TRANSNET Freight Rail (TFR) will embark on a 14-day shutdown of the entire coal export line stretching from Mpumalanga to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal for annual maintenance work.
The closure, between 11 and 24 July, will allow TFR to catch up on its maintenance backlog which includes replacing old, obsolete and problematic infrastructure and accelerate major capital expansion projects in line with the expected long-term volume growth of coal railed to Richards Bay.
This line currently carries on average 230 000 tons of coal per day.
TFR stated the system and contracted capacity on the coal line to RBCT is 81 million tons per annum, but it is anticipated to rail less this financial year – about 76 million tons per annum or 208 000 tons per day.
‘The total shutdown programme is necessitated by the fact that on the coal line there are sections where infrastructure work cannot be carried out without stopping the entire train service.
‘TFR is working closely with its customers in planning for the execution of the shutdown programme for both parties to realise the long-term benefits that goes with it.
‘There will be no operational disruptions during the two-week maintenance period owing to the fact that the shutdown will be conducted in conjunction with the mines that TFR works with.’
Specific activities to be carried out during the shutdown period includes traction maintenance, sleeper replacements, formation rehabilitation, tamping (stabilising of the ballast stones under the sleepers), screening (cleaning and removal of obsolete ballast stones), substations overhaul which includes repairing oil leaks on main transformers, repairing oil leaks on primary circuit breakers and filter oil of main transformers.
