Major rail project takes step forward

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A FINAL scoping report for the construction of a R12.2-billion railway line between Richards Bay and Golela on the Swaziland border have been submitted to the National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) last Thursday.

Stretching over 210km, the railway network is part of a major strategic project headed by Transnet in collaboration with Swaziland Railways to link Richards Bay with Davel in Mpumalanga by cutting through Swaziland.

According to Transnet, the new line will unlock the potential of a multi-national strategic rail corridor and divert general freight traffic off the dedicated heavy haul Richards Bay coal line which runs from Ermelo through rural KwaZulu-Natal to Richards Bay.

But the ambitious venture is not without obstacles – geotechnical tests showed that the existing line between Nsezi and Golela is not capable of carrying the anticipated tonnage at the planned 26 axle loading.

Furthermore, rehabilitation is necessary over the line’s entire length, making it necessary to construct a completely new railway line on a higher level than the existing track because of gradient easing.

And owing to most of the existing river bridges having exhausted their lifecycles, only two major bridges are recommended to be retained.

These will be the Umfolozi River bridge, which was largely destroyed and rebuilt after the Domoina floods in 1983, and the Pongola River bridge with a reinforced concrete arch not susceptible to steel corrosion.

‘It is thus envisaged that approximately 80 bridges will need to be constructed on the Nsezi to Golela section of the Swaziland Railway Link project,’ says the scoping report.

Nsezi yard expansion

Richards Bay’s Herringbone yard at Nsezi is the only portion of that yard which has 200 wagon capability and is being used for staging and breaking up or consolidation of loads for the port and industrial areas.

‘Given its direct connection to the coal line and port access lines, it is proposed to use this facility by expanding it by the addition of three extra lines.

‘The additional demand on parts of the network brought about by increases in traffic volume from sources other than Mpumalanga and central Gauteng make upgrades of the network a critical planning driver,’ the report said.