40 000 trucks off the roads: Transnet completes manganese corridor expansion a month early

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has completed the construction of the Mamathwane crossing loop in the Northern Cape 30 days ahead of schedule, unlocking extra railing capacity for manganese exports.

The state-owned logistics company said the extension would take an estimated 40 540 trucks off the roads per annum.

TFR currently moves most of its export manganese through operating 104 wagon trains to Gqeberha and 125 wagon trains to Saldanha. Both of these conjoin on the Sishen to Hotazel line, a section of the network which has been the bottleneck for TFRs export manganese capacity growth.

The completion of the Mamathwane project, originally scheduled for the end of July, will decongest this section and allow for an additional four rail slots per week, enabling further volumes.

A key benefit from the completion of the project is the increase in export manganese capacity through the enablement of a new East London solution, the rail operator said in a statement. The East London rail solution will originate from the mines and will run all the way to the Port of East London.

The capacity added by the loop extension – a potential 1.5 million tonnes per annum – is expected to benefit exporters, while the added volumes will also generate additional revenue for Transnet.

The completion of the loop will now unlock several key projects, some of which will be announced in the coming weeks.

TFR said this solution was further made possible through the return to service of some of the long-standing locomotives. This is one of the key strategic projects for TFR in its effort to transform its operations.

“This reaffirms TFR’s commitment to improving operational efficiencies and finding alternative solutions to return to service long-standing locomotives,” the rail operator said. “TFR continues to proactively seek solutions in collaboration with industry for its current challenges, and the delivery of the Mamathwane Loop earlier than expected is true testament to its commitment in efficiency improvements.” – bbc.com