•Wolseley - Ceres - Prince Alfred hamlet;•Aliwal North - barkly east;•schoombee - hofmeyr;•sterkstroom - Maclear;•barkly bridge - Alexandria;•Cookhouse - somerset east;•Middelburg - rosmead;•Port Alfred - Grahamstown;•hercules - Magaliesburg.•rob and carteradvert.FH10 Mon Nov 01 23:03:02 2004 Page 1

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Keeping it all on Track

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Officially launched on the 4th of August 2008 – Transnet Freight rail’s r90 million investment, the National Operations Centre (NOC) at their Parktown offices. An auspicious occasion marked with the well deserved pomp and ceremony – Tre can now track, trace and monitor its fleet throughout sADC.

NOC which will operate 24/7 has a striking resemblance to that of a NAsA control centre and indeed will provide the critical “birds eye view” to assist in streamlining train scheduling and planning – thus further improving on customer delivery and response time.

The seating plan in the centre mirrors the 14 business corridors as well as the regional execution teams headed by their respective regional operating executives. The corridor teams are multi-disciplinary and responsible for:

service planning•integrated Train Plan•Monitoring and deviation•Provision of locomotives and Wagons•locomotive distribution•Availability of infrastructure•Customer care•


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CUstomer day: bombardier

flEEt maintEnanCEbombardier has in-depth experience in fleet maintenance for a wide range of rail operators around the world, from total service to partnerships and skills transfer agreements. Where applicable the company takes full responsibility for ensuring reliable fleet operation – from refuelling and cleaning to depot management, daily servicing and maintenance. it is for this reason that the company is able to offer a “fleet management” service and not merely “fleet maintenance”, offering customers individually tailor-made solutions.

bombardier has developed a maintenance management system, which allows for information to be gathered rapidly from all operational sites; from raw material cost to labour, with any problem or improvement being fed into the system. From this collection of data, the ability has been developed to feed information back to the various working sites from a centralised location. This is considerably more cost-effective than having people rushing around the world - or a great many engineers working in isolation.

An expert – one who really knows and understands a fleet and the environment in which it has to operate – is located at every site and any further expertise that is required is drawn from the pool at the central location.

bombardier has further incorporated a list of 20 best maintenance practices that are in place at every site where the company operates and has implemented this as the base standard against which everything it does is measured.

As a result, the company has an excellent overview of various types of fleets and their operating behaviour. information on problems that may arise in one part of the world, where conditions are similar to another part of the world, can be exchanged to sort the problem out.

Another advantage that bombardier enjoys through its operations world-wide is the facility to source components at the best possible price, and to develop economies of scale with suppliers.

The company’s success is demonstrated in the results it has achieved at C2C, a uK-based operator which was in serious trouble when bombardier took over the fleet. in a relatively short time it was running at 99.8% availability, with punctuality at 97.9% and no lost time due to accidents over the past year. The availability of trains to run on schedule has allowed the operator to concentrate on growing the business as the service is now recognised as a reliable means of transport.

Another success story is the renfe high-speed train in spain. reliability is a major factor here, since a train that arrives more

than 10 minutes late at a destination is rated a failure. The standards are demanding, considering that the train covers some 627km in 2 hours 30 minutes, achieving a reliability of 1,000,000km between failures and 100% availability.

Other products available from bombardier include systems that constantly monitor various aspects of a train, for example door closure. if excessive energy is being drawn by one door in a trainset, it can be established immediately when the unit is due for maintenance. Notification that there is a problem with a door on a specific coach and that it needs to be serviced, is then sent through.

The provision of continuous monitoring means that trainset downtime in depots is meaningfully reduced. All information needed by the engineers is already available when each set comes in for routine maintenance.

sECurity managEmEntThe threat of terrorism on trains - such as the spanish bombing and later the attack on the london underground – has prioritised the need for improving safety. bombardier already had a number of security arrangements in place, but there was a need for a more reliable and maintainable system. Accordingly. one was developed to operate seamlessly together with the existing train control management and signalling.

The new technologies make it possible to interact in real time with passengers in the case of emergency.

A survey in Germany showed that a large percentage of passengers felt insecure about their safety when travelling by train. since the introduction of CCTV on trains and platforms, however, they feel safer. Operators have benefited through a reduction in vandalism and the costs of litigation following fraudulent claims.

The system that has been developed, sekurflo, offers four modular and scalable options depending on the operator’s needs - from a basic system to a total one integrated with the signalling and wayside monitoring. sekurflo was specifically developed to handle the harsh operating environment encountered on board a train.

The top of the range, the sekurflo 650, has reduced physical aggression to one per million people transported, and bag snatching to one per three million. sekurflo is deployed by the london underground, Toronto Transit Commission, Delhi Metro, Perth Transit Authority and the Gautrain, to mention a few.

Bombardier’s innovative solutions for the rail industry

bombardier Transportation held its first customer day on 18 and 19 August 2008. The two-day event saw various presentations on the company’s latest product offerings for rail-related industries and was officially opened by Philippe roch, services Country business leader, and Alan Flint, Managing Director of bombardier sA.

bombardier is a world-leading manufacturer of complete transportation solutions focusing on planes and trains, and operates in more than 50 countries around the world.

Various workshops were held during the two-day event covering the following topics:Fleet maintenance;•security management;•Train management;•rail control solutions;•energy saving; and•Wheelset Monitoring•


CUstomer day: bombardier

train managEmEntbombardier has pioneered a radically new approach to predictive asset management. The Orbita is a capability using people, knowledge, specialist skills and expert processes to anticipate maintenance requirements before failures occur. it is an enhanced transportation asset management system that delivers new value to bombardier, its customers, partners and suppliers.

