Name and Location
Majuba rail project, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Client
Eskom.

Project Description
The 68 km 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).

The structures that will be constructed are 96 culverts, nine cattle creeps, 32 agricultural underpasses and overpasses and 18 bridges, one service duct and 40 cattle grids.

The overall objective is to ensure the security of coal supply through logistics solutions at Majuba, Tutuka, Camden, Grootvlei, Kendal and Hendrina power stations to cater for a throughput potential of 32-million tons a year of coal by rail. The coal will be unloaded at the terminal by the upgraded coal tippler system.

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 and traverses two local municipalities, Msukaligwa and Pixley Ka Seme.

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

Value
R5.2-billion, which will be partly funded from finance secured from the World Bank in 2010. About R3.9-billion in funding from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been allocated to the Majuba rail project.

Duration
The project is expected to take three years to complete, from May 2013 to May 2016.

Latest Developments
Eskom has reported the following progress on the Majuba rail project for the June quarter. Construction on the rail infrastructure has started. The construction of a 300 m incremental launch bridge over the Vaal river is well under way. This 300-m-long bridge is the most complex concrete structure to be built in the civil works package. It is estimated that the bridge will be constructed using just under 4 100 m3 of concrete.

Major activities for the next quarter include:
• The concrete pour onto the bridge decks, agricultural overpass decks and the start of the incremental launch for the bridge deck at the Vaal river bridge.
• The construction of rail formation selected layers (A and B layers)
• The completion of terrace platforms preparation works for relay rooms and substation.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Aveng Grinaker-LTA (main civil construction and earthworks).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Eskom media desk, tel +27 800 3304, fax +27 86 664 7699 or email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.
Eskom national call centre, tel 0860 037 566.
Aveng Grinaker-LTA, tel +27 11 578 6000, fax +27 11 578 6161 or email communications@grinaker-lta.co.za.