Railways Africa Issue 3 2011 by Railways Africa

MAY 2011

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RAILWAYS AFRICA / FOREWORD

Foreword MAY 2011

An era - a railway era - has ended in South Africa with the passing of Boon Boonzaaier. During a very long illness and continual discomfort, he accomplished more than most people manage in a lifetime. After early retirement from teaching due to poor health, the rail tour organisation he created in Southern Africa was renowned world-wide: it earned the country thousands of well-spent Dollars, Pounds, Deutschmarks and Yen, brought by enthusiastic overseas travellers who invariably returned to spend more.

Boon accompanied every excursion himself, personally ensuring that everything flowed smoothly, even if (for example) a broken leg that refused to mend for two years confined him to a chair in the lounge car. From there, with great humour, he would provide an inimitable and highly knowledgeable commentary. Despite generating steady money to pour into Spoornet coffers, the parastatal’s deteriorating locomotive and rolling stock situation brought the tours to an end in 2007, to everybody’s dismay. Indefatigable, Boon went home and wrote a book. Characteristically, it was no ordinary book. In A4 format, the 750,000-word Tracks Across The Veld runs to 349 pages, crammed with information, historical data, 80 detailed maps, every conceivable statistic and 600 incomparable colour photos; even special, rail-related stamps. Tracks Across The Veld was veritably Boon’s magnum opus, a fitting memorial to a truly remarkable man. Only a matter of days before he died, Boon - listed regularly as a contributor in Railways Africa - was still sending us amazing photos and other material.

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PUBLISHER Barbara Sheat EDITOR Rollo Dickson DESIGN & LAYOUT Grazia Muto ADVERTISING Kim Bevan

BARBARA SHEAT Publisher / Railways Africa

SUBSCRIPTIONS Kim Bevan CONTRIBUTORS Andre Kritzinger Anton van Schalkwyk Boon Boonzaaier Jacque Wepener John Batwell Leon Zaayman Richard Grönstedt Peter Rogers

ISSN 1029 - 2756 Rail Link Communications cc PO Box 4794 Randburg 2125 Tel: +27 87 940 9278 E-mail: stationmaster@railwaysafrica.com Twitter: railwaysafrica Website: www.railwaysafrica.com The copyright on all material in this magazine is expressly reserved and vested in Rail Link Communications cc, unless otherwise stated. No material may be reproduced in any form, in part or in whole, without the permission of the publishers. Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers of Rail Link Communications cc unless otherwise stated. While precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, neither the Editor, Publisher or Contributor can be held liable for any inaccuracies or damages that may arise.

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May 2011 Railways Africa

FEATURE TITLE

Contents

Features

RAILWAY SAFETY REGULATOR Safe and Healthy Workers are Vital for Safer Railways

PLASSERAIL The Ins and Outs of Mechanised Railway Track Tamping

Pete the Pundit And Now for Something Completely Different

Africa Update

Railways Africa May 2011

Contactless Tickets for Cairo

RVR Timetable Changes

Chinese $4.6Bn Deal with Kenya Railways

Zambian North-west Railway

Steam Activity at NRZ

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RAILWAYS AFRICA / CONTENTS

SA Rail News Permanent Way Fault Detection

Out & About In The Western Cape

Transnet Fleet Renewal

Coal Line Shutdown

Mishaps & Blunders Soweto Crash Hurts 250, 644, 857…

Chaos In UK Tunnel

Derailment Near Klapmuts

Israeli Crash Injures 60

Don’t Sleep On The Subway, Darling

End of the Line Three Countries – Three Gauges

Gautrain Extensions East & West

Profound Texan Name Change

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Railways Africa May 2011

RAILWAY SAFETY REGULATOR

Safe and Healthy Workers are Vital for Safer Railways By Jacintha Naidoo, Senior Manager of Safety Standards at South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator. The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), on behalf of the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), has just published a national standard on human factors management. The standard was developed primarily to provide railway operators with the minimum requirements to manage human factors and has been adopted by the RSR Board, making compliance to the standard mandatory to all railway operators in South Africa. As defined in the National Railway Safety Regulator Act, “human factors” mean factors which include the perceptual, physical and mental capabilities of people and the interaction of individuals with their job and working environments, the influence of equipment and system design on human performance, and the organisational characteristics that influence safety-related behaviour at work. The purpose of human factors management is to reduce occurrences attributable to human error by optimising human capital and by mitigating the risks associated with human factors in the workplace to acceptable levels. The management of human factors is a dynamic, risk-driven process and must form an integral part of each operator’s safety management system. The standard is applicable to all employees undertaking safetyrelated work in the railway environment. This includes all functions and activities that have an impact on safe railway operations and includes safety-critical work which refers to all functions and activities related to the authorisation and control of the movement of rolling stock. The requirements covered in this standard have an overlap with other components such as recruitment, training, human resource issues, health and medical issues as well as an overlap with

Railways Africa May 2011

occupational health and safety. Therefore the standard makes the necessary normative reference to the relevant national legislation and standards. These include among others the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Employment Equity Act, Labour Relations Act, Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act, National Road Traffic Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The standard is divided into three broad categories which cover the human-system interface (design issues), physical environmental factors, and organisational and psychological factors. The human-system interface refers to the application of human factors information to match tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments to the physical and psychological capabilities and limitations of people and seeks to safeguard safety, health, and well-being whilst optimising efficiency and performance. The potential effects of poor design include impaired cognitive functioning, impaired vision, changes in reaction time, burnout, stress, fatigue, drowsiness, bone, joint, muscular, vascular, neurological disorders, all of which could lead ultimately to unsafe work practices. It is recommended that operators use design specialists where necessary to ensure the adequate and efficient design of tools, equipment, workstations and machinery. Physical environmental factors include noise, vibration, lighting, thermal environment and hazardous substances. Excessive or inadequate exposure to these could result in immediate or delayed health effects, fatigue, impaired vision and cognitive functioning which could eventually result in unsafe work practices. Operators are required to conduct surveys to determine the impact of these physical environmental factors on safe railway

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Gautrain Turnout Assembly

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RAILWAY SAFETY REGULATOR operations. These include noise surveys to ensure that safetycritical communication is not compromised and that the hearing of the employees is not impaired. Lighting surveys are required to determine the level of lighting required to perform the required safety-related tasks safely. Good lighting whether natural or artificial has an important role to play in promoting health and safety at work as good lighting assists both in the identification of hazards and reduces the likelihood of visual fatigue and discomfort. The last category comprises “organisational and psychological” factors which include: recruitment and selection, training, medical surveillance, fitness for duty, chronic medical conditions, medication, pregnancy, employee wellness, substance abuse, fatigue management and stress management. Multi-faceted burdens could result from chronic and acute medical conditions, substance abuse, fatigue caused by insufficient rest periods, and excessive work and personal stress that could lead to temporary or permanent inability to work, thus impacting safe railway operations. Thus railway operators need to develop adequate policies and procedures to address each requirement in this standard, to ensure safe railway operations. The fitness-for-duty requirement is all-inclusive in that it touches every other requirement in the standard. Employees undertaking safety-related work need to be fit for duty. This means: physically and mentally healthy, well rested, alert, managed stress levels, free from substances that could impair faculties, free from any disabling medical conditions and adequately trained and competent. From a health perspective, the fitness-for-duty concept relates to the continuity of performing safety-related work as well as from a managerial aspect on the individual’s fitness while on duty and the prevention of unsafe railway occurrences.