Orbita is about gathering the right type of information in the field and being able to process this intelligently, using automated knowledge to deliver tailored, dynamic decision-supported data. it comes down to having the 20 best operating practices in place to ensure that all available information is used to maximum effect.

Traditionally the engineer would take his laptop to the locomotive and download the required information from the train. in terms of the Orbita system however, information monitored on the train comes in automatically to the relevant specialists on an hourly basisThe benefits are numerous:

reduction in unplanned corrective maintenance;•improved reliability;•reduction in time delays whenever a failure •occurs by updating the schedules in real time and communicating the information; and reduction of the time trainsets spend in the depot •through continuously monitoring the various systems and having this information available when a train comes in for scheduled maintenance.

Through the use of this facility, vehicles of a similar type anywhere in the world can be readily compared, thereby integrating several systems into one. An alarm can be set to sound on a specific trainset, in defined circumstances, for example in cases of wheelslip. similarly if the toilet tank on a train in the uK is full, the train will be grounded. however, if the tank is reasonably full, but a group of soccer fans is expected to board, it would be sensible to empty the tank.

Orbita permits trends to be analysed at a glance, by providing a comprehensive overview of a fault or faults. it is possible that the exact fault might not be identified, but attention would be drawn to the existence of a potential or existing problem.

Orbita offers an alert functionality and generates a decision-support system which can be transmitted to the area specialist when a unit is going in for repair. This will specify the corrective action to be taken, the priority rating of the problem and the reaction time needed for action to solve it. A tracking facility monitors the time taken to effect the repair and lists the parts used to correct the defect. The information is fed back into the system and allows for further trends and views to emerge. This ensures that the information needed for effective preventative maintenance is continuously tracked.

rail Control solutionsbombardier provides state-of-the-art systems that enable rail vehicles to operate at increased speed and track capacity without compromising very high safety standards.

The company’s solutions in this regard have been delivered to 50 countries worldwide and provide the following services to customers to help them protect their signalling investment:

Tailored service level agreements, including •maintenance;system upgrades and alterations;•spare part sales; •repair services; •Training; and •installation, testing and commissioning.•

With the modernisation of the rail industry worldwide and the constant challenges in the industry, it is imperative that efficiency be increased, costs reduced and performance be fully up to date. bombardier Transportation offers the most modern components for long-term solutions to such challenges.

The company’s highly experienced engineers have gained their knowledge of complex technical systems in the field of modern avionics and have been researching, developing and working for over a decade to apply these modern technologies to railways. They are using GPs-based telematics systems on a worldwide basis for the benefit of railways.

The iNTerFlO 50 is a GPs-based train location and information system allowing a unified solution for information processing of vehicle and line related data. The system can supplement vital procedures by increasing safety, thereby helping to optimise the customer logistics chain.

The iNTerFlO 50 ensures a successful rail transportation system by delivering efficient use of infrastructure and fleets, optimised management and usage of resources, reduction of service and maintenance cost, as well as energy savings.

Forming part of the iNTerFlO system is the bombardier ebi screen control room; a traffic management system for the efficient and economic management of main line and mass transit networks. The system is fully capable of handling mixed traffic environments with high speed, freight and commuter traffic sharing the same track.

EnErgy savingin facing the challenges of the world’s economic sustainability, the saving of energy, improving of efficiency, achieving of sound economic value and protecting the ecology have become important priorities.

The company has pioneered the philosophy: “The climate is right for trains” and has succeeded in balancing the abovementioned challenges by developing a new formula for total train performance: eco4.

eco4 was launched to support the reduction of energy consumption and minimise the co2 footprint, while delivering on total train performance. bombardier’s technologies can create substantial overall energy savings of up to 50% with their solutions ranging from planning the energy efficiency of new transportation systems to aerodynamically enhancing new train designs and optimising the energy consumption of an existing fleet.

eco4 balances the four “e” cornerstones: energy, efficiency, economy and ecology, within convincing and reliable solutions, services and products, by offering customers added value to their trains and services, as well as delivering on the promise of total train performance.

bombardier’s electric trains produce zero co2 and no particle emissions, where electricity is produced by zero-emission power plants. The company’s modular portfolio offers innovative technologies, reducing the energy demand of a train by up to 50%. With its modern railway products, it helps to ensure that today’s megacities do not collapse under the strain of traffic jams and suffer minimally from polluted air and noisy roads. The designs and interiors of their products are easily recyclable and environmentally friendly in their maintenance.


The south African society for railway engineers hosted their annual gala event on 15 August at the Or Tambo southern sun venue. Considering that this was a Friday, it was very well attended, and the organisers were pleasantly surprised at the extent of industry’s generous sponsorship of the occasion. Transnet rail engineering’s imran Karim, a fellow member and soon to be the next president of the association, was the MC for the evening. he was complimented on doing an outstanding job.

The Gala event takes the opportunity to acknowledge the achievements of railway engineers and their contribution to the field of engineering through papers presented at the monthly gatherings. Though not all winners were present, those who were clearly appreciated the recognition. WinninG pApErs:t stevens: railway safety regulator, Act 2002H van Wyk: Creativity in the engineer’s DayD Margo: intellectual property and the locomotive engineering industryM isler: Voith rail TechnologyW snyders: using household refrigerator- freezer to assist in providing hot waterA Loedolff: effective mentorship of young newcomersp roch: Power regeneration ( energy storage for trains)M Headland & G noble: low voltage circuit breakers for railways and the correct specification of AC + DC contractors & relaysJ pretorius: latest technology in Track maintenance

Once upon a time, the concept of getting together state-owned enterprises and public-private partnerships in both the railway and harbours fields - as well as rail concessionaires - to communicate effectively with suppliers, might have been seen as wishful thinking.

