Railways Africa Issue 1 2012

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RAILWAYS AFRICA / FOREWORD

Foreword

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

3Issue 1 // 2012 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com

BARBARA SHEATPublisher / Railways Africa

PUBLISHERBarbara Sheat

EDITOR Rollo Dickson

DESIGN & LAYOUTGrazia Muto

ADVERTISINGKim Bevan

SUBSCRIPTIONS Kim Bevan

CONTRIBUTORSC Baker

Chas Rickwood

Geoff Cooke

Jacque Wepener

John Batwell

Peter Bagshawe

Pierre-Noël Rietsch

Roderick Smith

ISSN 1029 - 2756

Rail Link Communications ccPO Box 4794 Randburg 2125

Tel: +27 87 940 9278

E-mail: [email protected]

Twitter: railwaysafrica

Website: www.railwaysafrica.com

ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT

ISS

UE

1 // 2

01

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WWW.RAILWAYSAFRICA.COM

There was this BBC interview recently with

Railways Africa. The question as to who

should take the hot seat – publisher or

editor – was quickly settled. The editor fi lled

the bill (the publisher having the casting

vote!) but there was a problem with what

the subject of the discussion was supposed

to be. The people in London wanted to talk

about a contract said to have been clinched

with China, apparently involving railways in

Djibouti and Nigeria.

China, we pointed out, is working on

countless rail-related projects on the

continent but none we knew comprised

more than one at a time, and certainly

none concerning two completely different

countries. Djibouti (fractionally south of

the Red Sea) and Nigeria (a very long way

to the west, beyond Ethiopia, Sudan and

Chad) are hardly close, in geographic or any

other respects.

Djibouti has only one railway, the one

that runs – which may not be the most

appropriate word - to Addis Ababa in

Ethiopia. Two contracts were awarded to

a Chinese company late in 2011 – one in

October, the other in December - each for

the reconstruction of a designated part

of the line on the Ethiopian side of the

border. Djibouti, it was explained at the

time, would look after the 100km or so

remaining on their side of things – a

hundred kms that might (we suggested)

be the subject of this latest contract with

China.

Meanwhile in Nigeria, China has been

conspicuous in many railway contracts

in recent times, several being in progress

at the moment; a new light rail system in

the capital, Abuja, for instance, a new line

from Abuja to Kaduna, the rebuilding of the

main-line from Lagos to Kano (1,126km),

and so on. Were we talking of one of these?

Well, attempts to identify the exact matter

under discussion continued round in

circles, and I’m not sure that either

interviewer of interviewee really managed

to reach common ground. One rather

suspected the BBC thought they were

onto a brand-new news scoop – a hitherto

unexpected Chinese foray into Africa, and

didn’t really want their thunder stolen.

A fascinating part of the Djibouti story

is the announced intention of replacing

the existing metre gauge with 1,435mm,

electrifi ed. Electric railways are currently

all the rage in Africa. (As, of course, is

1,435mm “standard”gauge. Nigeria was

the fi rst on the continent – if you don’t

count Gautrain, Mauritania, Gabon, Egypt

and Morocco - to test these waters, so

to speak, but abandoned its ideas when

funding realities came to light.)

The new line from Addis into Kenya is to

be electric, too. That’s the one just agreed

by the presidents of Ethiopia and Kenya, to

run more than 1,000km to Lamu – a port

that doesn’t actually exist as yet, some

250km up the coast from Mombasa.

Elsewhere, the expected costs of new

1,435mm lines planned to replace the

metre gauge in Cameroon, Uganda, Kenya,

Tanzania, etc are happily quoted in billions

of US dollars, though where exactly the

cash is to be sourced isn’t spelled out

in great detail. Even less clear is the

extent to which the price of completely

new locomotives and rolling stock has

been realistically factored in. Another

consideration: there’s no immediately

obvious secondhand market for used (well-

used) metre gauge equipment. India has

been selling off it’s own discarded items

to Africa, but unfortunately this isn’t by any

means a two-way trade.


Iran to Set Up Wagon Plant in Algeria 8

New Line to Malawi 11

Strike Cripples Transnamib 12

Africa Update

RAILWAYS AFRICA / CONTENTS

ContentsContents

KAPSCH CARRIERCOMKapsch CarrierCom Breaks Into The African Market 6

Features 6

10

20

www.railwaysafrica.com

Buttskop Booms Broken 64 Times 14

Chicago Derailment Delays Commuters 15

Kroonstad Station Fire 16

Mishaps & Blunders

Umgeni Steam Railway, KwaZulu Natal 20

Jan Kempdorp Army Depot Loco gets Reprieve 21

Railway Heritage

to expanding the number of employees

depending on further projects.

“We are especially pleased about this order

in North Africa as this region, together

with the Middle East, is the absolute

growth market for innovative wireless train

communication solutions”, says Kapsch

CarrierCom’s GSM-R vice president, Michel

Clement.

The company’s considerable experience

and relevant expertise drew signifi cant

attention at the Dubai Rail Exhibition held

in February. The Middle East and surrounds

have identifi ed rail as a cost-effective way

to move freight over long distances without

damaging the environment, and with the

FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Qatar in

2020 there is also an urgent need for

additional passenger services. The metro

system installed in Syria for the movement

of pilgrims to the holy sites in Mecca has

been a resounding success.

Kapsch CarrierCom continues to pioneer

the development of applications and

services for next generation networks and

innovative OSS/BSS solutions in its seven

R&D centres in Europe and Asia.

Kapsch CarrierCom is an internationally

recognised specialist and trusted partner

for railway operators such as the French

railway RFF, the German railway DB and

Network Rail in the United Kingdom. In

the public operator segment, customers

include service providers such as the

companies of the Telekom Austria Group

and Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan.

The order includes the delivery and

installation of a GSM-R end-to-end solution

on the 110km Saida-Moulay-Slissen route.

Moreover, the company is responsible for

the delivery of SDH (Synchronous Digital

Hierarchy) equipment, a telecommunication

multiplex technology, which allows the

combining of low-rate traffi c streams into a

high-rate traffi c stream.

The associated consulting, designing

and construction work, such as installing

and integrating telephone masts, to the

maintaining, operating and support of the

entire network, will be managed by Kapsch

CarrierCom. The route will form part of

the “Rocade des hauts Plateaux” route

network.

The company has set up an offi ce in Algier,

in order to better service the client’s needs;

currently employing a staff of 10 with a view www.kapschcarrier.com | www.kapsch.net

6 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com

KAPSCH CARRIERCOM

Kapsch CarrierCom Breaks Into The African Market Kapsch CarrierCom, a global leader in seamless integration of GSM-R networks for over 70,000 track kilometres in Europe, was recently awarded a contract for the installation of an end-to-end solution for Agence nationale d’études et de suivi de la réalisation des investissements ferroviaires (Anesrif), the national agency responsible for railway infrastructure investments in Algeria.

The moment of trust. From the efficient transport of its freight to the safe arrival of their loved ones, South Africa trusts the railroads. And the railroads put trust in Timken.