Railways Africa May 2011

Railway operators are urged to conduct education and awareness of each requirement in this standard as well as relevant legislation, policies and procedures in respect of their employees undertaking safety-related work. The concept of dual responsibility is also emphasised throughout the standard and is in line with the “duty of care” principle. The latter requires employers to take reasonable steps to ensure their employees’ health and safety are not impaired due to the work undertaken. The employees also have a responsibility to exercise reasonable care in the execution of their work. This mutual responsibility is crucial in ensuring safe railway operations. The RSR is recognised by the SABS as a standards development organisation and the relationship is managed via a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The standard was developed consistent with national legislation for standards development and was facilitated by the RSR. The working group and technical committee was represented by the RSR, SABS, employee representative organisations, industry experts on operational issues and subject matter experts. SANS 3000-4 forms part of a suite of standards developed for the RSR. Other standards developed include those prescribing the minimum requirements for safety management systems, technical standards on rolling stock, track, civil and electrical infrastructure. The published standards are on sale from the SABS on www.sabs.co.za and can also be viewed on the RSR’s website on www.rsr.org.za

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PLASSERAIL

THE INS AND OUTS OF MECHANISED RAILWAY TRACK by Leon Zaayman TAMPING This is the third in a series on mechanised track maintenance. In our March issue, the reader was introduced to the multiple aspects of the subject, an activity without which there would be no rail trafﬁc at all. The April instalment dealt with the topic where all maintenance starts - track condition monitoring and analysis. This month’s and subsequent articles describe the role of each of the mechanised track maintenance machines used on the South African rail network, to ensure that the track is reliable, available, affordable and safe. The track and rail condition monitoring and analysis discussed in the previous article will identify the corrective maintenance required as well as the condition of the track for the preventative maintenance programme. This is the catalyst for all maintenance to follow.

2. Lifting And Aligning Unit Plasserail tamping machines are equipped with a combined lifting and aligning unit (i) mounted in front of the tamping units (ii) between the bogies (see Figure 3).

Introduction

Under repeated loading from trafﬁc, the track moves progressively, causing deviations from the desired vertical and horizontal alignment (geometry). Ballast tamping is the process used to rearrange the ballast under the sleeper to restore the geometry and elasticity of the track structure. This is done by uniformly lifting the track, squeezing ballast in underneath the sleeper where a void was created by the lifting process and correcting the horizontal alignment of the track at the same time. This result of this process is clearly illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Figure 3: Location of lifting unit components (Unimat universal tamping machine illustrated).

Universal tamping machines such as the Unimat (illustrated in Figure 3) are equipped with a specialised lifting and aligning unit with lifting hooks (iii) which grips the rail under the crown or base for lifting in restricted track such as turnouts, roller clamps (iv) for high-speed lifting on the main-line and either one or two ﬂanged rollers (v) which run on the rail crown to transfer the lateral force to the track for alignment. See also Figure 4. Main-line tamping machines are equipped with a lifting and aligning unit with double roller clamps to grip the rail under the crown for high-speed lifting on the open line and two ﬂanged rollers which run on the rail crown to transfer the lateral force to the track for alignment. See Figure 5.

Figure 1: Top defect (slack) clearly visible before tamping.

Figure 2: Tamping removed the slack to restore the top.

Tamping is carried out using mechanised ballast tamping machines. Many different tamping machine designs are available, to satisfy every possible tamping requirement, from low-cost, low-production machines tamping one sleeper at a time to high production main-line tamping machines using the continuous action tamping principle and tamping up to four sleepers per cycle. Other machines are universal and capable of tamping turnouts and the main-line without having to make any changes to the machine such as removing tines. This article will explain the design, use and function of the different main components of mechanised tamping machines.

Figure 4: Specialised lifting and aligning unit found on universal tamping machines.

Figure 5: A typical lifting and aligning unit found on main-line tamping machines.

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PLASSERAIL 3. Measuring System A fully automatic measuring system determines the relative difference in the vertical and horizontal positions of the track at a centre measuring trolley (vii) between two reference points, the front (viii) and rear (ix) measuring trolleys. See Figure 6.

Figure 8: Illustration of a horizontal alignment defect.

Figure 6: Location of measuring system components (TOS universal tamping machine illustrated).

The relative vertical difference is established with the use of a steel cord above each rail (x in Figure 6), extended from the rear to the front measuring trolleys (see also Figure 7). The reference line for horizontal alignment is a steel cord (xi in Figure 6), extended along the centre of the track (see also Figure 8).

The lifting and aligning unit works together with the measuring system to lift the track to a uniform height removing any vertical defects in the process and to simultaneously slew the track to correct any horizontal defects in the track. To ensure a residual lift after tamping, research has shown that the minimum lift should be around 20mm to provide enough space under the sleepers to rearrange the ballast stones. The machine will therefore lift the track uniformly by a pre-set lift of approximately 20mm. Where a vertical defect (slack) is encountered, the measuring system will detect the relative vertical difference in height and lift the track by the pre-set height as well as the depth of the slack. Refer to Figure 9.

Figure 7: Illustration of a vertical level (top) defect.

Figure 9: The lifting principle.

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PLASSERAIL Defects which are shorter than the cord length between the front and rear measuring trolleys of the tamping machine can be corrected successfully but if the defects are longer than the cord length, the machine will follow these defects without removing it. Plasserail tamping machines therefore use laser or optical equipment mounted on a mobile trolley (also called the ‘tachy’) which is moved 100 to 150 metres ahead of the tamping machine (see Figure 10), depending on geography and other conditions.

closure rail) during turnout tamping operations and eliminates the need for cumbersome, manually placed track jacks, hydraulic hose reels and the related labour and maintenance costs. The standard two-point lift on the long sleepers on concrete turnouts leads to overstressing and damage to the rail fastenings, due to the weight of the long sleeper, the added weight of the turnout rails as well as the turning moment caused by the long sleeper being lifted at one end. The entire load is carried by the fastenings of the two rails (see Figure 12). An additional synchronised lift at the curved closure rail distributes the weight of the sleeper and rails across three lifting points and eliminates the turning moment which reduces the lifting force at the middle rail by almost half (see Figure 13). Thirdrail lifting devices are therefore essential in tamping turnouts on concrete sleepers.

Figure 10 : The use of optical or laser equipment to permit removal of long wave defects.

The tamping machine is then guided by a straight line which is aimed at a target board on the front measuring trolley [also called the ‘voorwagen’, see Figure 6 (xii)]. When the machine moves forward, the lifting and aligning wires are adjusted via remote control so that the reticule of the viewﬁnder is lined up with the marks on the target board. This effectively lengthens the cord length to the distance between the rear measuring trolley of the machine and the position of the ‘tachy’. This provides utmost accuracy in the vertical and horizontal alignment of the track and is generally referred to as design lifting and aligning. The measuring system can be supplemented with a computerbased system (the WIN-ALC) which can be used to measure the track and for automatic calculations and setting of the offsets in curves.