No longer: the railways and harbours supply Chain Association held its inaugural event on Friday 15 August, aimed specifically at the operators. it was encouraging to find that the concept of the supply chain is one in which the continent has an obvious and considerable interest.

Among the issues discussed, the leveraging of buying power was conspicuous, as were the bettering of procurement and developing suppliers to meet Africa’s demands. The localising of supply mechanisms and the developing of associated industries is clearly essential in ensuring the sustainability of the continent’s rail and harbour supplies.

The railways and harbours supply Chain Association will work in close co-operation with the Department of Public enterprises’ CsDP programme as well as tying in with the with the uNiDO benchmarking tool.

The first meeting functioned primarily to introduce operators to the role and concept of the Association and the players involved, and to determine the interests of operators. A second meeting - with suppliers - took place on 25th August. A report on the outcome will appear in the next issue of railways Africa.

should you require further information or have any questions please call us on +27 74 703 6658 | www.rhsupplychain.com

South African Society for Railway Engineers Gala Event

Railways & Harbours Supply Chain AssociationPort & Rail Operators Meeting

events

Mervyn Panzera from the Railway Safety Regulator expressing his views on the role the association should play.


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mishaps & blUnders

oXford road CollapsEOn 8 July, a hole some 12 metres across opened up in Oxford road between eighth and North Avenues, necessitating closure of this important main road. A streetlamp fell into the hole as well as part of a garden wall, and a large water main was severed, cutting of supply to the rosebank mall and several suburbs. excavation by Gautrains tunnel boring machine, working at a depth of 12 metres below the surface, was stopped immediately. The road was declared unsafe for all road users, both motorists and pedestrians.

loCo and 10 Wagons in rivErhigh water in the Yellowstone river undermined the adjoining burlington Northern santa Fe (bNsF) railway on 7 July, precipitating a locomotive and 10 wagons, three loaded with coal, into the torrent. The rest of the 123-wagon train remained on the track, about 6km west of Forsyth, 100km north-east of billings, Montana. More than 350 tonnes of coal ended up in the water.

bNsF recovered the locomotive and constructed a temporary bypass track, expecting cleanup work to take at least a month. The wagons were cut up on site.

floods Wash out kZn bridgEsunseasonably heavy rains on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on 17 June caused severe flooding which washed away the well-known screw-piled bridge over the izotsha river on the coastal section of the former 610mm gauge Alfred County railway. Only two spans remain on the south side. Popular with photographers in the days when trains still ran, the bridge was a proclaimed national monument. The boboyi river bridge, though covered by water at the height of the storm, remained intact, Peter bagshawe reports.

Oxford Road crater

“No damage occurred to either the TbM (tunnel boring machine) or the completed tunnel. The tunnel is totally safe,” bombela civil engineering director Chris Andrew was quoted saying in business Day. “During bombela’s routine monitoring process, the TbM technical team noticed surplus material coming through the machine, which is symptomatic of a void being formed above the TbM.

“upon investigation, they identified water seepage in the TbM chamber and a void above.” Oxford road was closed as a precaution and some time later the surface caved in.

“Preliminary investigation carried out by bombela after the event suggests that water seepage from the utilities above the tunnel alignment led to a weakening of the soil being excavated, causing ground loss directly above the TbM.surrounding buildings are not at risk.”

speaking at a press briefing, Gautrain management agency CeO Jack van der Merwe explained that the area affected is not required for completion in time for the 2010 soccer World Cup. “The completion date of March 2011 remains unaffected.”

Quick-drying cement was being used to fill the hole, The star reported. “A team member said there were water, sewage and gas pipes in the hole. The water and sewage pipes were damaged but the gas pipe was apparently intact.”

Permission was subsequently given for boring to continue.

mississippi sWalloWs 4 loCosWhen four locomotives hauling freight about 3km south of Guttenberg in north-east iowa struck a large boulder and embankment slide early on 9 July, they derailed and fell into the Mississippi river. Two employees of the iowa, Chicago & eastern railroad were treated for minor injuries.

tankCars in Canadian rivErA Canadian National (CN) freight train running beside the Thompson river about 10km north of lytton in british Columbia was struck by a landslide following heavy rain on 1 July. Two tankcars ended up in the water.

A CN crew secured the wagons to the river bank with cable, bolts and anchors. They drove three hardwood plugs into holes in the top of the valves to prevent water getting into the tanks and displacing the ethylene glycol payload. “ron Friesen, a woodworking hobbyist in nearby lillooet, had spent Thursday evening turning the plugs on his home lathe.”

runaWay sEasonin a bizarre incident on 3 June, the last 13 wagons in a northbound burlington Northern santa Fe railway (bNsF) freight train broke loose and ran away downgrade southwards in the Arkansas Mammoth spring state Park. Colliding with a second northbound further down the line, 18 wagons left the track in all, and two fell into a lake. The driver of the second train suffered minor injuries. luckily no hazardous substances were on board – in fact, most of the derailed wagons were empty. us highway 63 was blocked off by police for a short period and Mammoth spring state

A class NGG16 Garratt crossing the Izotsha River in happier days. - Photo: Chris Janisch.



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mishaps & blUnders

Park closed for the rest of the day. A hazardous material team dealt with nitrogen fertiliser pellets which spilled from one of the two wagons that rolled into the lake.

Three days later, during shunting operations in a bNsF springfield, Missouri, marshalling yard, 31 wagons broke loose, ran down the line and collided with a rake of stationary vehicles. Fifteen of the runaways derailed, and a similar number of the other wagons came off the line. A leak developed in a tankcar carrying potassium hydroxide, a chemical known to be a skin irritant though posing no respiratory risks. in all, about 36,000 litres that poured into a ditch required neutralising by emergency personnel.

