Although, for practical purposes, the railway south of Pietermaritzburg together with its branches has been closed, the Creighton enthusiast group hopes to run a series of excursions to Underberg behind its class 19D 4-8-2 during winter. The class GMA, too, may see some running, the SA Railway Society Natal Newsletter reports. Together with other interested locals, talks were held with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) which has agreed to maintain the line for one more year.
SAPPI supports the line in principle, but it is understood that service delivery has been poor, added to which the cost of moving timber by rail is now higher than road transport – and slower. On the other side of Pietermaritzburg, while the Greytown-Kranskop branch is still operating, there have been similar complaints about service and cost. The possibility of closure within six months seems not unlikely.
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Original article [Railways Africa]