Figure 12: Without three-rail lifting.

Figure 13: With three-rail lifting.

4. Third-Rail Lifting Device

5. Tamping Units

Modern universal tamping machines are ﬁtted with a hydraulically operated, telescopic third-rail lifting system on either side of the machine [see Figure 3 (vi) and Figure 11] which is synchronised with the combined lifting and aligning unit. This clamp assembly provides controlled lift of the outside turnout rail (the curved

It is the tamping units [Figure 3 (ii)] that carry out the main function of the tamping machine. Figure 14 provides a schematic illustration of the tamping process in four simpliﬁed steps. Step 1 – A basic tamping machine indexes forward and comes to a standstill with the tamping tines of the tamping unit straddling the sleeper on both sides. Step 2 – The lifting and aligning unit lifts the track to a preset minimum height while correcting any possible vertical and horizontal defects in the track. Step 3 – The tamping units are lowered. The vibrating tines enter the ballast and stop at a predetermined depth. The tines are vibrating in order to ﬂuidise the ballast stone, to permit it to rearrange and settle in a dense matrix. Vibration also greatly reduces the force required to penetrate the tamping tines into the ballast.

Figure 11 : Third-rail lifting device.

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PLASSERAIL

Step 1 The tamping machine stops over the sleeper to be tamped.

Step 2 Lifting units lift the rail and sleeper to pre-determined height.

Step 3 Tines enters ballast and stops at pre-determined depth.

Step 4 Cylinder assembly performs squeezing action and compacts ballast in the void.

Figure 14: Tamping process description.

Step 4 – The cylinder assembly exerts a force on the tine arms which perform a squeezing motion of the tines. The tines compact ballast underneath the sleeper in the void created by the lifting process. The tamping machine indexes forward to the next sleeper and the process repeats itself.

The latest tamping machines by Plasser & Theurer can tamp up to four sleepers per cycle and are the fastest machines available in the world. The 09-3X which tamps three sleepers per cycle is the fastest machine in South Africa.

(ii) Tine conﬁguration Due to the variety of requirements for tamping such as production capabilities, specialised units for tamping turnouts etc, a large variety of tamping unit designs are available. The following are features that set the different tamping units apart:

(i) Number of sleepers tamped per cycle

The tamping tine is the wear component of a tamping unit which enters the ballast and packs it underneath the sleeper. Most of the tines currently in use are made of drop-forged special steel with carbide plates at their exposed surfaces. The tine plate at the bottom end of the tine is the wear component. Once the plate has worn past a speciﬁed percentage of area, the tine is replaced.

The number of sleepers that are tamped per cycle (insertion) determines the production capability of the machine. Single sleeper tamping machines are still very common since high production is not always required and a lower production at a lower machine price can be preferred for some applications. Such as spot maintenance. The machine price must however not be confused with unit price of production since higher production machines may be more expensive than lower production machines, though their unit cost of production is actually lower.

Single sleeper

Railways Africa May 2011

Figure 16: 4-tine units.

Figure 17: 8-tine units.

Tamping units are either equipped with 4 or 8 tines per rail as can be seen in Figure 16 and Figure 17. The tine plates (tips) on 4-tine

Three sleeper Two sleeper Figure 15: Examples of tamping unit layouts.

Four sleeper

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PLASSERAIL units are however larger to make up for the fewer tines and provide similar compaction characteristics as 8-tine units.

This type of unit is only available in four tines (per rail) conďŹ guration in South Africa due to our limited gauge and the size of these units. See also Figure 16.

(iv) Specialised turnout tamping units In turnouts where track is restricted, some of the tines may hit an obstruction such as the switch blade or curved closure rail of the turnout portion. Plasserail universal tamping machines therefore have specialised tamping units to reach in between restricted spaces. Two basic designs are used, either tilting tines or split units. Tilting tines: Tamping units equipped with tilting tines avoid hitting rails that may obstruct one set of tines by tilting those tines out of the way. See Figure 18.

Split Units: Split tamping units are in principle longitudinally divided in two (ďŹ eld side and gauge side), and can be raised and lowered individually for unparalleled versatility (vertical split). See Figure 19. Each one of the total of four units can be lowered and put into action separately from the other. Furthermore, some split units can individually be displaced laterally as well (horizon split) to ďŹ nd the best area in the restricted track to enter the ballast. The split units can be locked together in which case they will act like conventional main line tamping units. See also Figure 17.

Figure 18 : The use of tilting tines to avoid tines hitting turnout rails.

Figure 19: The use of split units to avoid tines hitting turnout rails.

RAIL VEHICLE SYSTEMS

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PLASSERAIL 6. Auxiliary Satellite Frame for Continuous Action Tamping A tamping machine must be moved from sleeper to sleeper for the tamping operation. The machine must therefore accelerate and brake again between sleepers. This is referred to as index tamping. Though this principle is still used on many modern tamping machines, its production capability is limited due to the acceleration and braking limitations of heavy on-track machines using steel wheels on steel rail. The acceleration and braking is also very uncomfortable for the operator of the machine and causes fatigue to set in very quickly at higher tamping rates. The limit for index tamping is around 33 sleepers per minute. Therefore, only lower production, lower cost and specialised tamping machines use index tamping. In 1983, Plasser & Theurer introduced the ďŹ rst continuous action tamping machine which produced 30% more than the fastest machine available at the time. This was achieved by the separation of the main frame and an auxiliary satellite frame on which the tamping units were mounted (see Figure 20). This allows continuous motion of the main frame while the cyclic braking and acceleration for the tamping action is performed by the auxiliary frame. Only around 20% of the machine mass must therefore be braked and accelerated. When this principle is combined with multiple sleepers tamped per insertion, very high tamping rates are possible. The 09-3X continuous action tamping machines, of which there are two

working on the South African rail network, tamp three sleepers per cycle and achieve a production rate of up to 60 sleepers per minute. This equates to 2.2 kilometres tamped per hour.

Figure 20: The 09-3X continuous action tamping machine with the tamping units mounted to a separate auxiliary frame.

The continuous action principle was traditionally used only on main-line tamping machines. The open line tamping speed of universal tamping machines was therefore always limited to that of single sleeper index tamping machines. In 2006, Plasserail combined continuous action tamping with two sleeper split tamping units with integrated dynamic stabilisation on the 09-24

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PLASSERAIL Dyna-CAT universal tamping machine to provide the best possible production rates on turnouts. High production rates are achieved on the open line as well.

(a)

Though tilting or split units prevent tines from hitting obstructions in turnouts, the areas between the obstructions must also be tamped for which purpose universal tamping machines need slewing tamping unit frames. These allow the tamping units to slide laterally across the track, to ďŹ nd the best place for entering the ballast.