Since 1932 Timken has played an integral role in the development of the

South African railroad industry, delivering more than 900,000 locally made

bearings for the most challenging environments and applications—from

locomotives to rolling stock, freight to passenger service, trams to high-speed

rail. With innovations ranging from the nation’s first Mobile Rail Service (MRS)

units to the first Black Economically Empowered (BEE) agreement in the

bearing industry, Timken is where South Africa turns for quality products,

service and business leadership—today and tomorrow. Visit Timken.com/rail

or call +27 11 741-3800 for more information.

© 2010 The Timken CompanyTimken® and Where You Turn® are registered trademarks of The Timken Company.www.timken.com

ALGERIA IRAN TO SET UP WAGON PLANT IN ALGERIAWagon Pars deputy director for sales and

exports Omid Hezareh says the company

plans a wagon assembly line in Algeria.

The aim is to supply rolling stock to both

Algeria and other countries in Africa.

Wagon Pars, an Iranian fi rm, is the

largest manufacturer of railway vehicles

in the Middle East, producing some 40

locomotives, 1,500 goods wagons, and

250 passenger coaches annually.

ANGOLABENGUELA RAILWAY PROGRESSRailways of Angola national director Julio

Bango Joaquim says rehabilitation work on

Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB) in

the district of Kunje is almost complete

and effort is now concentrated in the

province of Bie, towards eastern Moxico.

Joaquim was speaking to the press in the

city of Kuito, 575km from Lobito, following

the arrival of the fi rst train.

On 25 February, Angolan transport minister

Augusto da Silva Tomas inspected rail

and related projects at the port of Lobito,

including construction work on the ore

and container terminals.

MOÇAMEDES LINE TO OPEN SOONMoçâmedes Railways CEO Daniel Quipaxe

has told the Angop News Agency that

public passenger trains are to start

running on the sections Namibe-Lubango-

Menongue between March and April 2012.

Quipaxe was speaking in Lubango city, in

Angola’s southern Huíla province.

AFRICAN EXPRESSThe African Regional Assembly of the

International Union of Railways (UIC), with

offi ces based in Tunis, has initiated an

important project backed by the United

Nations Environment Programme (Unep).

This is in recognition of 2012 being declared

by the United Nations as the International

Year of Sustainable Energy for All.

Offi ce National des Chemins de fer

(ONCF – the national railway of Morocco)

in conjunction with UIC’s African region

endorsed the concept of an “Africa Express”

mission, in the form of a 20,000km tour of

Africa by train, starting in Tangier.

The aim is to study initiatives in the fi eld of

energy, to identify their key success factors,

replicability and durability, and to attract

national and international investors to

implement and reproduce these projects.

A White Paper will be released afterwards

to promote good practice and target

energy stakeholders in Africa (international

donors, governments, NGOs, companies

and national electric power companies,

etc.). A fi lm targeting the general public will

show the main issues and aspects of the

mission.

A 20,000km tour of Africa by train is going to run into problems – notably stopblocks where the continent’s many discontinuous railways suddenly end. - Editor: Railways Africa.

For more information on “Africa Express”: Website: www.africaexpress.org Email: [email protected]

ZenzaLuanda

Dondo

Malanje

LobitoBenguela

Camacupa

Caaia KuitoHuamboCubal

Luena

Namibe

LubangoDongo Menongue

Chiange

Oshikango

Ondangwa

Tsumeb

Chamutete

Luau Dilolo

DRC

ATLANTIC

ZAMBIA

BOTSWANA

ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

Km300


AFRICA UPDATEAFRICA UPDATE

AFRICA UPDATE

CAMEROONCAMEROON RAIL MASTER PLANOn 10 February, Cameroon’s economy,

planning and regional development minister

Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi revealed a

national railway master plan, dovetailing

with government objectives to transform

the country into an “emerging economy” by

2035. The plan was prepared in partnership

with South Korea’s Korpec and Chunsuk

Engineering company. Cameroon’s existing

railway extends some 987km on metre

gauge.

A much improved railway is seen as a

stepping stone to expanded trade with

adjoining countries, including the Central

African Republic, Chad, the Republic of

Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and

Nigeria. The fi rst three of these, being

landlocked, rely on Cameroon’s port-capital

of Douala for exports and imports. More

importantly, in the short term, existing

and planned mining sites in Cameroon –

involving iron ore, nickel, cobalt,

manganese, gold, diamond and bauxite

– are to be linked to a new deep-sea port

being built at Lolabe-Kribi, about 140km

south of Douala.

New rail extensions are envisaged to serve

cocoa production in the south-west as well

as coffee trading centres such as Mbanga,

Nkongsamba, Bafoussam, Foumban and

Bamenda in the littoral, western and north-

west. In addition, connection is foreseen

with the proposed new railway from Sudan

through Chad.

Options under consideration for funding

and operating include Public/Private

Partnership (PPP) and Build, Operate and

Transfer (BOT). The master plan foresees

operating speeds of between 150 km/h

and 170 for passenger trains and between

70km/h and 90 for freight.

EGYPTTHIRD METRO LINE FOR CAIROAccording to the Egyptian State Information

Service, Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri

offi cially inaugurated the £E4.2 billion fi rst

phase of Cairo’s third underground line

on 27 February. It is expected to divert

some 300,000 current users from surface

transport. The new trains, which began

running on 21 February, serve fi ve stations

between Attaba and Abbasiya. Ganzouri

inspected construction in progress on the

second phase, already 60% complete. All

three phases are to be running within fi ve

years, he told a press conference.

A consortium led by Vinci Construction

with Bouygues Travaux Publics, Orascom

and Arab Contractors, took 51 months to

complete the new underground section

at a cost of €235m. Vinci subsidiary ETF-

Eurovia Travaux Ferrorviaires led the

consortium responsible for the supply and

installation of 11km of track with third rail

in the tunnel.

Phase II continues the line eastwards

some 6.5kkm from Abbasiya to Al Ahram,

with fi ve more stations. It is scheduled to

open by 2014. Phase III is to run westwards

from Attaba to Imbaba, with an extension

from Abbasiya to Cairo International Airport

in the east.

ETHIOPIASTANDARD GAUGE TO DJIBOUTIIn October 2011, China Railway Group

(CREC) was appointed main contractor to

the Ethiopian Railways for a $US1.2 billion

reconstruction project involving the 683km

Ethiopian section of the metre-gauge Addis

Ababa-Djibouti line, currently out of use.

KumbaNkongsamba

MbangaDouala

EsékaNgoumou

MbaimayoYaoundé

NgaoundéréNigeria

Cameroon

CongoGabon

CentralAfricanRepublic

Guinea

Régie Nationale des Chemins de fer (RNCF – the state railway of Cameroon) metre-gauge loco CC

2209, Bombardier-built (Canada), type MLW MX 620, used for goods traffi c between Douala-Yaoundé-

Ngaoundéré, also passenger trains Yaoundé-Ngaoundéré. Photo: Pierre-Noël Rietsch.

