Speedy rail service boosts coal exports
Project Shongololo to push up coal exports to 75 million tons per annum
COAL exports from the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) could increase from last year’s record-breaking 70.2 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 75mtpa this year with product coming in significantly faster by rail.
RBCT CEO Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane said at a press conference held in Richards Bay last week the terminal is seeing tangible results from train turnaround times reduced from four hours to three hours.
This is attributed to Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR) ‘Project Shongololo’ – a 200-wagon rail service moving from selected Mpumalanga coal mines and bypassing the Ermelo yard leg directly to RBCT, thereby reducing train-handling time.
‘There are currently four Shongololo trains travelling daily between Mpumalanga coal mines and Richards Bay and these are expected to increase to eight,’ said Siwisa-Damasane.
‘With increased rail capacity, we hope to export between 73mtpa to 75mtpa of coal this year and around 81mtpa during 2015.’
The Shongololo project, launched in July, reduced cycle times from an average of 58 hours to 41 hours for locomotives and from 63 hours to 48 hours for wagons.
In August last year, TFR delivered a total of 6.88 million tons of coal to RBCT – the highest monthly achievement to date for the state-owned group.