Specialised Tamping Unit Frames for Turnout Tamping (i) Slewing tamping unit frames

Depending on the machine model, the tamping unit frames slide on guide columns to allow either double slewing (Figure 21) or single slewing (Figure 22) reach. On double slewing systems the guide columns are mounted to an auxiliary frame which can be slewed beyond the frame of the machine. Refer to Figure 23 for the maximum reach achieved with double (a) or single (b) slewing tamping unit frames.

(b)

Figure 23: Maximum reach of universal tamping machines to the turnout section (a) double slewing reach (Unimat) and (b) single slewing reach.

machine is standing on the straight portion of the turnout. Machines with double slewing tamping unit frames therefore require only one pass to tamp the turnout and also avoid an occupation of the adjacent line.

(ii) Rotating tamping unit frames An additional feature of modern universal tamping machines is the rotation of the tamping units through the angle of the skew sleepers of the turnout. These tamping units are mounted to a turntable that ensures right angles to the sleeper when the turnout portion is tamped. This avoids potential squaring of the skew sleepers and improves production times.

Figure 21 : Double slewing tamping unit frame.

Figure 24: Skew sleepers in the crossing section.

8. Wheelbase

Figure 22 : Single slewing tamping unit frame.

Wheelbase refers to the distance between the centre of the bogies or two single axles of the tamping machine. During the tamping process, the track is lifted at the lifting unit by at least 20mm to ensure a residual lift. Where a slack (vertical defect) is encountered, the lift becomes progressively more by the depth of the defect as illustrated in Figure 9 above.

For high production in turnouts, double slewing tamping unit frames are required to reach the turning out portion while the

The importance of wheelbase is illustrated in Figure 25 which shows the maximum rail stress vs the lift applied by the machine

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PLASSERAIL at the lifting unit and is the result of research done by Plasser & Theurer on tangent track with UIC60 rails and concrete sleepers.

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maximum rail stress is exceeded due to the bending radius of the rail. Considering that the minimum maintenance lift by a tamping machine is already around 20mm, a 6 metre wheelbase machine will not be able to even lift out a slack exceeding 20mm in one pass. Machines with a wheelbase of at least 10 metres would be required to ensure that deep slacks can be rectiďŹ ed in one pass, albeit with more than one tamp, to ensure high production.

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Tamping is the most frequent of mechanised maintenance activities on the track and therefore warrants a great deal of understanding regarding the variety of machines and features available together with their application to ensure that the end user gets the most cost-effective and efďŹ cient machine for money spent.

Figure 25: Maximum rail stress versus lift applied by tamping machine.

The position of the EN Standard limit (45 kN/cm2) for the maximum rail stress in UIC60 rails is indicated on the graph. The EN standard is used in South Africa as well. The UIC standard limit which is much lower is also indicated. Tamping machines with different wheelbases were then used to lift the rail, the rail stress established and the results plotted. The graph clearly shows that tamping machines with a 6 metre wheelbase cannot lift more than approximately 40mm before the

The article in the next issue of Railways Africa will deal with the science behind track tamping. The tamping processes used today have been thoroughly researched by various prominent international academics, to ensure efďŹ ciency and durability.

OPINION – AND THE WIDER WORLD

PETE THE PUNDIT At home and around the world AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT At about 17:50 on 19 May, a Metrorail commuter train from Johannesburg ran past two red signals. It then rear-ended Soweto Business Express #2, which had stopped at a signal between the Mzimhlophe and Phomolong stations in Soweto. Due apparently to the speed at which the collision took place, an incredible number of injuries – 857 - were reported (see page 42 in this issue). Following up the incident two weeks later, Sunday Times writer Chris Barron concluded: “South Africa’s rail safety is a train smash. The latest figures we have show that between 2008 and 2009 there were 5,307 rail accidents in which 1,932 people were injured, and 434 people killed. “Headlines tell us that the rail safety regulator is going to ‘crack the whip’, but why should we take them seriously this time? I was hoping to ask the CEO, Kethabile Moyo, this question but after undertaking to do an interview she did a vanishing act. As only the acting CEO, she apparently was not confident enough to answer questions about rail safety. “Instead I was directed to the Chairman, Brenda Madumise, who does the job on a part-time basis, in gaps of her full-time job as a consulting advocate, and therefore might seem even less qualified to explain what the rail safety regulator has been getting up to since [it was created in] 2002.

“Why was there no succession plan in place [Barron asked] to ensure a timely transition to the top job of someone properly qualified for it? ‘Because he didn’t retire, he resigned,’ says Madumise. ‘And you can never *know if someone is going to resign, can you? We never knew he was going to resign.’ “His contract was only due for renewal in September 2011, so why did he resign? ‘He was looking for greener pastures or he was looking for something different,’ she says. ‘Who knows?’” Well, somebody must have known, as the “greener pastures” were a lot nearer home than Advocate Madumise implied. Former Rail Safety Regulator CEO Mosenngwa Mofi may have resigned in effect, but getting into his new “different” job seems to have entailed little more than a slightish nudge sideways. Sideways into the hot seat at Metrorail, no less. Mosenngwa Mofi, you see, happens to be the name of their new CEO. All of which begs Barron’s question - “Why was there no succession plan in place to ensure a timely transition to the top job of [rail safety regulator] of someone properly qualified for it?” Metrorail could hardly have been desperate to fill their position – it didn’t exist before Mofi was appointed.

“My ﬁrst question is why a body charged with such a critically important, indeed life-or-death, role, has an acting CEO who is so unsure of herself she cannot take questions from the media? It is because the [former] CEO, Mosenngwa Moﬁ, resigned in January, says Madumise. “Moyo, who previously was legal advisor to the organisation, was merely put in to plug the gap. She is ‘not yet ready to lead an organisation of this size’, says Madumise, which is an interesting observation coming from the chair of the board which appointed her.

JOB CUTS FOLLOW ROLLING STOCK IMPORTS A decision to import new rolling stock has resulted in up to 70 staff being retrenched at New Zealand’s KiwiRail. CEO Jim Quinn says future contracts for new trains and carriages have been given to overseas ﬁrms. “We have a very ﬁnite amount of money and we need to make sure we buy the most we can and unfortunately we’ve been unable to be price competitive with manufacturers who have massive-scale plants and massive buying power,” he told Newstalk ZB. Opposition politician Metiria Turei blames the move on transport minister Steven Joyce’s decision to allow a NZ$500 million contract to build new carriages to be tendered overseas. Alliance Party spokesman Trevor Hanson says local workers are suffering from “bad free-trade policies”. He says KiwiRail doesn’t need to look overseas, as New Zealand Kiwirail Chinese-built diesel loco.

Railways Africa May 2011

has the capacity to build the number of trains required. Instead, ﬁrms from South Korea and Spain are vying for the contract. Unfortunately, Quinn says, New Zealand doesn’t have the capacity to build the required number of new trains quickly and cheaply enough.