AFRICA UPDATE


Ladybrand and Ficksburg. The aim is to reduce problems on the

road, which saw 98 fatalities in 2011 and 95 in 2010. The statement

issued says: “There is no railway line within Lesotho, but the

South African railway line to Bloemfontein and Bohlokong runs

along the north-western Lesotho border, with a stop in Ficksburg.

The train is also expected to travel between Kimberley in the

Northern Cape and Maseru.”

[There is an existing line from Bloemfontein to Marseilles junction

(113km) from where a 26km branch goes to Maseru but neither

run through Ladybrand (32km further to the north) - or Ficksburg

(another 70km). Somebody has their railway lines crossed. – Editor:

Railways Africa.]

LIBERIALIBERIA’S TOKADEH-BUCHANAN LINE.Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker,

invested $US800 million to refurbish an iron ore mine, port

and railways to produce the fi rst exports from Liberia in about

20 years in September 2011. The company renovated the railway,

rebuilt bridges and roads and installed a new drainage system

in the fi rst phase of the project’s development. The 240km line

runs from the Tokadeh mine to the sea port at Buchanan.

MADAGASCARMADAGASCAR JOURNEYRoderick Smith (Rail News Victoria editor) reporting on sar-L:“I went to Madagascar knowing little more than ‘the home of

Michelins’ [French-built railcars]. With a small group, we achieved

a lot of riding.

“What I wasn’t expecting, but which I enjoyed:

• The grand scenery, vivid green and highly productive on the

east coast.

• The great architecture (simple two-storey mudbrick houses for

farmers; elaborate colonial stations and civic buildings).

• The climate: hot and dry, and often hot and humid.

• The variety of food available.

• The excellent railway rehabilitation achieved by the Belgian

management company.

• A morning in a lemur park, fi nding four breeds, plus other

exotic rainforest denizens.

• Good local beer, and quite adequate French, South African and

local wines which were not extortionate.

• And above all: the friendly people (staff and locals).

“A solo visit would be tricky: it would have to fi t around public

Michelin runs, and I saw no evidence of long-distance buses to link

the railheads. It would be safe, and not overcrowded, and station

vendors would ensure you don’t starve. Booking with a group offers

convenience and effi ciency, and the LCGB formula worked well.”

David Wood added more on [email protected]: “Two or three years ago there was some correspondence about

railways crossing runways. Manakara, Madagascar, should be

added to the list. LCGB recently operated a tour here which

covered all the lines on the island, with both diesel locos and the

French Michelin railcars with six-wheel bogies carrying pneumatic

tyres. The east line runs from Fianarantsoa in the highlands down

to the coast at Manakara. A few kilometres short of Manakara

It is understood that the new line is to be on 1,435mm gauge,

and reports talk of electrifi cation. The fi rst phase covers 317km

between Addis Ababa and Mieso. India has allocated $300 million

towards the project and Ethiopia is currently looking for a further

$300 million.

The second phase comprises the 339km section of the route

from Mieso, through Dire Dawa to Dewale on the border

with Djibouti. On 16 December, the China Civil Engineering

Construction Corporation signed an agreement in respect of this.

Here the Ethiopian government is to meet 40% of the cost, with

the rest funded through a soft loan from China. The government

of Djibouti is expected to construct the fi nal 100km from Dewale

to the Doraleh container terminal on the Red Sea.

GUINEAORE FROM GUINEALondon-based Rio Tinto is spending $US1 billion on the fi rst

phase of its Simandou project in Guinea, estimated to produce

95 million tons of ore by 2015. It is to invest more than $10 billion

on an iron-ore mine, 650km of industrial railway, 21km of tunnels

and a new deepwater port south of the capital, Conakry. Minister

of mines Mohamed Lamine Fofana foresees the creation of some

10,000 jobs.

Though the most direct route from Simandou to the sea would

be by way of Liberia, it is understood that Guinea favours a

railway wholly within its borders.

KENYALAMU-ADDIS RAILWAYA 1,435mm gauge railway is to be built from Kenya’s Lamu (where

a port is to be developed) to Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. An

agreement to this effect was signed at State House Nairobi on

1 March 2012, witnessed by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. The proposed new line

will be approximately 1,300km in length.

LESOTHOPASSENGER TRAINS TO MASERUAccording to Orange Free State

MEC for roads and transport

Butana Khompela, it is planned

to run main-line passenger

trains between Bloemfontein

and Maseru (in Lesotho), via

Thaba Nchu, Botshabelo,

SOMALI

DJIBOUTI

Addis Ababa

Nazaret

Metahara

Dire Dawa

Dewale

ETHIOPIA

0 50 100 150 Km

Photo: Jacque Wepener


AFRICA UPDATE

Tete province to 22 million tons a year. It plans to move 18mt of

this annually by way of Malawi to the northern Mozambique

deepwater port of Nacala.

On 11 January, the government of Malawi signed a $1 billion deal

with Vale covering the rehabilitation of the country’s railway and

the construction of a new line, approximately 145km in length,

to a junction with the existing railway near Blantyre from a point

about 50km east of Moatize in Mozambique. The new line is to

be built by Portuguese group Mota-Engil. The contract – funded

by the Brazilian mining group Vale - is worth $US 703 million,

according to a statement fi led with Portuguese stock market

regulator CMVM. The work is to be completed by mid-2014.

Vale recently acquired the majority shareholding in Central East

African Railways (CEAR) which holds a 20-year concession to

operate the complete Malawi rail network. The original lead

shareholder in CEAR when the concession was awarded in 1999

was the Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) of Pittsburgh

USA, headed by Henry Posner III. RDC sold to the Mozambiquan

investor group Insitec in 2008 and Insitec’s share has now passed

to Vale. About $1 billion is to be invested by Vale in Malawi over

a period of three years for construction and rehabilitation of the

railway and it expects to employ some 4,500 workers of which

70% are to be Malawians.

On the Mozambican side of Malawi’s eastern border, substantial

work is needed to strengthen both track and bridges along the

615km of track through Cuamba and Nampula to Nacala.

Vale commenced limited exports in June 2011, using the Sena line

to the coal terminal at the port of Beira, but capacity on this route

is unlikely to exceed about 6mta, even when upgrading is fi nally

complete.

the line performs a left-right S-bend across the [airport] runway.

Steam disappeared many years ago, but it’s still a delightful

country and railway to visit.”

