Site Wide Activity [RSS]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: BOTSWANA COAL NEEDS ‘HEAVY GAUGE” 4 days, 11 hours ago
Coal mined in Botswana will have to be moved to the coast – for export to India or China – on a new “heavy gauge” railway independent of South Africa, according to Professor Roman Greynberg, senior research fellow at the Botswana Institute of Development Policy Analysis. Writing in the Zimbabwe Independent, he explains:“Cecil Rhodes’ [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: ETHIOPIAN LIGHT RAIL 4 days, 11 hours ago
According to Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) project manager Yehualashet Jemere, most of the preliminary work needed for the new light rail line has been completed and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), has begun construction in the vicinity of Meshualekia and Ayat Village in Addis Ababa.
ERC general manager Getachew Betru expects the first [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: PROPOSED NEW MOZAMBIQUAN PORT AND RAILWAY 4 days, 11 hours ago
The ITD Project, which envisages a new Mozambiquan port north of the Zambezi river mouth, would provide the shortest route to the Moatize coalfields in Tete province. The Ncondezi Coal Company has signed an agreement with Rio Tinto Coal Mozambique (RTCM) and Minas Revuboe on a deal that would provide the company with up to [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: NAMIBIAN CABINET DISCUSSES RAIL CRISIS 4 days, 11 hours ago
During December 20111, the Namibian cabinet held a special meeting to discuss what was described in the press as the railway “crisis”, following four derailments that cost the country “millions”. Ministry of works permanent secretary George Simataa was quoted explaining that the entire Nanibian rail system – last reconstructed in the nineteen-fifties – requires [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: NO GAUTRAIN TO PARK STATION YET 4 days, 11 hours ago
It may be three more months before the Gautrain line to Park station from Rosebank becomes operational. Underground water seepage problems are the cause of the delay, which has put the scheduled completion date back by a year. Gautrain’s Errol Braithwaite explained to Eyewitness News on 25 January: “We are injecting grout to try and [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: HOW THE BLUE TRAIN TOPPED THE POPS 4 days, 11 hours ago
During January 2012, South Africa’s prestigious Blue Train was named the World’s top luxury express in 2011 – for the third consecutive year. And it wasn’t the first time a South African operation was recognised by the judges at World Travel Awards (WTA) – not by a long chalk.
Other nominations for 2011 were:
Eastern & [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: TANGA-MUSOMA PROJECT QUERIED 4 days, 11 hours ago
According to Sseesamirembe Eco-City: Lake Victoria Free Trade Zone company executive director Beenunula Nunumisa, the proposed Tanga-Musoma railway needs reconsideration. A better route, he says, would be Tanga- Singida-Mutukula-Kampala. This would be a continuous, unbroken railway, whereas the route to Uganda via Musoma would necessitate goods being transhipped to a ferry on Lake Victoria. [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: MORE CLASS 43 DIESEL-ELECTRICS 4 days, 11 hours ago
From an official Transnet release:
Public Enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba has sealed an agreement for Transnet SOC Ltd’s purchase of an additional 43 locomotives from General Electric’s (GE) local arm, General Electric South Africa Technologies (Gesat). The agreement takes the total number of locomotives Transnet has bought from the manufacturer to 143.
Transnet group chief executive [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: UMGENI STEAM RAILWAY 1 week, 4 days ago
http://www.umgenisteamrailway.co.za
Steam excursion running days:
Sunday, 29 Jan 2012: Kloof – Inchanga 08:30 & 12:30
Sunday, 26 Feb 2012: Kloof – Inchanga 08:30 & 12:30
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: EGYPT-SAUDI LANDBRIDGE SCHEME 1 week, 4 days ago
The study on a proposed landbridge project that would link Egypt with Saudi Arabia via a Red Sea bridge, has yet to begin, the Arabic Al Hayat daily reports. Chairman of the Saudi-Egyptian Business Council Abdullah Dahlan says Egypt is still undecided on the matter. He is quoted explaining: “The project has been delayed due [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: LESOTHO RAIL INITIATIVE 1 week, 4 days ago
Members of the Southern African Railway Association (Sara) represent each of the region’s railways. The government of Lesotho, which has no railway, is to send observers to all future meetings of the association, which has agreed to support the small landlocked country in its endeavour to build a rail system for itself. An existing Transnet [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: VALE SIGNS FOR LINE THROUGH MALAWI 1 week, 4 days ago
On 11 January, the government of Malawi signed a $US1 billion deal with Brazil’s Vale mining group covering the rehabilitation of lines in Malawi and the construction of a 100km new link from Blantyre to a point near Moatize in Mozambique. The work envisaged will target the moving of 18 million tons of coal [...]
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Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: CLASS 38 ELECTRO-DIESEL IN OPERATION 1 week, 4 days ago
From RSSA Gauteng’s On Track:
The first passenger haulage by the class 38 is believed to have been en route to Cape Town for three based there. After that they were used fairly frequently on trains to Magaliesburg and elsewhere. This was due to the vagaries of Spoornet’s accounting system. Electric was cheapest, then diesel and [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: TRANSNET FREIGHT RAIL CLASS 38 ELECTRO-DIESEL 1 week, 4 days ago
From RSSA Gauteng’s On Track:
Between 1992 and 1994 Spoornet placed fifty class 38-000 locomotives in service. They are still the only dual-powered electro-diesel locomotives in use by Transnet Freight Rail, capable of running either on 3kV electricity off the catenary or on diesel alone.
The class 38 was designed to replace steam on pickup work [...] -
Railways Africa wrote a new blog post: SOUTH AFRICAN HIGH-SPEED AMBITIONS 1 week, 4 days ago
It seems South Africa is serious about ambitions in the high-speed arena, though whether it understands “high speed” to mean Gautrain’s modest 160km/h or the genuine article (nearer 300km/h) as exemplified in countries like China, Japan, France and Spain is not exactly clear. Project no 1 concerns the Moloto Road north of Pretoria, on [...]