A month previously, on 5 May, 13 wagons left the track south of Mammoth spring under the us 63 highway bridge. local schools were evacuated as a precaution because officials believed a tankcar was carrying propane. it was discovered later that the vehicle was empty.

sf light rail Collisionsan Francisco’s light rail system does not often contribute to our list of mishaps. A recent rear-end collision which left 16 passengers hurt occurred in mid-June when a two-car N-Judah route vehicle stopped at a traffic light and a following T-Third single car ran into it. Twelve people were taken to hospital for treatment.

unfortunately, things were far from ordinary. it happened to be the second day of a strike at Golden Arrow bus services, the metropolitan bus operator. Not only were there no trains, there weren’t many buses. One happy taxi driver told a reporter: “Today i expect to make double my usual money”.

stump dErails four loCos On 9 June, four locomotives and 16 out of 37 wagons of a freight train carrying lumber, grain, and building materials derailed in Westminster, Colorado, after colliding with a tree stump; apparently purposely dragged onto the line. Officials of the burlington Northern santa Fe railway (bNsF) were offering a reward of $us10,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. spokesman steve Forsberg told the press at least two people would have been needed to move the stump, which was wedged in a set of points. One of three crew members aboard was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

extensive damage was caused, which was expected to take between seven and 10 days to clear.

lightning hits mEtrorail lightning – something seldom seen in the mother city – knocked out a railway transformer at Woodstock, one station away from Cape Town’s main terminal, on 20 May. Trains on most lines were immobilised for three hours, according to Metrorail.

The impact was severe. Though the minister of transport is regularly on about minibus-taxis carrying more than 60% of south African commuters, and trains less than 20, the figures are very misleading - being the result of adding apples in one centre to pears in another, and taking an average. in Cape Town, trains move around 50% of passengers from the CbD, so a three-hour standstill would have been extremely bad news in the ordinary course of events.

Three light rail trains are visible on this undulating line in San Francisco.

surgE hits CapE toWn trainsMetrorail suburban services south-east of bellville were badly disrupted on 17 June when a substation supplying traction power at Kuils river was damaged by a surge in eskom voltage, according to press reports. signal circuits and automatic level crossing booms were also put out of action.

All morning peak hour trains to and from stellenbosch, somerset West and the strand were grounded, affecting many hundreds of commuters. Metrorail’s riana scott told the Cape Argus that technicians had been working since midnight to rectify the situation. “harmoniC” roCking CausEd dErailmEntOn 23 April, a 33-wagon grain train from lexington derailed almost two kilometres north of Pontiac, about 30km north of Detroit, Michigan. According to union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis, the cause was determined by a phenomenon known as “harmonic rocking”.

The motion and speed of a train can cause wagons to rock back and forth, Davis explains. “in extreme cases, the wheels will lift up off the track and cause the train to derail”.

CranE falls onto linEOne of a crew working on an interstate 80 railway overbridge near Adair about 80km west of Des Moines in iowa, lost his life when a crane of which he was the operator overbalanced onto the track. The crane, which was being used to move a beam, toppled through a hole in the bridge deck.

Metrorail passengers: facing a long wait


sWiss EXpErt for Ct CablEWayOn 19 May, a swiss engineer was brought to Cape Town to assist in repairing a fault on the city’s cableway. The system had been closed since 13 May, when a problem stranded 60 people in the two cabins in mid-air for 35 minutes.

mosCoW undErground dErailmEntin late June, three coaches in an underground train derailed in the tunnel between two stations in Moscow’s northern suburbs, necessitating the evacuation of all passengers. One person was taken to hospital. A special commission is investigating the incident.


first gautrain sEt handEd ovErOn 8 July, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima shilowa, accompanied by provincial executive members including transport MeC ignatius Jacobs and financial MeC Paul Mashatile, travelled on the first four-coach trainset built for Gautrain at bombardier’s manufacturing facility in Derby, uK. Altogether 15 vehicles will be completed here, while the remaining 81 will go out to south Africa in the form of body shells and some major components, for assembly at union Carriage and Wagon (uCW) in Nigel. The lightweight aluminium bodies represent a first for south Africa.

They are from bombardier’s proved electrostar series, customised to meet south African requirements. A team from uCW is in Derby to receive instruction at first hand.

Jacobs was quoted saying that the route between sandton and the airport is on track to be completed by 2010, and it is hoped to have the line to Centurion open as well. it is intended to use Gautrain’s dedicated fleet of 125 buses to convey passengers over the unfinished sections of the route, “to ensure that soccer fans have speedy access to World Cup venues and accommodation.”

gaUtrain


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gautrain progrEss: park to rosEbank park stationexcavation continues, and casting of the base slab at rail level was one third complete at the end of July. Construction of the columns to support the concourse level slab above has commenced. Piling for the foundations of the parkade structure to be constructed above the station is complete. excavation of the rail tunnel towards emergency shaft e2 in houghton was approximately 520 metres from the tunnel portal.

EmErgEnCy shaftsThe rail tunnel between the Park and sandton stations is being provided with seven access shafts for use by emergency services personnel. some will have safe havens where passengers can gather in an emergency.

emergency shaft 1 (hillbrow):The land required has now been expropriated and site establishment is to begin shortly.

emergency shaft 2 (the Wilds, houghton):excavation has reached the 50m final depth. The adit tunnel linking the bottom of the shaft to the rail tunnel below is being excavated. From the intersection of the adit and the rail tunnel, tunnels will be excavated in two directions simultaneously, southwards towards Park station, and north towards rosebank.

emergency shaft 3 (riviera):Construction of the shaft collar and apron slab has been completed as well as shaft excavation to its final depth of 17 metres.

emergency shaft 4 (houghton):excavation to 14,3 metre depth is complete. Construction of the base slab, sump and shaft lining continues and preparations for excavation of the connecting adit linking the shaft to the main tunnel located below Oxford road are in progress.

rosEbank stationConstruction of the first lift of the castellated perimeter walls up to concourse slab level is almost complete and casting of these walls above the concourse slab level

has commenced. Construction of the concourse slab itself continued. excavation of the last part of the northern cut & cover section was completed during June and 54 metres of the base slab for this section is complete.

excavation of the single-track rail tunnel by the Tunnel boring Machine beneath Oxford road towards shaft e2 had reached more than 1,700 metres at the end of July – about 60% of its task.

excavation of the drill and blast single-track rail tunnel towards emergency shaft 5 had progressed 365m.