A train on the east line in Madagascar crossing the airport runway near

Manakara. Photo: Roderick Smith

UGANDA

TANZANIA

C

SOMALIA

ETHIOPIA

BURUNDI

RWANDA

ERITREA

SOUTHERNSUDAN

SUDAN

EGYPT

GULF OF ADEN

RED SEA

INDIAN OCEAN

Khartoum

Waw

Juba

Addis Ababa

Asmara Massawa

Kisumu

Isaka

TangaTabora

Mwanza

Musoma

Lake Victoria

Lake Tanganyika

Arusha

Mombasa

Nairobi

Kigoma

Kampala

Lamu

Gulu

Tororo

Moyale

Dire Dawa

Bujumbura

Kigali

YEMEN

DJIBOUTI

SAUDIARABIA

KENYA

N

ZIMBABW

E

SOUTHAFRICA

SWAZILAND

MOZAMBIQUEMALA

WI

ZAMBIA

Beira

Dondo

Inhamitanga

Manica

Mutare

To Harare

To Bulawayo

To Johannesburg

Inhambane

Inharrime

Xai - Xai

Ungub

ana

Mo

amb

a

Ressano Garcia

Boane

Goba

Manhica

Xinavane

MAPUTO

ManjacazeChicome

Marao

Ch

okw

e

Caia

Vila de Sena

Marromeu

Mocuba

Nacala

Monapo

LumboNampula

Cuamba

Entre LagosNkaya

Moatize

Chiromo

Mutarara

Blantyre

Tete

Lichinga

Lilongwe

Chipata

Quelimane

Indian Ocean

Cabora Bassa Dam

Zambesi River

TANZANIA

Lake

Ma

law

i

1500 300 450

Km

Morrumbala

MALAWINEW LINE TO MALAWIAt a cost of some $US6 billion, Brazil’s Vale mining group intends

to double production at its Moatize coal mine in Mozambique’s


AFRICA UPDATE

ANOTHER NEW LINE TO NACALAThe Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (Enrc), based in

Kazakhstan, is planning to build a completely new railway from

Mozambique’s mining area at Moatize to the port of Nacala. The

Dow Jones Newsletter quotes Enrc general manager Paul Craven

foreseeing 60 million tonnes of coal moving along the line “initially”.

Unlike Brazilian mining group Vale’s intended route to Nacala via

Blantyre, Enrc’s trains are to bypass Malawi altogether, which

means the line is to run through Mozambiquan territory throughout.

PROJECTIONS FOR MOZAMBIQUE’S LIMPOPO LINEThe Limpopo line of Caminhos de ferro do Moçambique (CFM –

the state railway & harbours) is expected to carry some 700,000

tonnes of coal and other goods in 2012. This projection is based

on signs of improvement in the economic situation in Zimbabwe,

and growing regional interest in the port of Maputo for international

trade. The 522km railway, running from the Indian Ocean to the

Zimbabwe border at Chicualacuala, was rebuilt in 2004 following

extensive fl ood damage but there has been little demand for

goods traffi c to and from Zimbabwe since then. The line was leased

to Rail India Technical and Economic Services Ltd (Rites) together

with the Sena Line but CFM - disappointed with the company’s

performance, especially with regard to infrastructure maintenance

- has taken back the operation. CFM Board Chairman Rosario

Mualeia says maintenance is to be stepped up to optimise capacity,

which should be close to 2mta. He told Radio Mozambique: “We

already have customers who want to move 500,000 tonnes of

ferrochrome along the line.”

NAMIBIASTRIKE CRIPPLES TRANSNAMIB On 2 February, industrial action which began in Walvis Bay

spread to other stations, halting train operations. According to

employees, wage negotiations have been proceeding on and off

since 2006 without reaching any acceptable solution. Adjustments

implemented late in 2011, and again more recently, were regarded

as unfair, with recently appointed staff allegedly receiving

substantially more than those with long service. TransNamib chief

corporate communications offi cer Ailly Hangula-Paulino told The

Namibian that the effect of the strike was nationwide.

RWANDARWANDA RAILWAY “EVALUATION” According to the Daily Monitor (published in Kampala), “Tanzania

recently signed a $US4.7 billion railway project that will link the

country to Rwanda and Burundi.” A detailed evaluation is to be

carried out on the proposed new 1,435mm gauge line including

expropriation, rail alignment, geo-technical investigations and

environmental management.

A report in October 2011 put the expected project cost at $5.1

billion. The African Development Bank signed a grant and loan

agreement with the three countries involved.

Earlier studies by DB International from Germany and BNSF from

the USA predicted an internal rate of return ranging between 25

and 35%. According to Rwanda Transport Development Agency

(RTDA) director-general Elias Twagira, these fi ndings mean the

project is economically viable. The mining industry in the region

alone, he says, would make the railway profi table by transporting

minerals to Dar. He points out that one has to look at long-term

benefi ts, not the short-term investment. Asked how funding

would work and how much each country would contribute,

Rwanda Focus quoted Twagira saying: “Whoever comes to invest

in this project will pay all the money because this is a joint venture

between Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi; if we fail to get the

investor, then each country may have to pay its portion depending

on the distance.”

In terms of the proposals, Tanzania is to lay 980km of track from

Dar es Salaam to Isaka along the route of the existing metre-gauge

and construct a new 360km section from there to Rusomo on the

border with Rwanda. Rwanda has to build a new 135km line from

Rusumo to Kigali, while Burundi will be required to construct 195km

of line from Keza to Musongati.

To overcome problems posed by the undulating topography in

Rwanda, the proposed route is to run in the main along valleys and

the lower level of hill slopes. Another challenge is that expensive,

skilled manpower is needed. A potential diffi culty that has not

escaped notice concerns the inevitability of delays in a project

requiring three-way consensus in decision-making.

SIERRA LEONERAILWAYS IN SIERRA LEONENearly 10 years have passed since the civil war in Sierra Leone

ended (in 2002) and in that time there has been no functioning

railway in the country - ranked third-lowest of 155 on the World

Bank’s 2010 logistics performance index. The global boom in iron-

ore is motivating African Minerals, Rio Tinto Plc and ArcelorMittal

to spend $US25 billion on 11 new ports and more than 5,000km

of new and rebuilt railways in West Africa, according to J P Morgan

Chase & company, quoted by Bloombergs. It is believed West Africa

may have ore deposits rivalling Australia’s Pilbara region. In Sierra

Leone, African Minerals Limited has already spent $1,2 billion

on rail and port facilities serving its Tonkolili project. Its output,

together with that from London Mining Plc’s Marampa mines, are

expected to boost Sierra Leone’s economy by 51% in 2012. If this

is achieved, the International Monetary Fund says, it will rate as

the fastest in the world.

TANZANIATHAT TANGA-UGANDA-SUDAN LINE The old saying: “always something new out of Africa” is alive and

well in Tanzania. Very recently, Uganda’s Daily Monitor quoted

minister of works and transport Abraham Byandala saying that

$US3 billion was budgeted by the governments of his country and

Tanzania for a new railway to run from the Tanzanian port of Tanga

to Nimule (on the Sudanese border) by way of Arusha, Musoma,

Kampala, Tororo and Gulu.

Only a week later, Transport World Africa on line quoted The East

African giving a fi gure of $4.7 billion for a new line along the same

route. A curious thing about this second version is a statement

indicating the new line “will run alongside the $3 billion Tanga-

Arusha-Musoma-Kampala railway”. As there is no such line at

present (except the metre-gauge, out-of-use Tanga-Arusha portion)

this sounds as though $3bn is to be spent on one new line, and a

separate $4.7bn on a line running alongside it.

