State-owned power utility Eskom reports that the first coal-loaded train is scheduled to begin operating on the R5.2-billion, 68 km railway corridor, which is currently being built to link the coal mines of Mpumalanga with the Majuba power station, on May 31, 2016.

The project is being partly financed with the aid of a R3.08-billion World Bank loan, with the balance being financed by Eskom.

The main civil construction and earthworks for the road-to-rail project are being carried out by Grinaker-LTA and should be completed by the end of October. The contract includes the removal of soil and overburden material and the construction of major structures, including a 300 m bridge.

Contracting processes for the perway and the electrical and signalling contracts are currently under way and Eskom reports that these should be awarded during the first quarter of 2014. The perway package is scheduled for completion by December 2015 and the electrical and signalling package by February 2016.

Eskom is planning to incorporate high levels of local content, with a 70% threshold having been set for the various packages.

The corridor is the first large greenfield freight-rail infrastructure project to be carried out in South Africa since 1986 and will be operated by State-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR).

It has been designed to transport 14-million tons of coal yearly from Shanduka, Middelkraal, Goedgevonden, Vlakvarkfontein, Exxaro and Kuyasa.

The line begins about 8 km west of Ermelo, in Mpumalanga, with the takeoff accessible from both directions of TFR’s existing coal corridor to Richards Bay. It is situated in the Gert Sibande district municipality, in Mpumalanga and traverses two local municipalities, Msukaligwa and Pixley Ka Seme.

Eskom reports that discussions are still under way with TFR with regards to its assumption of operational responsibilities, but it has been agreed that a combination of 19E and 20E electrified locomotives, which are of dual voltage, will be employed. It is also anticipated that jumbo wagons, with axel loads of 26 t, will be introduced.

Eskom says the project will yield lower lifecycle transportation costs, improve coal-delivery turnaround times and enable Majuba to access more coal sources than is currently the case.