Park Station


rosEbank-sandton-marlboroemergency shaft 5 (Dunkeld, rosebank):excavation for a safe haven chamber at the bottom of the shaft is finished. Tunnelling towards sandton station - the only section being excavated from this shaft – reached a distance of approximately 763m.

emergency shaft 6 (illovo):Construction will start in 2009, after the tunnel linking shaft 5 to sandton station has passed below it.

emergency shaft 7 (rivonia road, sandton):This is located on the western side of rivonia road, opposite “The inandas”. site establishment and installation of dewatering wells is complete. The shaft collar has been constructed and shaft excavation has commenced.

sandton stationConstruction of the shafts and cavern for the underground station continue. excavation for the three-level parking basement is complete. Piling, foundations and column construction for this facility continue.

excavation of the south shaft is complete. The staggered tunnel towards the south has progressed 68m and the main cavern top heading to 77m, with 5m remaining to link this to the north shaft (which will house the atrium entrance to the station), where excavation continues.

mushroom farm parkThe temporary shaft at Mushroom Farm Park is to provide access for tunnel construction. Two parallel tunnels are being excavated from here towards sandton, that for the single track having penetrated 570m, and for the double-track some 400m.

The double-track tunnel towards Marlboro Portal currently penetrates more than 1,1km.

marlboro portalexcavation of the double track tunnel towards Mushroom Farm Park currently penetrates 2.34km from the portal where the tunnel “daylights”, ie the end of the underground section of the route, and the final lining is being applied to the tunnel walls. Construction of the floor slab to support the rail tracks is in progress. Concrete walkways are being installed as well as a dividing wall to separate the two sets of tracks. marlboro station and n3 undErpassViaducts 1a and 11 cross the Jukskei river and east bank road in Alexandra. The placing of deck segments for all five spans of Viaduct 11 was completed before the end of July. The launching girder was reassembled at the adjacent Viaduct 1a, where segment erection will begin shortly.

earthworks, retaining walls and associated drainage structures are in progress between the Marlboro Portal and the N3 crossing, substructure construction for the parking basement and concourse at Marlboro station is under way and platform wall construction is proceeding.

Construction continues on a series of underpasses in the section where the two pairs of railway lines cross below the N3 highway alongside the Marlboro road bridge.

marlboro-dEpot-midrand At Viaduct 2 over the Modderfontein spruit, side panel installation, casting of deck slabs and erection of precast bridge parapets - which also serve as noise barriers – are all complete. Construction of the route between the N3 crossing at Marlboro Drive and Gautrain’s Midrand depot is well advanced.

Midrand DepotThe 24 trainsets will be maintained, serviced and stabled here. The adjacent bus depot will perform similar functions for Gautrain’s fleet of 150 buses. The administration buildings for both depots are complete. The train maintenance workshops will be finished soon.

Temporary facilities include a flash butt welding unit where rails are welded into 216 metre long lengths. These will be transported on specially equipped wagons. Once placed in position on concrete sleepers, they will be welded together to form a continuous rail. Precast Yard The Precast Yard – a temporary facility at the depot - is using twin concrete batching plants, overhead gantries and tower cranes for manufacturing a variety of precast concrete elements. These include viaduct segments, bridge beams and parapets, tunnel walkway sections and noise barriers.

The deck segments for Gautrain viaducts are erected using massive, purpose-built, launching girders. These are launched across the supporting piers to assemble the precast deck segments which are then bonded and stressed together to form the deck spans. Minimal disruption is caused to existing infrastructure and road traffic.

TracklayingThe laying of stabling sidings at the depot is well advanced. Once complete, main-line tracklaying is to proceed outwards from the depot in both directions, using specialised, highly mechanised equipment.

midrand-CEnturion-prEtoriaGood progress has been made with Viaduct 3 over Allandale road and Viaduct 4, which crosses over rietspruit and Olifantsfontein road south. stripping of topsoil at

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CD279 VAE_switchrighttrack.indd 1 2007/11/22 06:58:58 PM

Midrand station has been completed and bulk earthworks and retaining wall construction activities are under way. Construction of a number of smaller road-over-rail bridges in the area continues. CEnturion arEaViaduct 5, which is to carry the elevated alignment through Centurion, extends over the John Vorster interchange crossing the N1 in the south, continuing to the Jean Avenue interchange crossing the ben schoeman highway in the north. The sinking of deep foundation shafts for Viaduct 5 at both interchanges continues, construction of supporting piers is in progress and work on some in-situ deck sections has commenced.

