Name and Location
Swaziland link railway project.

Client
South Africa State-owned rail operator Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) and Swazi Rail.

Project Description
The project includes the construction of a 146 km railway line between Lothair, in Mpumalanga, South Africa, and Sidvokodvo, in Swaziland, with an initial yearly capacity of 16-million tons. The project plans to span more than 280 ha in South Africa and over 450 ha in Swaziland, with the rail link traversing 23 rivers and boasting 47 bridges, as well as  48 culverts in the mountainous region.

The 146 km link will divert general freight currently being moved on the Ermelo–Richards Bay line through Swaziland, thereby increasing the capacity of South Africa’s coal channel from Mpumalanga to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), in KwaZulu-Natal, to an estimated 91-million tons.

Envisaged in the first phase is a single, nonelectrified line, with crossing loops spaced about 40 km apart.

Therefore, the new line, which could emerge as South Africa’s first greenfield line in more than three decades, will be operated by diesel locomotives.

Currently, the coal line has the capacity to move about 72-million tons, well below the 91-million-ton nameplate capacity of the RBCT.

The development is being pursued in parallel with an initiative to build heavy-haul capacity from the Waterberg coalfields, in Limpopo, to Ermelo, in Mpumalanga, which should create new coal export capacity from South Africa and possibly neighbouring Botswana.

Besides the Lothair–Sidvokodvo link, Transnet will also need to upgrade and strengthen other networks in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique.

These associated projects include the upgrade of the 108 km Davel–Lothair line at an estimated R2.2-billion, strengthening the 345 km Sidvokodvo–Richards Bay line at an estimated R4.6-billion and upgrading the 154 km Phuzumoya–Maputo line, which will require an estimated capital of about R1.8-billion.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
South Africa and Swaziland’s rail parastatals have promised to deliver a feasibility study  on the Swaziland rail link by the end of the year.

Neither the proposed timeline nor the actual cost of the project or its proposed timeline have been revealed; however, previous reports have indicated a price tag of between R16-billion and R17-billion, with completion of the first tranche of 16-million-tons-a-year capacity expected in 2017/18.

According to TFR’s Wilson Mogoba, the costs of development will be divided between the two countries. He has also noted that the rail line would be upgraded in two further tranches, bringing capacity up to 31-million tons a year and finally to 42-million tons a year over the next few years.

Work is under way to determine capacity demand and to identify freight and commodities that could be shifted from road during the roll-out of the initial capacity.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Transnet media liaison officer Viwe Tlaleane, tel +27 11 308 2384, fax +27 11 308 2465 or email Viwe.Tlaleane@transnet.net.
Swazi Rail public relations officer Lizzie Mbokane, tel +268 4042 486/7/8 or fax +268 4045 009.