LAST SUPPER ON EAST COAST MAIN-LINE After 132 years of service, East Coast trains in the UK have lost their dining cars. First-class passengers will still get a meal at their seat as part of the ticket price but there will no longer be a dining car on any service between London and Scotland on either the east or west coast main-lines. Standard-class passengers, says the BBC, will see the end of “one of the loopholes of intercity travel because up until now they could board a train, and for the price of a meal, go and eat in ﬁrst-class surroundings”. East Coast chair Elaine Holt says the current catering operation is losing £20 million a year and as this is a railway company currently owned by the government, it is taxpayers’ money which is being lost.

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OPINION – AND THE WIDER WORLD

BELGIUM’S MEGAWATT TUNNEL A first in Europe, Belgium’s “solar tunnel” comprises 3.4km of line near Antwerp, part of the highspeed line connecting Paris and Amsterdam. The tunnel roof has been covered with 16,000 solar PV panels, an area of roughly 50,000m2. The panels will generate an estimated 3.3MWh of electricity a year (calculation based on the forecast of the average sunshine in north Belgium), equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of nearly 1,000 homes, and will decrease CO2 emissions by 2,400 tonnes per year. The electricity will be used to power the railway infrastructure (signalling, lighting, heating of railway stations etc) and trains using the Belgian rail network. 4,000 trains per year – equivalent to one full day of rail traffic – will be able to run entirely on solar energy. Belgiumbased renewable energy company Enfinity financed, developed and built the solar tunnel project, at a cost of around £14 million. Enfinity UK head Bart van Renterghem explains that Solar PV has one big advantage compared to other renewable energy technologies: “You are making use of assets that weren’t productive before, using technology which does not create any sound, which has almost no visual impact, deliverable on a short time frame.” Also, he says. “I don’t know any renewable energy technology where you can start developing and realising the project and getting it operational within one year.”

MAGLEV FOR TOKYO-OSAKA Construction of the long proposed 500km Japan Central Railway Chuo Shinkansen maglev line between Tokyo and Osaka is to go ahead. Environmental assessments are in progress for the route through the Southern Alps to the north of Mount Fuji. It is intended to start building in the ﬁnancial year beginning 1 April 2014. The project is intended to relieve the existing Tokaido high-speed Shinkansen expresses, halving journey times between the three principal cities. Nagoya would be only about 40 minutes from Tokyo and Osaka 67 minutes. The existing superconducting maglev test track in Yamanashi prefecture, which will form part of the new line, is being extended from 18.4km to 42.2km, and is due for completion in 2012. The railway has ordered a “pre-production” ﬂeet of 14 Series L0 maglev vehicles for the extended test track, which will be delivered by 2015. The 290km initial section of the maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya is expected to open in 2027, but service on the remainder of the line to Existing 18.4km Yamanashi maglev test Osaka is unlikely to start track which will form part of the new Tokyo-Osaka line. before 2045.

COURT OKs CAB CAMERAS A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has dismissed allegations in a lawsuit filed by Metrolink train drivers who challenged the installation of video cameras in locomotive cabs. The move was prompted by the deadly Chatsworth crash in 2008, when a driver who was sending text messages on his cellphone overshot a red signal and collided head-on with a freight train. Twenty-five people died and more than 100 were injured. Judge Luis A. Lavin found no evidence that the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, which operates the five-county Metrolink commuter rail service, had violated its drivers’ constitutional rights to privacy and due process. The judge ruled that the drivers were not denied due process under their collective bargaining agreement because the railway’s disciplinary procedures did not change after the cameras were installed. He also ruled that the union could not establish that the cameras represented a “true abuse of power,” a requirement for a due-process violation.

Belgium’s 3.4km solar tunnel.

Los Angeles head-on collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a BNSF freight consist near Chatsworth in 2008.

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Railways Africa May 2011

OPINION – AND THE WIDER WORLD The judge also dismissed the privacy-invasion allegation, saying that the union cannot reasonably expect to establish that the cameras are highly offensive and violate social norms. Lavin also said the camera installation was prompted by the legitimate goals of protecting the public and determining the cause of any accident.

KNORR-BREMSE’S EDDY-CURRENT BRAKE WINS AWARD The European Railway Award has been presented annually since 2007 for outstanding services to the railway sector. The award is made in two categories, “technical achievements” and “political achievements”, each of which carries a purse of €10,000. The Community of European Railways (CER), the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE), and the European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) recently presented Knorr-Bremse Austria with the 2011 award in the “technical achievements” category for the development and industrialisation of the eddy-current brake. The eddy-current brake has been in commercial service for nine years in ICE 3 trainsets in Germany and abroad and is also installed in the latest Velaro platform. The principle of the linear eddy-current brake was ﬁrst described back in the 19th century by the French physicist Léon Foucault. However, before Knorr-Bremse was able to launch an eddycurrent brake for rail vehicles in commercial operation there were numerous technical challenges to be resolved, not least in terms of braking force limits, signalling compatibility, power supply, availability, and mechanical installation in the bogie. Now an industrialised product, the linear eddy-current brake makes an ideal complement for conventional friction brakes and regenerative brakes. The eddy-current brake enables a braking force to be applied regardless of wheel-rail adhesion. It is not subject to wear and the braking forces remain almost constant,

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independent of speed, making the system particularly suited for high-speed applications. Eddy-current brakes reduce not only wear but also emissions of particulate matter and noise from rail vehicles, so they are also particularly environmentally friendly. In addition, using eddy-current brakes helps cut costs at the rail infrastructure construction stage. For instance, the combination of friction brakes and frictionless braking enables trains to handle steeper gradients, which reduces the need to build tunnels and bridges. Knorr-Bremse’s Dr Stefan Haas donated the prize money to the company’s Global Care organisation, to help fund construction of a kindergarten in Rwanda. The aim of Global Care is to offer sustained support to individuals who – through no fault of their own – are in need as a result of environmental catastrophes, accidents, armed conﬂict, poverty or illness.

CN’s L O O O N G LOCO Seen on Newstalk650.com: “A passing train has become a serious pain to morning trafﬁc in the Canadian city of Regina. In recent weeks, a locomotive between 6,000 and 8,000 feet long has been coming along the CN rail line just after 07:30. It’s a rail line that cuts off trafﬁc along many of city’s major north to south arteries which include McCarthy, Albert, Broad, and Winnipeg streets as well as the Ring Road. Drivers say they often sit idle in their vehicles for over ten minutes.” [6,000 feet work out at the best part of 2km. That’s one mighty long locomotive. – Editor Railways Africa.]

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AFRICA UPDATE

AFRICA UPDATE ANGOLA CUANZA RIVER BRIDGE

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

The little town of Cuanza lies 739km from Lobito on Caminhos de ferro de Benguela (CFB). At this point, the line crosses the Cuanza River. In 1925, contractors George Pauling and company spanned the watercourse with a combined road and rail bridge comprising four 42-metre spans – the longest bridge on the railway. The structure was destroyed during the civil war but has been replaced recently with new road and rail bridges.

SOUTH AFRICAN EXPATRIATE

Repair work to the Cuanza River Bridge on Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela (CFB). Photo courtesy Anton van Schalkwyk.