Within Centurion itself, foundation construction - comprising excavation, preloading, grouting and piling - is under way at most of the viaduct pier locations along the central section of Viaduct 5, including those which will support the elevated platforms of Centurion station, and pier construction has commenced. This station will be situated on the northern side of West street close to Centurion lake.

salvokop and prEtoria Construction of an underpass to carry the Gautrain track beneath the ben schoeman highway to the south of salvokop continues. At Pretoria station, the existing staff parking area has been vacated, utilities are being relocated and existing buildings are being demolished. Foundation piling and pile cap construction is in progress at Viaduct 7 crossing Nelson Mandela boulevard.

prEtoria-hatfiEldbetween Gautrain’s Pretoria and hatfield stations, a number of road bridges crossing the existing Metrorail railway are being lengthened, to accommodate the new tracks which will

run parallel. The Cilliers street bridge has been completed and the road reopened to traffic. At hatfield station, foundation piling for the parkade structure is in progress and construction of the base for the retaining wall along the adjacent Metrorail alignment diversion is continuing.

marlboro-airportViaduct deck segment erection for all ten spans of Viaduct 13 over Centenary Way in Modderfontein is complete. Pier construction continues at Viaduct 14 and deck spans utilising launching girder T3 are being erected. This structure will span Zuurfontein road and the adjacent existing railway line. several other bridges and culverts are being built along this section. The platforms at rhodesfield station are to be elevated, located approximately one-third of the way along Viaduct 15, directly above the existing Metrorail lines approaching Kempton Park. The station entrance, concourse and parking area will be positioned at ground level on the eastern side of the existing railway. The piers supporting this section of the viaduct are complete and erection of the deck spans using launching girder T2, commenced during July. Three spans of viaduct segments were in place by the end of the month.

or tambo intErnational airport stationViaduct 15, 1.5km in length, will carry the Gautrain double track above the r21/r24 road network to the elevated Or Tambo international Airport station. The majority of piers have been completed, and deck erection has begun.

Construction of the external shell of the station concourse is almost complete. it is visible above the elevated drop-off road, immediately adjacent to the new airport central terminal building, currently under construction.

Ysterwiele 2Author: Werna Maritz R150 inclusive of postage and packing from PO Box 3524, Jeffreys Bay 6330; [email protected]

Werna Maritz’s first book of south African train stories was a sell-out when published last year. Far from exhausting the supply of tellable tales, it appears to have stimulated railway memories everywhere; hence Ysterwiele 2 – home to another 150 or so enthralling anecdotes (and more, apparently, keep flooding in).

english speakers hesitant about tackling a second language will miss a great read; school-level “lower grade” Afrikaans is more than enough to grasp what is going on. Characterful, colloquial railway language was inimitable, much of it untranslatable without losing half the effect.

For that matter, there is more english in the second volume than in the first, including several pieces of evocative poetry. english names, too, are plentiful among the contributors – familiar ones like one-time Germiston fireman richard Niven (currently driving high-speed expresses in scotland), Charlie lewis (co-author of The Great steam Trek, etc), les Pivnic and Nathan berelowitz (less english-sounding than lewis, certainly, but we don’t think they are Afrikaans)... And only an english-speaking fireman could have addressed his driver as “Oom boep”, blissfully unaware that the nickname referred unflatteringly to the profile of his colleague’s digestive anatomy.

The copious illustrations are largely self-explanatory, well-chosen to portray the different classes of locomotive and diverse railway clobber mentioned in the text. Not to mention bluntly instructive notices like “Please do not expectorate”, and “Don’t throw bottles”.

Werna, it seems, has barely tapped the tip of the iceberg. Volume 3 – can you believe it – is due out before Christmas.

- lrD

gaUtrain


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Safe_rails_214x298_Southafrica.qxd 18.10.2006 9:11 Uhr Seite 1

middle east Update

dubai starts mEtro tEstsThe new Dubai metro system, due to open for public service in september 2009, is entering its testing mode. A preliminary trial run over 1km of the red line was made on 12 May, between Jebel Ali industrial area and Jebel Ali Free Zone. Proper testing is to begin in september 2008 between Jebel Ali and batuta. Technical tests under both automatic and manual modes will evaluate sound, vibration and electro-mechanical alignment, according to road and Transport Authority (rTA) executive chairman Mater Al Tayer.

running on 750V DC, metro trains will be capable of 90km/h.

mEtro for kuWaitspecifications for Kuwait’s proposed 165km, four-line metro network are currently being finalised. line 1 - 23.7km, is to have 19 stations; line 2 - 21km, 27 stations; line 3 - 24km, 15. The number of stations on line 4 - 22,7km has not been disclosed.

each line is being tendered separately in terms of a public-private partnership model and it is hoped to announce the successful bids within six months. it is intended to begin construction early in 2009, and to finish by 2014. The existing road system will be virtually unaffected and the need for expropriation minimal as most of the system – about 65% - is to be elevated, with the rest underground.

Total cost is estimated at $us11.3 billion, with 24% funded by the state and 26% by the successful tenderers. The remaining 50% will be raised through an iPO. Passenger use is projected at 69,1 million per annum.

At the same time, planning is proceeding on a national passenger and freight rail network comprising 505.3 km of double track electrified at 50kV AC. A 244.8km north-south line is envisaged from the iraqi border to that with saudi Arabia, and there is to be a 42.5km route to the airport. east-west lines are to link economic centres within Kuwait. eventually these lines are seen as part of a proposed 2,000km railway system in the Gulf, extending to the Arabian peninsula.

korEan dmus for turkEyDirector-general süleyman Karaman of Torkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryollari (TCDD – the Turkish state railway) formally accepted the first of 12 diesel multiple-unit sets from south Korean rolling stock manufacturer hyundai rotem in seoul on 22 May 2008. Featuring air-conditioning, video, radio and internet access, and capable of 140km/h, the two-coach units are to be used on the routes Ankara-Kirikkale, Adana-Mersin, Kütahya-eskisehir and Denizli-izmir. Funding was arranged with a loan from the european investment bank.