The $4.7bn line, according to The East African, is to be 1,435mm

gauge. The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation

(CCECC), the paper says, is busy with a feasibility study. It

quotes CCECC managing director Wang Xiangdong saying: “We


AFRICA UPDATE

are expecting to hand over the feasibility study by April, while

construction of the 880km railway line is expected to be completed

by 2015.”

[We suspect the papers’ journalists got their lines crossed. Exactly

the same fi gure - $4.7bn - is the price-tag quoted for the new Dar

es Salaam-Rwanda line which goes nowhere near Tanga, Arusha,

Musoma or Kampala. It does run parallel to the existing metre gauge

as far as Isaka – and that happens to be 880km from Dar. – Editor:

Railways Africa.]

ZAMBIAZAMBIAN GOVT CONSULTING RSZThe Zambian government is concerned about the country’s

railways, says minister of communications and transport Yamfwa

Mukanga, who has been reviewing the problems faced by the

Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) concession, and the Tanzania-

Zambia Railway (Tazara). Transparency International Zambia (TIZ)

president Reuben Lifuka has questioned the way in which the

Zambia Railways concession was awarded and has proposed that

government consider its cancellation.

According to minister Mukanga, RSZ has serious problems,

especially with sleepers, and says that all issues to do with the

concession are enjoying thorough scrutiny.

Commenting on Lifuka’s remarks, RSZ CEO Benjamin Even points

out that the concession was awarded following a competitive World

Bank tender. “It is credible and legal,” he told the Daily Mail, adding

“We therefore humbly request TIZ to double-check their facts

before commenting on issues they hardly understand.” RSZ, he

told the paper, has engaged government in “constructive dialogue

which is on-going to address various policy and operational

challenges which the company continues to face, with the aim of

improving its operations.”

According to Even, RSZ has invested over $US 50 million in the

concession since December 2003.

ZIMBABWEVERTICAL SEPARATION FOR NRZAccording to National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) general

manager Air Commodore (retd) Mike Karakadzai, the railway is

to be restructured based on vertical separation. In terms of this

rearrangement, the operation of trains will be divorced from the

ownership and maintenance of infrastructure. Minister of transport

communication and infrastructural development Nicholas Goche is

to present a draft memorandum for recommendation to cabinet.

Karakadzai was quoted saying that other operators would be

admitted to the system and that they - as well as NRZ - would

have to pay access fees to use the tracks. Concessioning had

been considered as an option, he said, but was discarded because

“countries that followed this route produced catastrophic failures.

Britain, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi all had to

withdraw their concessions.”

[On a point of information, which railway concessions have been

“withdrawn” by Britain? Our understanding was that the privatised

UK rail operations were carrying record passenger numbers. As for

Kenya and Malawi – both countries’ rail concessions are still very

much in place. – Editor: Railways Africa.]

Bujumbura

TangaMuheza

KilosaManyoni

SingidaKaliua

Mpanda

Moshi

NRZ 15th class 395 photographed by C Rickwood in December 2010.


AFRICA UPDATE

DEADLY BUENOS AIRES CRASHOn 23 February, in the worst Argentinian railway accident since

200 died in a 1970 collision, 50 people lost their lives when a

packed morning peak-hour commuter train ran into the platform

2 buffers at Once station in the city. Press reports spoke of 700

injured. According to the BBC, “dozens of people were trapped for

hours in the wreckage” but all were safely extricated eventually.

However, a number were hurt critically. Two days of mourning were

ordered by the government and planned carnival festivities were

cancelled. The driver tested negative for alcohol but one rumour

suggested “his attention was distracted by his mobile phone”.

COAL TRAIN DERAILS 45 WAGONSOn 21 February, 45 wagons in a Canadian National coal train

derailed about 25km north of Houston in British Columbia, on the

Prince Rupert line. The locomotives and 19 wagons remained on

the track, but it took two days to clear the line, lay new rails and

restore traffi c. Concertina-ed wagons and spilled coal made an

“inordinate mess”, according to local property owners.

A POWER FAILURE, NOT A BASHSuggestions that intercity passenger trains to and from Port

Elizabeth were disrupted due to the ANC’s centenary celebrations

were nonsense, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa)

CEO Lucky Montana says. The actual cause was a locomotive

pantograph that tangled in the catenary about 150km from

Port Elizabeth, resulting in a power failure. No traffi c could pass

through the affected section, neither passenger nor goods

trains. Arrangements were made to convey passengers south of

Bloemfontein by bus.

BUTTSKOP BOOMS BROKEN 64 TIMES

Western Cape provincial road safety programme director David

Frost told the Cape Town High Court on 21 February that 64

instances of damage to the barriers at the Buttskop level crossing

at Blackheath were reported for 2011, compared with 43 in 2010.

He was testifying in aggravation of sentence in the case against

taxi driver Jacob Humphreys. While taking children to school on 25

August 2010, Humphreys overtook a row of cars queuing at the

lowered Buttskop barriers while the warning lights were fl ashing,

drove round the boom and was hit by a Metrorail commuter train.

Ten children died and four were badly hurt. Judge Robert Henney

said he was shocked by Frost’s evidence. “What are you guys

doing wrong?” he was reported asking. “Why hasn’t it stopped?

What are you people doing to curb this?”

[Previously, Humphreys had been found guilty of 10 murders and

four attempted murders. Blaming the province for failing to prevent

other people driving into the gates seems a strange reaction from

the Bench. – Editor. ]

On 26 February, two locomotive drivers

and a learner employee in the cab were

killed and 45 people injured when VIA Rail

Canada passenger train no 92 from Niagara

Falls to Toronto derailed in Burlington,

Ontario at about 15:30. According to VIA

Rail, there were 75 passengers on board

and fi ve crew. The locomotive and fi ve

coaches all came off the track.

VIA Rail said three passengers were airlifted

to hospital with serious injuries, including

a broken back, a broken leg and a heart

attack, while 42 other passengers and one

crew member were taken to local hospitals.

All but nine of these had been released by

soon after midnight.

Apparently engineering work was in

progress on the line. “Black box” recording

equipment revealed that the train was

travelling at 110km/h – four times the

permitted speed over the crossover where

it derailed.

After the accident, all passenger trains

on the Toronto-Niagara Falls and Toronto-

London-Windsor routes were replaced by

buses. Burlington mayor Rick Goldring was

quoted saying the crash damaged nearby

buildings. Canada’s Transportation Safety

Board is investigating.

CANADIAN DERAILMENT: 3 DIE


Mishaps & BlundersMishaps & BlundersOne objective of our regular feature reporting and commenting on rail mishaps is to provide information and object lessons from Africa and abroad, in the hope that – in some cases at least - this might help avoid recurrences.

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

Columbia. There was nothing hazardous in the cargo, which

consisted of lumber and pulp products, and there were no injuries.

