Railways Africa's Activity RSS Feed
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: RICHARDS BAY COAL LINE 5 days, 15 hours ago
South Africa’s main coal terminal, which is expanding to become the world’s largest, will assign capacity to junior miners in line with the upgrade of the railway lines leading to the port, Reuters reports.
“Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) is due to expand its export capacity to 91 million tonnes by the end of this year [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: UGANDA SIGNS BRANCHLINES INTO DEAL 6 days, 5 hours ago
On 25 August, Ugandan finance minister Syda Bbumba signed a revised agreement on the Kenya-Uganda railway concession, the Daily Monitor reports:
“The agreement ends a bitter continental fight over the network, which pitted Ugandan and Kenyan businessmen jostling with Egyptian investors to replace the South African firm that originally won the 25-year concession over the
railway line. [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: TUNISIAN HIGH-SPEED LINE 6 days, 5 hours ago
Tunisia is planning to invest $US5.5 billion over the next decade in the development of a high-speed rail link with Morocco, Algeria and Libya. Despite having a rail network covering more than 2,100km, operational efficiency is hampered by gauge differences and limited electrification.
Less than 10% of the country’s freight is carried on rail, a [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: CHINA-SOUTH AFRICA RAIL AGREEMENT 6 days, 5 hours ago
From SA government information service Buanews:
“Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele today signed a ground-breaking agreement on railways and other transport-related matters with Chinese Railway Minister Liu Zhijun. Ndebele is part of a South African delegation in China led by President Jacob Zuma during his three-day state visit.
“He said through rail, South Africa could move from [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: EAST AFRICAN STD GAUGE PROJECT 6 days, 5 hours ago
According to press reports, “it is now emerging that the logistics needed for the planned East African standard gauge railway network will pose enormous challenges. These are however outweighed by the opportunities.”
All five members of the East African Community have agreed in principle to build the lines in their territories. Construction of the regional railway [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: MCLI AT MAPUTO STATION (100 THIS YEAR) 6 days, 6 hours ago
At the end of September, the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI) is hosting its annual general meeting and open network event at the Maputo railway station which celebrates its centenary this year. Some 400-600 stakeholders in the shipping, freight, freight clearing and forwarding, services sector, logistics, transport, port
operations, cargo owners, financial institutions, industry associations, [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: OUTENIQUA CHOO-TJOE TERMINATING 6 days, 6 hours ago
From the SA Tourism Update news briefs, 26 August:
“Transnet Limited has announced that the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe train service operating between George and Mossel Bay will be terminated. Transnet said that it identified the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe service as one of its non-core assets in 2007. Following extensive studies and stakeholder consultation, the company decided to follow [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: EAST AFRICA NEEDS $25 BILLION 6 days, 6 hours ago
East Africa needs to raise up to $US25 billion, or nearly two-thirds of Kenya’s annual output, over the next decade to upgrade its railways in order to boost trade, Reuters reports, quoting the East African Community’s (EAC) deputy secretary-general for infrastructure and planning Alloys Mutabingwa:
“We are talking about the railway master plan which is expected [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: GAUTRAIN CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS 6 days, 6 hours ago
Gautrain’s Sandton-airport branch has been fully operational since 8 June 2010. The stations at OR Tambo International, Marlboro and Rhodesfield are complete and operational. Feeder bus services are running to connect with trains at Sandton, Marlboro and Rhodesfield stations. Four-coach trains running until 20:30 comprise – for airport travellers – two “airport” cars whose doors [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: HOLIDAY PLANS DERAILED 6 days, 6 hours ago
Cape Argus 22 August 2010:
By Warda Meyer – “A Newlands couple’s dream train trip to Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park has been derailed following a decision to temporarily discontinue the long-distance passenger train service. And a couple from Cornwall planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cape Town also had their plans upset.
“Tim and Pam [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: LIBYAN RAILWAY CONTRACTS 6 days, 6 hours ago
The China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, general contractor responsible for building 1,300km of the new rail network in the west of Libya, has awarded contracts worth €115 million for the supply of rail fastenings and turnouts to the German company Vossloh. Deliveries will be made between 2010 and 2012. There have been no railways in [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: HOW TO DEAL WITH SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS 6 days, 6 hours ago
From Western Cape Metrorail, newspaper “Blits”:
“Metrorail use the following communication channels to inform commuters in cases of service interruptions.
• Text alerts: Commuters are encouraged to register via e-mail (metrosms@metrorail.co.za) for SMS alerts free of charge. Currently some 20,000 commuters are already recipients of alerts. Metrorail aims to get one in seven commuters registered so they are [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: TRANSNET DEPLORES PRASA ALLEGATIONS 6 days, 6 hours ago
Suspension of Shosholoza Meyl long-distance passenger train services by the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) was blamed by executives on the alleged inability of Transnet to service and repair locomotives. Transnet says the allegations are “misleading, false and defamatory”.