The five groups are:the saudi-Japanese consortium, including saudi •Archirodon, Mitsubishi, hitachi and Veolia;the Al rajhi Alliance, led by Mada Group with •bouygues, Alstom, eurostar and China railway engineering Corp;the saudi binladen Group, with Db AG, siemens, •ircon and Yapi Merkezi;Ohl international with CAF, Thales and ADiF plus •other spanish constuction firms; andA consortium comprising saudi Oger, el seif •engineering Contracting, italian national railway Ferrovie dello stato, russian railways, Ansaldo sTs company Ansaldo Trasporti sistemi Ferroviari, Ansaldobreda and selex sistemi integrate.

bidding is being managed by the saudi railways Organisation, which is also overseeing tendering for the 945km east-west saudi landbridge route from riyadh to Jeddah - expected to cost about $us5 billion.

Jordanian rail dEal According to an announcement by Jordanian Minister of Transport Alaa batayneh, a 126km light rail line with 11 intermediate stations is to be built by a Kuwaiti-spanish consortium between Amman and the industrial city of Zarqa at a cost of about $us333 million. The project is to go ahead on a build, Operate and Transfer (bOT) basis, with the line in operation from 2011 and passing into government ownership after 30 years. About 100,000 passengers are expected daily.

[Our unidentified, internet-derived source mentioned 36-carriage trains, which sounds like one or two (or thirty) too many. A correspondent suggests 30 six-car sets as being more likely. – editor]

iraQ railWay ClEan-uprailway repairs are under way at Camp Taji, iraq, four years since the last train ran at the outbreak of war. repair work includes clearing debris, track rehabilitation, points overhaul and rerailing wagons. A crew of ten iraqis is being assisted by united states military personnel. staff sergeant Gilbert Torress, was quoted saying: “After this they will load containers and test the tracks.”

According to mobility chief for the 1st sustainment brigade Major ira baldwin (from laurinburg, North Carolina): “The trains pulling in here will carry mostly containers and iraqi Army materials bound for the maintenance facilities under the Taji National Depot”.

Kuwait’s ambitious Metro network


Wagons for turkEyrailway Gazette international reports that Turkish logistics concern reysas has purchased 20 wagons from sanito for €0.4 million.

saudi ConCEssionFive consortia have submitted final bids for a 50-year build-Operate-Transfer (bOT) concession to design, build and operate the new 444km saudi Western high-speed railway linking Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah. six of the seven groups that submitted prequalification bids in 2006 were shortlisted in June 2007.


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

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

TRE_loco_adv.indd 1 2008/05/30 08:23:01 PM

railway heritage

Preservation is an essential part of the picture- John batwell keeps up to date

umgEni stEam railWay protECts motivE poWErAfter months of toiling to replace the missing or stolen pipe work, the locomotive department of this preservation organisation has achieved the goal of getting class 3br no 1486 (1912 North british loco Works) back to steaming. in May no 1486

received its 36 months’ boiler certificate. The 3br loco is now fitted (as is class 19D no 2685) with a char scourer to the smoke box. This apparatus keeps the smoke box tube plate clear from residue char build-up that results in tube plate erosion if it becomes wet when a locomotive stands between operational trips. The locomotives mentioned under this preservation group’s banner in issue 2/2008 are, interests of the North british Preservation Group, uK.

narroW gaugE WintEr tourAt a time when traditional photographic rail tours of south Africa are becoming rare, uK rail tour operator Geoff Cooke brought a group of 24 enthusiasts to south Africa during winter, visiting the Free state’s sandstone estates before moving on to Paton’s Country railway in KwaZulu Natal to witness class NGG11 no 55, umtwalume Valley estates (uVe) no 2 built by Avonside and also Avonside no 2038. Then it was on to the eastern Cape’s Apple express - the latter, alas, a diesel operation behind class 91 unit no 91-007.

Many tour organisers imagine that one day at sandstone will suffice but with 22 operational locomotives to choose from, a week might not be enough! This group was made up of narrow gauge enthusiasts and sandstone laid on no less than seven locomotives over two and a half days. To cater for all tastes these ranged from ex-sAr class NGG16 Garratts to ex-sena sugar estates (Mozambique) industrial locos. With visitors

from Japan and europe, sandstone set up a photographic feast. The locomotives featured over the tour were class NGG16 no 113 and no 153, class NG15 no 17, class NG4 no 16, Falcon “lawley” br no 7, Peckett-built (ex-sena) no 14 and Feldbahn (ex-sena) no 2.

The tour participants were overwhelmed by sandstone and what it has achieved in narrow gauge preservation in a short ten years. Apart from the variety of locomotives the visitors were fascinated by the different rolling stock, but it was the workshop facilities which impressed many.

still on the exciting narrow gauge front – sandstone Trust has acquired ‘Kalahari’ no 136 which emigrated in 1998 to the club schinznacher baumschul bahn, “schbb”, (a railway based in a tree nursery in schinznach, switzerland). Changed circumstances at the swiss club enabled the class NG15 to become available for purchase and this locomotive has now returned to south Africa. Meanwhile, ex-Alfred County railway modified, red-liveried, class NGG16A no 141 is at sandstone having been rescued by a father and son from the scrap lines in Port shepstone.

sECond falCon baCk in stEamsandstone Trust’s latest restoration project is the Falcon 4-4-0 locomotive “lawley” NG6 no 97. This 610mm gauge loco was scheduled to join sister “lawley” NG6 no 106 in double-headed operations on the farm at the end of June. both locomotives began working on this continent on the beira-umtali (Mutare) line. locomotive no 97 of 1897 vintage was a static exhibit for many years at James hall Transport Museum in southern Johannesburg before being restored to working order at bloemfontein during 2007/8. Falcon no 106, restored as beira railways (br) no 7, is of 1895 vintage.

furorE ovEr loCo CuttingFollowing on from the stop Press in the last edition, the cutting up of steam locomotives and rolling stock – some preservation gems amongst them - dumped near the coal stage at Millsite depot, Krugersdorp a few months ago incurred a heated reaction at home and abroad.

