State rail company invests in track management

12th December 2014

By: Bruce Montiea

Creamer Media Reporter

  

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In support of its Market Demand Strategy (MDS), State-owned freight and logistics company Transnet is concentrating on refurbishing the country’s rail track system through training and the introduction of new rail track monitoring and management methods, says Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) track technology principal engineer Kanak Mistry.

The MDS is Transnet’s R300-billion capital investment programme to expand rail, port and pipeline infrastructure, introduced in 2011.

“Our aim is to identify the problems that affect our rail tracks and find the most suitable solutions,” he said,

speaking at the inaugural Africa on Track Summit held at The Country Club Johannesburg, in Auckland Park, on November 13. The summit was held to discuss developments and investment opportunities in the African rail industry.

He said derailments are the most significant challenge faced by the railway industry. “One-third of derailments are caused by track failures, and this is as a result of rail breaks, geometry defects caused by the formation of the track and water coming onto the track system.”

The problem is that the country’s rail tracks date from the 1950s, when the manufacturing of track components was not up to standard – “unsophisticated manufacturing techniques were used”, he noted.

Solutions
Mistry said Transnet is now using continuous measuring systems to manage rail breaks. An ultrasonic measuring car (a railroad vehicle) adapted for railroad conditions, is also used to pick up defects on the track. “It carries its own computers to pick up defects.”

He said to solve its track problems, Transnet started regular track inspections, managing workloads to deal with track conditions, cleaning of drains to get water out of the track system, introduced regular ballast tamping to pack the track ballast under railway tracks to make the tracks more durable as well as ash bank reconstruction with earthworks.

Additionally, the company has introduced longitudinal rail track measurements to continuously monitor stresses on rail tracks.

Training
Transnet is also investing in the training of its workers. “To better deal with problems, such as kick outs and rail breaks, we have introduced a course at the University of Pretoria to teach technicians and engineers who are coming into the system on how to work on Transnet rail tracks,” said Mistry, adding that the company also trains lower grade workers at the TFR School of Rail on rail track monitoring and repairs.

Further, to strengthen aluminothermic welding, which improves the process used for the joining of rails, the company has formalised welder certification and appointed “welding champions” to monitor and guide welding apprentices.

“We also do ongoing assessment of welders using radiographic results for accurate feedback, as well as conduct on-site workshops to discuss challenges faced by welders to help reduce the failure rates of the aluminothermic welds,” he concluded.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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