Tumisang Kgaboesele, special adviser to Prasa CEO Lucky Montana, said that Transnet had refused to certify [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: GAUTRAIN PROGRESS: MARLBORO-DEPOT-MIDRAND 6 days, 6 hours ago
Between Marlboro station, where the airport branch diverges from the route to Pretoria, the maintenance depot and Midrand Station, all construction works and bridge structures, including Viaduct 3 crossing Allandale Road, are complete, as are all railway installations.
Midrand Depot
The operations control centre, together with the train and bus depot [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: GAUTRAIN PROGRESS: PRETORIA-HATFIELD 6 days, 6 hours ago
VIADUCT 7
The deck to the section that will carry the Gautrain lines across Nelson Mandela Boulevard is well advanced and parapet erection is in progress. Pier and trestle beam construction is finished on the remaining sections of this “Y-shaped” structure that crosses above the existing Metrorail tracks.
Between Gautrain’s Pretoria and Hatfield stations, a number of [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: GAUTRAIN PROGRESS: MIDRAND-CENTURION-PRETORIA 6 days, 6 hours ago
VIADUCT 3
North of the depot, Viaduct 3 over Allandale Road and the adjacent bridge over the future K60 road are both complete, as are all other bridges, construction works and railway installations up to Dale Road in Midrand, with only minor finishing works outstanding. [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: GAUTRAIN PROGRESS: PARK TO ROSEBANK 6 days, 6 hours ago
PARK STATION
Within the station itself, internal finishes are well advanced. Mechanical and electrical works are in progress, together with the installation of escalators. Erection of structural steelwork for the entrance pavilion on the southern side of Wolmarans Street was substantially complete by the end of July and construction was proceeding with the ventilation structure on [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: GAUTRAIN PROGRESS: ROSEBANK-SANDTON-MARLBORO 6 days, 6 hours ago
Emergency shaft E5 (Dunkeld, Rosebank
Construction of the safe haven and technical rooms at the bottom of this shaft is complete, as is the installation of the structural steelwork access structure within the shaft itself. Construction of the head-house building will commence shortly.
Emergency shaft E6 (Illovo)
Construction of the safe haven and technical rooms at the bottom [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: AUSTRALIAN PROJECT NOT VIABLE 6 days, 16 hours ago
A recently completed cost-benefit study on the $4.7 billion proposed Melbourne-Brisbane line found the project would have a negative net worth, even if construction were delayed until 2040 to allow for freight traffic demand to grow. “Inland Rail will not generate sufficient access revenue relative to costs to make it financially viable. The total nominal [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: MOST DIFFICULT LINE IN CHINA 6 days, 16 hours ago
The 377km Yichang-Yiwan Railway runs from the Yiwan District in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality to Yichang City in Hubei Province. It was designed to shorten the journey between the mountainous regions in the south-west and the eastern parts of China. The railway was first laid out in 1903 but construction did not begin until 2003 [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: PAKISTAN 6 days, 16 hours ago
Pakistan Railways (PR) has recently come under severe criticism for closing down services on many popular routes, which railway minister Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour has blamed on shortage of funds.
According to recent estimates made by PR, there is a shortage of 50 to 60 locomotives mainly for freight operations. The estimated shortage of coaches [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: ENERGY SAVING MODE 6 days, 16 hours ago
The UK East Midlands Trains company has introduced an energy-saving mode on 27 of its Meridian locomotives to help save fuel and cut down pollution. If a train stands in a station for more than seven minutes, most of the engines will shut down automatically, resulting in reduced noise and emissions. Under present circumstances, trains [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: STUTTGART STAION UPGRADE PROTESTS 6 days, 16 hours ago
On 20 August, up to 30,000 people took to the streets in Stuttgart to show their opposition to the planned overhaul of the main station – one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Europe. The objective is to reduce travel times, create around 4,000 new jobs and encourage investment. The aim is to make Stuttgart [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: BLACKHEATH CROSSING: 9 DEAD 6 days, 16 hours ago
During the morning peak on 25 August, a minibus-taxi carrying 14 scholars overtook a queue of vehicles waiting at the Buttskop Road crossing 1km south of Blackheath station (29km east of Cape Town), zig-zagged through the closed half-barriers and was hit by Metrorail train 2309, the 06:35 from Bellville to Eerste River. The driver [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: MASSIVE WASHAWAYS IN PAKISTAN 6 days, 16 hours ago
Already facing a serious financial crisis which led to discontinuation of services on many routes, several hundred kilometres of railway line have been washed away in Pakistan.
Officials of the national railway say they will only be in a position to estimate overall losses when the floodwaters flow into the Arabian Sea.
Original article