Wooden motor coaches and two schwartzkopf-built class 23 4-8-2 locomotives were amongst the cut stock, unbeknown to either the heritage railway Association of south Africa (hrAsA) or steam in Action (siA). in short, the events that unfolded at this depot in May arose following a visit to the adjoining Krugersdorp diesel depot by Transnet Freight rail’s CeO siyabonga Gama. Gama apparently requested that the derelict area at the shed be cleaned up. And so things swung into action with scrap merchant reclam arriving and setting about “cleaning up”, in so doing cutting up some valuable items that were worthy of preservation, either locally or abroad. steam in Action certainly lived up to its title and, acting very smartly, got the cutting up programme terminated by Transnet by the end of May. in so doing, a class GeA Garratt locomotive, no 4022, associated with the south African royal Tour in 1947, was saved from the torch just in time.

Transnet subsequently called for a Donation Agreement with hrAsA to release locomotives at this depot to other preservation organisations.

Two of Rovos Rail’s class 25NC locomotives head for Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, in April.

Umtwalume Valley Estates (UVE) no 2 built by Avonside is seen working during May’s narrow gauge tour to South Africa. Photo: G.E. Cooke

Umgeni Steam Railway, KwaZulu Natal, has returned its class 3BR locomotive to service.

rovos tour suCCEssful ovErallAs reported in the last column, rovos rail’s nos 3442/3484 were used on a second successive steam tour to Zimbabwe. The sight of class 25NC locos working through botswana was last witnessed over twenty years ago when Mafikeng depot used its allocated 25NCs to haul traffic to and from rakhuna siding, just inside botswana. With the tour train heading north on this route, it was “a first time” for such steam locos to appear on NrZ’s Plumtree-bulawayo section. The tour, which saw the class 25NCs head as far as somabhula on the harare main-line and then northwards to Victoria Falls, was sadly marred with a collision at Matetsi. A platelayers’ trolley came careering round the curve into Matetsi and, unable to stop, collided with the NrZ crew cabooses at the rear of the rovos train resulting in two NrZ staff fatalities.


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end of the line

WHAT’S IN A NAME?The trouble with multi-word titles

is initials that people distort,inadvertently wrecking and bringing

The best of intentions to nought.

south African railways – the old s A r –A dab hand with all sorts of train

Didn’t go down with the new kids in town;As s stands for steam, they maintained.

They wanted a name whose meaning was clearAnd wouldn’t be easily forgotten

The rest of the family ended in “net” -so spoornet was not ill begotten.

but new brooms sweep clean and they itch to rebrand,saying: three words are better than one.

Though can they get far with a T F and r -indisputably back to square one?

CORRESPONDENCEpaulinE nEÉ louisE no 3407

Dear editor i read with great interest the article from the Marshalling Yard section about the official naming of locomotives, reviewed by les Pivnic, dated 23 October 2007. i was particularly interested in the class 25NC loco list of 1970 which Alec Watson gave to les. it states that loco no 3407 was at that time named louise. since the official copy of the number plate is proudly displayed in my dining room, allow me to bring you up to steam with the latest news of her.

As you probably already know she is a green engine and the cast

brass wing-type nameplate read “bethlehem”. she was renamed PAuliNe on 21 August in 1990 after my mother, the fashion at that time being to name engines

after group general managers’ wives. A little while later she was

photographed for a calendar.

Just last week i met a man named John (whose surname escapes my memory) who now works for Friends of the rail. he was able to tell me that no 3407 is now at Worcester. sadly due to our escalation of brass and copper theft she has been stripped of all her glory including the nameplate. John and another member of Friends of the rail expressed the hope that 3407, having been completely overhauled in 1990, and being such an unusual engine would be worthwhile restoring back to her former gracious state. Their wish is that she may be able to join the small fleet of engines at Friends of the rail used on the weekly excursions.

This story has so touched my heart that i am now the newest member of Friends of the rail and will help out in any way possible. i do so wish we could bring her back and restore her once again. My mother who will be eighty in July would be so proud.

- liesel hagenPs The seven to eight year old children i teach are clueless as to what a steam engine is. Please excuse the spelling errors as my Dad is no longer around to help.

[liesel’s Dad was not only one-time group general manager of railways. he went on to edit railways Africa, doing so with distinction until he died in 2005. – editor]

drinks bannEd in londonNewly elected lord Mayor of london boris Johnson has banned the consumption of alcohol on the city’s public transport, with effect from 1 June. Anyone found drinking or carrying open alcohol containers on any of london’s trains, buses, trams, underground lines or the Docklands light railway will be liable to be ejected.

Transport unions are reportedly unhappy with the idea, fearing that Transport for london (Tfl) staff might be endangered.

gps blamEd for Crossing aCCidEntA resident of Oak lawn in the American state of Wisconsin blamed his on-board GPs navigational system after a train rammed his car at the town’s 94th street level crossing. According to a Chicago-sun press report, the police responded to a 911 call reporting a car stuck on the track. When they arrived, they found an empty vehicle on the crossing, with the driver and his female passenger standing nearby.

before the police officers could reach the car, a train appeared. They tried signalling to the driver but he was unable to stop in time. The locomotive struck the vehicle, “spinning it around and knocking down the crossing gate, which in turn damaged the front end of the police car.“

The motorist, 24, said he was following the instructions of his GPs system and took a right turn onto the crossing, but the car’s undercarriage became lodged on the rail.

Helmuth Hagen and the two Paulines in 1990.

train traffiC rEport, saturday, 16 august 2008 “Trains are running on time and according to schedule.We apologize for the inconvenience caused.Thank you”.

- Metrorail (Western Cape) website.

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Railways Africa - Issue 3

Business

Transcript of Railways Africa - Issue 3