Transnet Engineering ships final units of $20m CDN contract

10th June 2013

By: Shirley le Guern

Creamer Media Correspondent

  

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The final seven units that make up a $20-million contract to supply rolling stock to Corredor De Desenvolvimento Do Norte (CDN) and Central East African Railways (CEAR), which operate railway concessions in Mozambique and Malawi, left Durban harbour on Saturday.

Transnet Engineering (TE) refurbished and manufactured the ten Class 33 locomotives and 21 passenger coaches at its plants in Koedoespoort, east of Pretoria, and Salt River, in Cape Town. They will be used along CDN’s 872 km railway network between the Port of Nacala and the country’s border with Malawi, on a branch line between Cuamba and Litchinga and a passenger service operating between Nampula and Cuamba in Mozambique’s northeast region.

After watching two cranes hoist a 94 t locomotive from the quayside, CDN chairperson Vanderlei Marques said the contract marked an important new relationship between Transnet and the two rail operators. He said the rolling stock would significantly boost the efficiency of passenger rail service in the region, as well as increase capacity for the transport of general cargo.

TE acting CE Thoba Majoka said TE was negotiating maintenance deals with its clients in Mozambique. Just three of the seven locomotives that formed part of this contract were “automatic” and fitted with Bright Star control systems. He hoped the four analogue units in Mozambique would also be upgraded. 

Transnet CE Brian Molefe noted that this latest shipment was just one of a number of important achievements that had contributed to TE establishing itself as a centre of engineering excellence that could contribute to the revitalisation of railway systems in Africa. TE operates six main factories across South Africa, which are responsible for the major overhaul, repair, upgrading and new-build of wagons, locomotives and coaches. These operations are also home to foundries and local support businesses.

He said that, in addition to the train sets that were being shipped form Durban to Mozambique, TE had concluded deals to supply 560 specialist wagons worth about R432-million to Botswana Rail, 95 wagons to mining giant Rio Tinto for use in its coal mining operations in Mozambique and 105 wagons worth R85-million to South African mining company Exxaro’s operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Molefe said he was confident that Transnet would achieve what had been set out in its R300-billion Market Demand Strategy.

He said it was already evident that TE had moved beyond simply maintaining and refurbishing the Transnet fleet to both refurbishing rolling stock for sale outside South Africa and concluding strategic alliances with global original-equipment manufacturers such as General Electric (GE). This has seen the assembly of 143 locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail. Significant skills transfer during this process had positioned TE to manufacture further units in partnership with GE for use elsewhere in Africa.

In addition, he said, TE had, last year, concluded a deal where it would bring in 95 locomotives from a manufacturer in China. Although the prototype had been assembled in China, South Africans had been extensively trained and, with local inputs, the remainder would be assembled in South Africa. He said he expected more of these Chinese locomotives to be manufactured in South Africa for sale to the EU, Brazil and Australia. 

“We have set aside in excess of R1-billion over seven years for research and development (R&D), a significant part of which is focused on what our peers on the continent need. We’re already reaping the benefits of this through an ever expanding range of rolling stock products and, crucially, a comprehensive list of satisfied customers,” he added.

Molefe said announcements of strategic breakthroughs achieved as part of the R&D programme were imminent – including a system that would allow operators to harness power created during the operation of locomotives, which could then be exported back to the electricity grid, as well as technology that would make it impossible for vehicles to cross level crossings at dangerous times. This, he said, had been inspired by recent accidents such as one in Mpumalanga last year, which led to the deaths of 20 people.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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