STEAM LOCOS AT CATETE A recent visitor to Catete, 65km east of Luanda on the CFL mainline, found four locomotives still intact after a “massive cut-up operation”. The locos seen were Henschel 4-8-0 no 156, an unidentiﬁed Armstrong-Whitworth 4-8-0, Beyer-Peacock 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 no 501 and Krupp 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 no 554. It is hoped that their survival suggests a possibility they may be preserved.

An ex-South African class 35 4xx diesel, now owned and operated by Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Congolais (SNCC – the state railway in the Democratic Republic of Congo). Photo: C van Wyk. EGYPT CONTACTLESS TICKETS FOR CAIRO Cairo Metro has awarded Spanish engineering company Idom a contract involving the implementation of contactless ticketing on its two metro lines. The new system will optimise management of the high passenger ﬂow experienced on Lines 1 and 2 and will be interoperable with the planned Line 3. This will link Cairo Airport with the city’s western district, as well as the Egyptian National Railways and other modes of transport. The city has a population of approximately 17 million. The metro currently transports more than 3 million passengers per day. A public enterprise resorting under Egypt’s ministry of transport, Cairo Metro is undergoing expansion, renovation and modernisation of its entire network.

Unusual-looking, Krupp-built 4-8-2 + 2-8-4 Garratt no 555 photographed by Charlie Lewis in 1970. Sister loco 554 was recently reported as having escaped cutting at Catete.

Railways Africa May 2011

Cairo metro.

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AFRICA UPDATE EGYPTIAN TRAIN MISERY Samar Ali Ezzat writes in The Gazette Online (published in Cairo): “Launched in l854, the Egyptian railways were the ﬁrst in Africa and the Middle East and worldwide only the second after Great Britain. Today the network connects the densely populated areas of the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt with Cairo and Alexandria, accounting for a big percentage of local passenger transport.

“The entire scene totally horriﬁes outside observers, although passengers seem to be used to their plight. While some suit themselves well on the ﬂoor, others take refuge in the upper luggage compartments (shelves) and have a good nap until they reach their designated stops.

“According to its users, the l56-year-old service has reached a stage where it has to undergo comprehensive modernisation, despite projects implemented and promises made by successive governments. Passengers using sleeper and luxury express trains might not be as resigned as third class passengers who have no other option but to board carriages lacking any degree of cleanliness and regard for basic human requirements.

“Vendors on trains pose another serious problem, since the items they sell, particularly food and drinks, are not subject to any kind of hygienic supervision. The condition of the trains themselves is no secret to officials, drivers, commuters and potential passengers. With open doors and broken windows that allow dust inside the train, torn seats and filthy floors, passengers have to bear the few hours it takes to reach their destination. Industrial safety measures on these trains are another challenge, which the Railway Authority is required to face, considering the high risk in these overcrowded carriages.

“Travelling on trains in Upper Egypt is a particularly harrowing experience with nothing but torture, but nevertheless the overcrowding pinpoints the fact that the railways are indispensable for poor passengers. “According to the railway schedule at the main Ramsis station, 30 trains head daily to the south; l4 are for low fare passengers only, commonly known as “trains of the poor”. While these trains already get completely crammed at Ramsis station, more passengers jump on at the second stop in Giza, creating a catastrophic situation. “Passengers using these trains on a daily basis include university students, peasants, civil servants and small traders. These trains hardly ever come on time, and for this very reason the waiting passengers elbow their way through the crowds to board the trains. Though railway ofﬁcials are aware that a carriage with a seating capacity of l20 is boarded by no less than 500, little is done to exercise control or increase the number of carriages on heavily frequented lines.

“Sayeda Hassan, a woman from Upper Egypt, who has no choice but to take the overcrowded train to visit her son in a nearby town, recounts how she has to bear the daily torture, since she cannot afford another means of transport. She does not mind sitting on the ﬂoor, as “it is better than to stand the whole way to el-Wassta” where she is going. “Mohamed Saad, another regular passenger on the Cairo-Upper Egypt line, is annoyed by smokers who blow smoke into the faces of other passengers. He urges strict implementation of the antismoking law, particularly now in this post-revolution period, when growing concern for respecting the law is gaining momentum. “According to Ahmed Abu Zeid, a train driver on the Upper Egypt line, the German engines in use have outlived their time. He warned that owing to lack of spare parts, these engines were likely to break down and come to a dead halt at any moment.”

KENYA RVR TIMETABLE CHANGES Rift Valley Railways (RVR) has reduced the number of stops made by commuter trains on the Ruiri-Nairobi route. Those at Kihunguru and Kahawa were eliminated in mid-May, to the dismay of residents. At the same time, two additional stops have been added – at Kasarani and Maili Saba. According to passengers, stopping at Maili Saba is dangerous because of the hilly area. In terms of the new schedule, the train proceeds from Githurai to Kasarani, then Maili Saba, Dandora, Kariobangi South, Mutindwa and Makadara to Nairobi. RVR chairman Brown Ondego explains that the two stopping places were dropped because of the short distance the train was covering between one stop and the next. “Some of the stages did not make sense at all,” Odengo says. “We are removing the stages that are dangerous.” He adds that RVR is reducing the morning passenger pick-up time from 05:30 to 06:00.

BOND ISSUE FOR NAIROBI COMMUTER LINK The government - principal shareholder in Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) - is preparing a Sh17.2 billion bond issue to ﬁnance upgrading of the Nairobi commuter rail system.

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The corporation plans to build a Sh1 billion, 7km link from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the city centre in a bid to ease Nairobi’s infamous traffic jams. The project is part of KRC’s master plan, which seeks to overhaul the entire system in the country by 2050. Director-general of Vision 2030 secretariat Mugo Kibati says a cabinet paper on the proposed issue has been prepared and is awaiting approval. The bond has been marketed already to both local and international investors. According to Kibati, the project is to be fully financed by proceeds from the issue while the cost of purchasing coaches estimated at between Sh10.3 billion and Sh12.9 billion would have to be incurred by the “eventual operator” of the system. Treasury has allocated Sh1.9 billion this fiscal year for a proposed upgrade of the Nairobi commuter rail system. The first phase, which is being funded by the exchequer, includes the provision of a new station at Syokimau, and the acquisition of rolling stock. The Sh250 million Syokimau station (on which construction has begun) – is planned to serve as a link between road transport and the railway. It is to have a drop off and pick up point for public service vehicles and parking space for 1,000 cars.

Railways Africa May 2011

AFRICA UPDATE CHINESE $4.6BN DEAL WITH KENYA RAILWAYS Jaindi Kisero writes in The East African: “Construction company China Roads and Bridge Corporation has successfully lobbied Kenya to pull out of a bilateral agreement signed with Uganda in October 2008. The agreement committed the two neighbours to co-operate on the building of a modern railway link between the port of Mombasa and Kampala. “If the proposal by China Roads is accepted, it will not only precipitate diplomatic tensions, but force Uganda into seeking partnership with Tanzania and Rwanda to develop an alternative standard gauge railway link through the Central corridor in Tanzania. “On 28 October 2008, presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Mwai Kibaki of Kenya made an ofﬁcial declaration at State House, Nairobi, that the two countries would build a high-capacity, standard gauge railway link between them.