KHAYELITSHA TRAIN SERVICE UNDER SIEGE FROM VANDALSMedia statement issued by Western Cape Metrorail’s Riana Scott on 26 January:

“One hundred and twenty incidents of vandalism since November

last year have cumulatively crippled Metrorail’s service in the

Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain areas. Sections of track between

Langa - Wetton, Langa - Philippi, Langa - Belhar, Woltemade -

Goodwood, Lentegeur - Kapteinsklip and Stock Road - Chris

Hani stations are targeted between 3pm and 4am on Sundays,

Mondays and Wednesdays. Signalling Infrastructure is so damaged

that trains are operating under perpetual contingency measures,

thus resulting in major train delays and cancellations in these areas.

“Regional Manager for Metrorail Western Cape Lindelo Matya

says that the vandalised system had been compromised by

ongoing asset destruction to the point where automated train

control and traffi c operations in the central service area are no

longer possible. Vandals have been responsible for the destruction

of 4 facilities, 5 train carriages, more than 110 signals, 17 points

machines, 21 track boxes and assorted cables since the start of

the strike action. Twenty nine tracks are down, points are clamped

in 42 areas and train drivers are receiving up to 38 manual

authorisations per trip.

“One hundred and seventy-three trains have been cancelled

and 2,503 trains delayed due to vandalism. Whilst contingency

measures ensure safe operating conditions, this leads to long

delays. In some instances delays of three hours have been

recorded, leading to commuter backlash. This excludes the

consequential delays and impact on other lines, employers’

productivity losses and the security personnel strike’s impact

on the local economy. The total cost of the strike to Metrorail

exceeds R23 million to date.

“Matya explains that the rate of vandalism has outstripped the

rail operator’s capacity to repair assets and suppliers’ ability to

provide suffi cient stock for replacement: ‘Whilst our efforts to

repair and bring back trains into service in the last 6 months had

materialised, resulting in all required trains for scheduled services

MAN THROWN FROM TRAIN An unidentifi ed man died after being thrown from a moving train

at Kaalfontein near Kempton Park on 18 January. At around the

same time, an Ekurhuleni metro police offi cer died when he came

into contact with high-tension Metrorail wires. He had rushed

to Kempton Park station after hearing that hostages were being

held on a train by striking post offi ce workers. The police were

unable to force open the doors of the train to gain access and it

was then that the offi cer apparently climbed on the roof.

SUICIDE BID FAILSA man who apparently tried to commit suicide by throwing himself

under a train at Dube in Soweto on 26 January was taken to

Baragwanath Academic Hospital in critical condition – without his

legs. According to a metro spokesman, the incidents of suicides

on railway lines around Soweto is causing concern. They rarely

survive, he said.

TRUCK WEDGED IN RAILWAY BRIDGEA man wanting to cross the Savannah River from Augusta,

Georgia, into South Carolina on 20 January somehow managed to

drive his Ford pickup onto a railway bridge where it became wedged

between the steel girders. A train from Georgia ran onto the

bridge but was able to stop before colliding with the truck, whose

speedometer was stuck on 60 miles per hour (96km/h). Police

said they believed alcohol was a contributing factor. The occupants

of the vehicle – two brothers

- were taken to hospital in a

serious condition.

Dislodging the truck took

some time, delaying two

trains, but further rail traffi c

was diverted to another

route. The Norfolk Southern

Railroad expected repairs to

the bridge to take two days.

CHICAGO DERAILMENT DELAYS COMMUTERSMajor delays affected hundreds of commuters following a

derailment in a Waukegan, Chicago rail yard on 20 January. Trains

on Metra’s Union Pacifi c/North Line were running up to 90 minutes

late in the morning peak, and a number were cancelled. Both

inbound and outbound schedules were involved.

SECURITY STRIKE RICOCHETSA strike since November by personnel employed to protect

Metrorail property in Cape Town continued to have serious

knock-on effects, well into 2012. Passengers reportedly took the

opportunity to travel without tickets due to the absence of security

staff on stations and trains. In a combined operation with police,

mounted to combat fare evasion on 18 January, three people were

hurt when they were chased off a platform and across the tracks

at Nolungile station in Khayelitsha. They were apparently hit by a

train and were taken to hospital.

Metrorail says it lost “millions” in lost revenue and damage to

signals, points and other equipment.

ELEVEN WAGONS DERAIL NEAR PRINCE GEORGEOn 18 January, a southbound Canadian National freight train

derailed 11 wagons about 16km north of Prince George, British

Photo coutesy of The Augusta Chronicle.

It so happens that the only time Railways Africa Editor Rollo Dickson had

to detrain because of a goods derailment occurred a short distance south

of Prince George – which lies 746km north of Vancouver – one September

day in 1981. The photo was taken at North Vancouver early that morning,

shortly before departure of the Cariboo Dayliner, formed of Budd RDC units.

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS


expected to take some time, with the line remaining closed for

an *indeterminate period.

It was the third rail accident in Alberta in a week. “About 20”

wagons came off the track near Hay Lakes on 20 January. On 17

January, a freight train collided with a stationary train near Hinton.

BRAHMAPUTRA MAIL IN FATAL COLLISION Five people died at Karanpurato station in Jharkhand, India, when

the Brahmaputra Mail bound for New Delhi collided with a freight

train that reportedly “rolled backwards”. According to The Times

of India, “about a dozen passengers were hurt in the crash. The

railway ministry has ordered an inquiry into the accident. Six

employees were suspended for “dereliction of duty”, including the

driver and his assistant on the goods train, as well as the assistant

station master at Karanpurato.

WEST BENGAL COLLISIONAccording to an India Today report, one person died and six were

hurt when one passenger train ran into another at Fulia station in

the Nadia district of West Bengal. Three coaches in the one train

derailed on impact, and two in the other. Offi cial investigations

into the cause are continuing.

ANOTHER CAPE TOWN COMMUTER DIESCommuters falling from the doors in Metrorail trains was a

concern for much of the past decade. In the latest incident, a man

fell between platform and train at Sarepta station near Bellville,

20km east of Cape Town. His right leg was severed but he died

from other more serious injuries.

KROONSTAD STATION FIREThe historic station at Kroonstad in South Africa’s Orange Free

State was destroyed by fi re on 20 January. The building had been

partially razed in a previous blaze but there is now little left except

the stone-built walls.

NOT TO BLAME FOR JAPANESE CRASHThe driver and 106 passengers died in 2005 in Japan’s worst rail

accident in 40 years when a commuter train derailed on a bend

in the city of Amagasaki (near Kobe) during the morning peak

hour and smashed into an apartment building. No less than 500

were injured.

Masao Yamazaki, now 68, was in charge of safety for the West Japan

Railway company in 1996, when tracks were relaid at the accident

site. Charged with professional negligence and responsibility for

the crash, he has been cleared by a recent court decision.

available, this has been severely hampered by these cowardly

acts of vandalism’”

BUSES REPLACE KHAYELITSHA TRAINSFrom the media statement issued by Metrorail on 26 January:

“To minimise delays for commuters and compensate for loss of

capacity and reliability Metrorail has as a contingency re-introduced

special express bus services in the Khayelitsha area until the

network is restored to its normal automated signalling operation.

