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 railway line has been designed for a total railing capacity of 21-million tonnes a year to provide flexibility for an additional 7-million tonnes a year required by Eskom. 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
Aveng Grinaker-LTA, the civil and earthworks contractor for the Majuba rail project, is proceeding with the construction activities on the Majuba rail servitude. Site establishment on the northern side and southern side has been completed.

The construction of structures, such as cattle creeps, culverts, agricultural underpasses and bridges, has started. The construction of a 300-m-long incremental launch bridge over the Vaal river is well under way and it is the most complex concrete structure to be built under the Majuba rail civil works package. It is estimated that the bridge will be constructed using about 4 100 m³ of concrete.

Major activities for the next quarter include starting with the formation layer works on the whole servitude and construction of the piers on the bridges.

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.