Italian ﬁrm Italferr SPA, when the ministry of transport ordered them to stop the process immediately. ‘Since there is no one in government who is in support of the study, there is no need to proceed with it,” said a letter by permanent secretary Dr Cyrus Njiru to KRC managing director Nduva Muli. ‘I have been directed to advise you not to go ahead with this study as this is not consistent with the consensus within government. “These latest developments offer insight into the lobbying tactics and exploits by Chinese companies. It would appear that even as KRC technical ofﬁcers and their Ugandan counterparts were working on the feasibility study — drawing terms of references and holding joint meetings — the Chinese were quietly plotting their own move. “Away from the limelight, the Chinese had signed a memorandum of understanding with then transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere - in which they promised to assist in facilitating a government-togovernment deal supported by concessional loans from the Chinese government.

“Subsequently, a bilateral agreement was signed by the respective ministries dealing with railways on 2 October 2009 — with the countries committing to a seamless modern railway between them. Kenya was — from its own resources — to build a standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Malaba, with Uganda building the link to Kampala. “Last year, Kenya went ahead and provided money in its annual budget to fund preliminary designs and an environmental impact assessment. Technical teams from the Kenya and Uganda governments worked together to harmonise the terms of reference for the feasibility studies in line with what had been agreed on under the bilateral agreement.

“In March this year, the Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) which has been procuring a consultant for the Kenyan project was about to award the job to

Railways Africa May 2011

“In a letter dated 22 March 2011, the ministry of transport simply dumped the free feasibility study done by China Roads and Bridge Corporation on the Ugandans, and informed them that the Kenya government had decided to go the route of a government-to-government with the Chinese.”

Kisero notes: “The Northern Corridor, anchored by the port of Mombasa in Kenya, has an estimated total cost of $US2.1 billion. The top priority project list includes 18 projects - ﬁve port, ﬁve rail and eight road improvements. The projects are split almost equally between the northern and central corridors in terms of investment cost of $US 0.9 billion each.”

To Addis Ababa

Juba

KENYA

Pakwach Kasese

UGANDA TororoEldoret

Kigali

RWANDA

Bukavu Bujumbura

BURUNDI

Kigoma “In the past two years, both countries have been trying to procure a consultant for a feasibility study on the project. However, as a result of appeals and objections by bidders, procurement of consultants by both countries has suffered major delays.

“The deal included an offer by the Chinese to conduct a free feasibility study for a standard gauge railway line between Mombasa and Nairobi on condition that if that study was adopted, China Roads and Bridge Corporation would be involved in the construction of the railway. By coming up with a feasibility study covering the Nairobi-Mombasa stretch, the Chinese left Uganda out of the loop.

Kisumu Musoma Mwanza

Nairobi

Arusha Moshi

TANZANIA

Mombasa

Tabora

Dodoma Tanga Morogoro Dar es Salaam

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AFRICA UPDATE MOROCCO LIGHT RAIL OPENS IN RABAT King Mohammed VI of Morocco has commissioned the country’s first light rail tramway, which links the capital Rabat with its twincity Salé. Costing €318 million, the 20km system, comprising two lines, was constructed within the framework of the Bouregred Valley development project. (The Bouregred River separates the two cities.). The objective is to ease congestion in crossing the river and to bring the twin cities closer together. The vehicles supplied as part of the project have low floors and air-conditioning. The 580-passenger capacity per set is equivalent to that of 10 to 12 buses. An hourly fare of €0.6 applies. The number of people who will benefit directly or indirectly is estimated at 60 million passengers per year.

Hay Karima P

Tabriket

Rabat-Salé

Atlantic Ocean

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Salé Medina

Moulay El Hassan Bridge

the development of Malawi, but also handle exports of the entire copper belt region of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. All the necessary production inputs could be imported via Nacala. In mid-April, Vale and the Malawian government signed a memorandum of understanding in Lilongwe, prefacing the building of a new 100km railway from a point east of Moatize to southern Malawi, from where an existing line runs to Nacala. Nacala is generally regarded as the best deep-water port on the east African coast. It is a natural harbour that requires no dredging, and can accommodate ships of any size. Despite these enormous advantages, it is sadly underused. This year, Agnelli said, Vale plans to sell 1.2 million tonnes of coal. Next year the production target is 7 million tonnes, of which 4 million will be sold. Production and exports will be notched up until Vale exports 22 million tonnes a year. “The constraints lie in the port and the railways”, Agnelli explains. “So we have to accelerate investment in the line from Moatize to Beira, and accelerate the Nacala project. Nacala will be the future”. Agnelli envisions exports up to 40 million tonnes a year eventually. “The limitation is not the coal reserves, it’s not how much the mine can produce”, he says. “The limitations are the railways and the port. That’s why it’s fundamental to develop Nacala as soon as possible”. Agnelli expects it to take four or ﬁve years to complete the $US4 billion’s worth of investment required in the new railway and in upgrading Nacala harbour facilities. Vale intends to export to Asian markets, notably China, to the Middle East, and eventually Brazil. “The steel industry must produce to meet the needs of urbanisation in Asia”, he points out. “It’s a gigantic process. In the coming years we will see very strong demand for coking coal for steel production”.

Rabat Medina

Rabat-Ville

River Bouregreg

Yacoub El Mansour

RABAT Bab Al Irfane

Light Rail ONCF Lines Park & Ride

University

Agdal

3 km

Rabat light rail line.

MOZAMBIQUE NACALA ACCORDING TO VALE Chairman of Brazilian mining giant Vale, Roger Agnelli, speaking to reporters in Moatize, said the Nacala port and rail system in northern Mozambique can be a major factor in the development of sub-Saharan Africa. Nacala he said could not only facilitate

Railways Africa May 2011

NIGERIA LAGOS LRT BLUE LINE Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola has carried out a preshipment inspection of rolling stock for the new light rail system. The coaches are under construction in Canada. The 27km Blue

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AFRICA UPDATE Line, to be operated by Ekorail, will run from Okokomaiko in the west to CMS in Central Lagos. Work on the infrastructure is in progress between the National Theatre in Iganmu and Mile 2. All the columns for the elevated Alaba station concourse at the Lagos end of the line have been cast and work on the superstructure is under way. The planners envisage commuters driving to stations and taking the train, instead of facing the current nightmare of driving into town. Though passenger train services from Lagos to Kano are expected to resume at the end of the third quarter of 2011, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. Lagos district manager of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) John Dottie says contracts for the rehabilitation of the western main-line from Lagos via Jebba to Kano, which were awarded to two companies, are nearing completion and should be ready by the end of the second quarter. The contract for rehabilitation of the line from Lagos to Jebba was awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), while that from Jebba to Kano was awarded to Costain West Africa. “The Chinese company has assured us that by the end of June, they are going to give us the section from Lagos to Jebba,” Dottie says. Reacting to the planned launch of rail services from Lagos to Ilorin, which was aborted at Ibadan, Dottie said it was due to unforeseen problems on the track. “We would have been able to go from Lagos to Jebba, but during inspection of the tracks we discovered some faults, and since we place safety ﬁrst, we had to terminate the journey in Ibadan.” Dottie said contracts for the eastern main-line have been awarded to three companies - from China, Turkey and Nigeria. All have been mobilised and are “on the ground”. Work is expected to be completed in 10 months.

