railways africa issue 1 2012
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ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT
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Gautrain Turnout Assembly
GM
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www.voestalpine.com/vaesa
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: stationmaster@railwaysafrica.com
Twitter: railwaysafrica
Website: www.railwaysafrica.com
ROLLING STOCK | PERWAY | INFRASTRUCTURE | SIGNALLING | OPERATORS | COMMENT
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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.
5Issue 1 // 2012 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com
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.
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© 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: claire@africaexpress.org
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
8 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
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
9Issue 1 // 2012 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com
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 pakistanrailways@yahoogroups.com: “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 deep- water 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
10 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
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
11Issue 1 // 2012 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com
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
12 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
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.
13Issue 1 // 2012 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com
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
14 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
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
15Issue 1 // 2012 Railways Africa www.railwaysafrica.com
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.
16 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
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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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
18 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
MISHAPS & BLUNDERS
PERFORMANCE
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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
20 Railways Africa Issue 1 // 2012 www.railwaysafrica.com
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
www.railwaysafrica.com
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Tel: +27 (0)12 391 1304 Fax: +27 (0)12 391 1371 Email: sales@transnet.net
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