These special supplementary services alleviate congestion on

busy routes between Cape Town and the stations at Chris Hani,

Kuyasa, Nonkqubela, Nolungile, Stock Road and Khayelitsha. Like

before the buses express between six stations and Cape Town

during peaks and do not stop en route. The Khayelitsha Express

has also been replaced by a bus service for the next few days.

“Regional Manager for Metrorail Western Cape Lindelo Matya

assures customers that the police have made a breakthrough and

that arrests are imminent: ‘Signifi cant progress has been made

since the interim interdict and fi rst arrests’. Matya says

investigations to date clearly implicate the interdicted striking

contract security guards as being responsible for these incidents.

The security companies replaced the fi red guards with newly

recruited ones, and the services of an additional company were

contracted in December and January. These guards insist on

being employed by Metrorail. Matya was adamant that Metrorail’s

recruitment policy will be complied with at all cost: ‘No responsible

company would employ individuals who would stoop to criminal

activity to secure employment’.

NAMIBIAN DERAILMENTSAccording to TransNamib, the company’s management is seriously

concerned about derailments between Otjiwarongo and Walvis

Bay. Since mid-November there were three such incidents, while

a fourth train derailed between Windhoek and Otjiwarongo.

Technical inspections suggest that the condition of the line,

including some “tight” curves, coupled with speed, is responsible

for the accidents, and a report has been compiled and submitted

to cabinet.

SEVENTEEN WAGONS OFF BRIDGEOn 21 January, 31 grain wagons derailed and 17 fell off a bridge

spanning the Battle River Valley near Wainwright in Canada’s

Alberta. The steel structure was damaged and repairs were

Infrastructure destroyed (fi le photo).

Photo: Jacque Wepener.


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

Prosecutors argued that

Yamazaki should have

to taken “proper safety

precautions”, such as

installing a device that can

stop a train from travelling

too fast. Kobe District Court

Judge Makoto Okada ruled

there was no negligence.

“There were not foreseeable

factors ... that would have

given grounds for him to

order the (speed-controlling)

device be installed,” he

found. Yamazaki became

president of the West Japan

company after the accident, but resigned when the indictment

against him was fi led. However, survivors of the 2005 crash and

relatives of the victims are now endeavouring to have charges

against other senior employees proceeded with.

The accident was Japan’s worst rail disaster since 1963 when 161

people died after a freight train collided with a truck in Yokohama

and was hit by two passenger trains.

NORWEGIAN DERAILMENT Rail accidents in Norway are rare. On 15 February, a Stadler

FLIRT test train derailed south of Oslo. According to the Accident

Investigation Board Norway (AIBN), investigations at the accident

site and readings from the train’s Teloc data recorder and camera

system indicate that the accident occurred in an area where the

track has relatively sharp curves and the posted speed limit is

70km/h. The train was apparently travelling at 135 km/h when

the brakes were applied, and it came to a complete stop after

approximately 340 metres. The train derailed about 50 to 60

metres after the speed limit changes from 130km/h to 70km/h.

The fi ve people who were on board, including three employees of

Norges Statsbaner (NSB – the Norwegian state railway), a Polish

Stadler employee and a Finnish employee of a sub-supplier, were

taken to hospital but subsequently discharged.

FLYING CAR LANDS ON LINEAt 02:00 on 21 February, a police offi cer in Bridgeport, Connecticut,

watched in disbelief as a car travelling at high speed hit several

parked cars, then a roadside barrier, took off and fl ew six metres

through the air to land on a railway line. The driver was taken to

hospital. The line was closed for two hours until the track had been

cleared.

CHINA CRASH FINDINGS CONFIRMEDThe offi cial report into the collision between two high-speed

trains near China’s Wenzhou on 23 July 2011 - in which 40 people

died - appeared on the website of China’s state administration of

work safety on 28 December. It confi rmed that “serious design

fl aws” in the signalling and train control equipment, together with

“sloppy management and the mishandling of a lightning strike”

were among the reasons for the accident. An executive meeting

of the state council was informed that 54 people shared the blame

for the accident, including former railway minister Liu Zhijun, who

was dismissed in 2010 following charges of corruption. The report

says station technician Zang Kai noticed three malfunctioning

signals near Wenzhou, but did not spot a fourth. This was

transmitting a false green aspect following the failure of a fuse

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Disaster at Amagasaki, 25 April 2005.


in an LKD2-T1 signal assembly, which appears to have disabled

track circuit detection. Dispatcher Zhang Hua was dealing with

at least 10 trains during a storm with up to 50 lightning strikes

per minute. Having been notifi ed about the defective signals, he

authorised train D3115 to proceed with caution, telling the driver

He Li “if you come across red lights, switch to visual running

procedures, and maintain speed below 20 km/h”. D3115 was

brought to a stand by the defective signalling, and He Li tried to

override the ATP in order to continue. But he could not contact

the dispatcher by radio, and presence of the train was not

detected by the faulty track circuit. With the control centre

display showing a false clear, Zhang authorised train D301 to

proceed. After more than seven minutes, he managed to get

D3115 moving again, entering the next track circuit, so that the

train reappeared on the control centre display. Although the

dispatchers realised the danger and attempted to contact D301’s

driver Pan Yiheng by radio, the collision occurred less than a

minute later. The offi cial report discusses whether the rapidity

of construction of the high-speed network may have contributed

to faults in the safety systems, but does not say whether similar

problems have been found elsewhere.

YET MORE CABLE THEFT DISRUPTS GAUTENG TRAINSTheft and damage to signal cables during the last week of November

disrupted Metrorail commuter train services in Gauteng. Points

and signals were disabled due to what a spokesman described as

“nothing less than sabotage”.

Apologising for the inconvenience caused to passengers, he

conceded that many hours of production must have been lost as a

result of early morning disruption on 31 November.

GAUTENG METRORAIL DELAYS Train service delays near Johannesburg on 8 December were

attributed to signal failure at Geldenhuys which necessitated

manual fl agging. All operations east of Johannesburg were affected,

also the Vereeniging (via Germiston) and Pretoria lines.

CAPE TOWN TRAINS ON FIRE On 8 December, the motor coach of a Metrorail commuter set

was set on fi re in Pinelands, Cape Town. In another incident, seats

were burned in a train at Langa. These were the third and fourth

instances of arson related to suburban trains in the city since

security personnel contracted by Metrorail went on strike on 29

November. Both other fi res were started on trains on the Cape

Flats.

BIG SINGAPORE BREAKDOWNThe popular view that rail breakdowns are calamities mainly

confi ned to South Africa is regularly dispelled in this column.

Never more so than in December 2011, when thousands were

trapped underground in Singapore, where we thought nothing ever

went wrong. A Circle Line breakdown on 14 December reportedly

delayed some 26,000 commuters. The following day, during a power

failure in the afternoon peak hour, the Straits Times reported that

commuters smashed coach windows in trains stalled below ground

without lights or air-conditioning. Some stranded passengers

walked along dark tunnels to reach the nearest station. The cause,

which dislocated services for some fi ve hours, was attributed to a

third rail defect.

A further breakdown on 17 December – the third in a week - was

blamed on a similar problem. Other though less serious disruptions

have been reported in recent weeks. The system, which has been in

operation for 24 years, carries nearly 2 million people daily.

BERLIN SHUT-DOWNAn electric failure shut down the entire Berlin S-Bahn system on 15

December, leaving the German capital without any service on the

urban fast train network operated by a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn

Police said there was no evidence of sabotage on the S-Bahn, one

of three rail systems used by Berlin commuters and which is used

by up to 1.3 million passengers a week (a day?), but the cause of

the failure was not immediately clear.

Act Safelyat Level Crossings

7 June 2012


MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

PERFORMANCE

Your Specialist Partner ForMechanised RailwayTrack Maintenance

& ConstructionMachinery

Plasser South Africa (PTY) Ltd

20 Lautre Rd, Stormill, Roodepoort; P O Box 103 Maraisburg, 1700

Tel: (011) 761-2400 Telefax: (011) 474-3582 email: [email protected]

Reefsteamers, GermistonAs indicated in the November edition, this club’s class 15F 4-8-2

no 3046 worked the holiday season public trains. The run on 16

December was indeed the last main-line trip for Reefsteamers’

driver Frans van Dyk, before retiring from footplate duties. His

son, Andre, fi red. Owing to health problems, Frans has chosen to

“call it a day”.

In February, class 12AR 4-8-2 loco no 1535 Susan was still out of

use owing to the inner injector cones being worn out. The class 15F

has been holding the fort in terms of 2012 runs to date.

Geoff’s Trains of the United Kingdom has had to curtail the

proposed South African portion of a regional safari this next winter.

Both class 25NC no 3472 and GMAM Garratt no 4079 are in need

of tyres. Water availability at Ficksburg in the Free State is also

a problem.

The 14-coach Reefsteamers’ New Year holiday excursion to Port

Shepstone was most successful. The Margate Pipes and Drums

piped the diesel-hauled train into the South Coast station with

a traditional rousing Scottish welcome and then passengers,

locals and holidaymakers wandered around some 54 fl ea market

stalls which had been set up on the platform and inside the old

railway shed.

Umgeni Steam Railway, KwaZulu NatalDuring the year-end holiday period, the club’s class North British

class 3BR no 1486 “Maureen” was in use but narrowly missed the

planned 26 February celebratory run on her hundredth birthday,

due to problems with boiler tubes at the smokebox end. In addition,

her boiler certifi cate expires in May.

The Umgeni committee is looking to put in an application for

Government funding owing to its depleted motive power and

recent overheads in resleepering the Inchanga line. Umgeni Steam

Railway lost some R130,000 in income as a result of the line being

closed. Bush-clearing is an on-going job too. The possible closure

of the section of line from Pinetown up through Wyebank on

Field’s Hill is another concern as it will isolate club activities to

the Kloof-Inchanga section and remove potentially lucrative runs

in and around Durban.

On the upside, over 800 passengers travelled on the preservation

group’s trains on 18 December. The class 3BR lost part of its

ashpan but this was temporarily repaired.

KwaZulu Natal Narrow Gauge Operation may be RevivedFollowing the relocation of four NGG16 type locomotives as well

as a batch of coaching stock to Paddock, it has come to light

that an Expression of Interest has been lodged by a potential

new owner of a planned resurrection of part of the Banana

Express operation, from Paddock to Izingolweni. The coastal

part of the old Alfred County Railway run is now in a state

Reefsteamers’ class 25NC no 3472 will not be available for use this winter

on a planned overseas tour owing to a tyres’ issue. Photo: C Baker.

Class NGG 16 locomotives that survived the railway’s closure are pictured

in Port Shepstone. Photo: P F Bagshawe

Friends of The Rail’s doubleheader train to Cullinan on 12 February is

pictured at Rayton – class 24 no 3664 and class 19D no 3360.

Photo: Friends of The Rail.

The class 19D 4-8-2 no 2650 should return to service in

the early part of 2012. The club’s Nathan Berelowitz, who

received his private steam driver’s certifi cate last year,

drove the Friends’ fi rst public train of 2012 to Cullinan

and return on 12 February. This was a double-header with

Berelowitz in the right-hand seat of North British class 24

no 3664 and Kimberley’s Peter Odell driving Rovos Rail’s

North British class 19D no 3360.

Friends of The Rail, Pretoria

RAILWAY HERITAGE


Preservation is A Preservation is A Vital Part of The Picture Vital Part of The Picture

By John BatwellBy John Batwell

of disrepair, notably at the Izotsha River, where the bridge

was washed away by fl oods in 2008. The section of rail up the

escarpment is also unsuitable for use without maintenance -

hence the new route envisaged.

Jan Kempdorp Army Depot Loco gets ReprieveBorsig-built Class 19D 4-8-2 locomotive no 2689, which long stood

set aside at Jan Kempdorp in South Africa, has received a reprieve.

Bought by Bamangwato Concessions Ltd (BCL), Selebi Phikwe,

Botswana, the loco is being put back into operational service by

staff at the mine and is to become LO812 in the fl eet’s numbering.

BCL has lost locomotives, owing to irreparable damage, over the

years including ex-SAR 19D no 3338 (LO808) and ex-NRZ 14A no

511 (LO811).

Zimbabwe Steam ReportThe start of 2012 did fi nd two Garratts in steam in Bulawayo, on

2 January – class 14A no 519 and class 16A no 611 were noted.

Class 15 4-6-4 + 4-6-4 no 395 hauled NRZ’s steam Leisure Day

trip from Bulawayo-Sawmills and back on 12 February. Zimbabwe-

based enthusiast Robin Taylor reported that the Valentine’s Day

special train consisted of:

* Class 15 Garratt no 395

* Water tankcar

* Service coach

* Coach no 1823 (NRZ “Eye coach”)

* Coach no 1058 fi rst class ex-NRZ Museum

* Dining car no 646 ex-museum

* Dining car no 660, part of Chimanimani twin-set

* Twin-diner nos 666/7 Zambesi

* Baggage van no 272

* General Manager’s coach no 754

The locomotive had been shined and appropriate parts painted

red. The train with some 72 passengers left Bulawayo promptly at

09:30 and ran well to Sawmills. Departure from Sawmills back to

Bulawayo was at 16:30 and this was followed by a non-stop run to

Nyamandhlovu.

After water was pumped from the tankcar, the train set off again

and during the course of the journey passengers were served a

fi rst-class dinner. Arrival in Bulawayo was at 20:20. The NRZ was to

be commended on a very well organised and operated day outing.

NRZ class 15 no 395 has been used in latter years on steam specials in

Zimbabwe. Photo: G Cooke


Specialist supplier of repair, refurbishing, upgrade and manufacturing services for suburban electric train sets

and mainline coaches and the Blue Train.

COACH BUSINESS

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

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Railways Africa Issue 1 2012

Documents

Transcript of Railways Africa Issue 1 2012