“The North West Rail is an initial 254km line with stations, sidings, weighbridges and loops from Chingola through Solwezi to Lumwana with a second phase planned to extend it to Angola’s Benguela line at point to be mutually agreed by authorities in both Zambia and our oil-rich neighbouring country. “The take-off point is from south of the bridge over the main Chingola to Chililabombwe road, connecting the existing rail link formerly owned by ZCCM, which feeds into the Railway Systems of Zambia (RSZ) network. The line runs south of the ChingolaSolwezi road up to 15km, and then crosses the road before meandering through a number of watersheds on its way via the chiefdoms of Kalilele and Mulonga, eventually entering the Kansanshi mine area and terminating at Lumwana, 65km west of Solwezi. “An alternative route explored would have taken the rail from Luano in Chingola across the Kafue Bridge into Chililabombwe and over the watershed between the DRC and Zambia. This is the old Copperbelt to Mwinilunga road; however, public opinion settled for the current route. “The urgency and need to lay rail line to connect North Western province to the rest of Zambia and beyond the frontiers of this country has never been more so than now. “North Western province, with its vast natural resource wealth, is currently witnessing unprecedented levels of foreign capital being poured into the area. Many entrepreneurs and international mining ﬁrms are positioning themselves to tap into the huge reserves of copper, gold, iron and other mineral resources known to exist in the area. “Looking at the current trends, one would safely assume that foreign direct investments into the mining sector in the area would hit over $US6 billion in the next ﬁve years, from the current

ZAMBIA ZAMBIAN NORTH-WEST RAILWAY According to Zambian North West Rail Company (NWR) executive chairman Enoch Kavindele: “The abundant natural resources including minerals of the North Western Province have been known about for a long time, ever since George Gray founded Kansanshi Mine in 1891.

LUBUMBASHI

ZAMBIA

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

ZAMBIA

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“The discovery of copper at Lumwana by Rio Tinto and RST in 1961 failed to materialise into viable mining projects because of the absence of regional infrastructure.

Chingola

Mufulira Sakania

Nkana/Kitwe

“It has always been observed that the upgrading of the highway, construction of power lines and power generation in the province would trigger off massive development. This is now becoming a reality with the construction by Zesco of enhanced power lines to the Kansanshi and Lumwana Mines, the development of the Kabompo hydro power project by CEC and now the railway. The sleeping giant that the province has been will now awaken to take its rightful place in the economic development of the country.

NDOLA

COPPER BELT Luanshya

To Kabwe

N 0 km

80 km

160 km

Existing railways in the Copperbelt.

Railways Africa May 2011

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levels of slightly below $2 billion. The Chinese alone envisage an investment of over $5 billion in the Mwinilunga mining project, while an iron and ore project at Tika is also being touted. “These planned projects are in addition to First Quantum Minerals’ plans to open the ‘Trident Mine’ at Kalumbila in Solwezi that is expected to gobble over $1.1 billion. “The agriculture potential of the area is also coming to the fore as evidenced by a number of foreign entrepreneurs going into the province to take advantage of the highly nutritious soils and good rainfall patterns, to grow crops on a very large scale. Brazilian and Zambian investors are looking at investing in a sugar estate to produce biofuels, while Saudi Arabians have been granted 5,000 hectares to grow pineapples in Mwinilunga. “The North Western province has weak connectivity currently to the rest of the country, and in some cases it is non-existent. The decision by the government of Zambia to reinstate the licence of the North West Rail Company has attracted much interest, and justifiably so. This is going to be the biggest infrastructural project to be driven by indigenous citizens in the history of Zambia. “Some unique features of the project include the fact that the locomotives will be powered by both electricity and diesel, balancing the utilisation of the two sources of energy. To get the project under way, we presented a viable project to various financiers and are delighted with the interest that we have generated from key financiers from within the region, Chinese, US and Europe, with concrete financial commitments from US private equity funds. “The responses continue to exceed our present needs by far. Generating such level of interest has already involved thousands of man-hours and significant expenditure by the project sponsors including an aerial survey, the pre-feasibility study and the engaging of several local and international consultants. “The cost of the line from Chingola to Lumwana is $500 million. Our financiers, especially those from the US, would like us to include a spur to Kolwezi in the DRC and have undertaken to provide additional funding and necessary support including extra locomotives, rolling stock, signalling equipment and all the necessary ingredients to ensure the project comes on stream. Currently the various companies are dependent on the overburdened and - in most instances - dilapidated road network for their bulk cargo. “Given the complexity and magnitude of this project, experienced international contractors and consultants have been identified to lead the project, while discussions have commenced with Zambian sub-contractors. “Although this project is a combination of debt and equity financing, mostly from foreign partners, the project is indigenously driven and the doors remain open to other Zambians to participate both in its execution and operation.

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AFRICA UPDATE The ultimate aim will be to see NWR listing on the Lusaka Stock Exchange to further involve the participation of ordinary Zambians. “There is now available automated track-laying equipment capable of laying 1km of rail line per day but we have opted to utilise a combination of this technology and a local labour-force to ensure employment is generated. In the two-year anticipated construction period, this project is expected to create not less than 4,000 direct jobs with an additional 10,000 jobs for support staff such as caterers, food suppliers, suppliers of safety clothing, gravel, ballast, cement, sleepers and many more. “Historically, developments of rail lines to the resource-rich areas have always been driven by private investors as was the case when the British South Africa Company (BSA) of Cecil Rhodes built the line from Livingstone to Chililabombwe, and Sussman Brothers and Wulfson built the stretch from Livingstone to Mulobezi, to transport timber. “We are of course aware of Government’s concern about the operations of RSZ and believe that an improved RSZ and Tazara will be in the interests of investors in the NWR as well, since synergies of working together will exist. And it is our hope that RSZ and government will continue their dialogue in order to continuously improve the state and performance of the main-line between Livingstone and the Copperbelt.”

ZIMBABWE STEAM ACTIVITY AT NRZ Report by Chas Rickwood on zimrail: The Bulawayo steam shed steam crane has been busy ﬁtting a front tank to 20th class no 730 and it is now looking like a loco again. Garratt 611 was in for washout after its trip out to Cement on 17 May. No 395 was also undergoing washout and 416 was idle. No 613 was out on the West End shunt. Reports from the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) say that hard water is a problem at most watering points on the north line. This is mostly borehole water and recent rains have aggravated the problem.

Former National Railways of Zimbabwe class 15 Garratt no 398 - looking a bit worse for wear after the long sea journey - has arrived safely at its new preservation home in Paekakariki, North Island, New Zealand. Photo: Reid McNaught.

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SA RAIL NEWS

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RAIL NEWS PERMANENT WAY FAULT DETECTION Adapted from Engineering News: On the continuously-welded tracks of the Orex iron-ore and Richards Bay heavy-haul coal lines, Transnet Freight Rail faces a constant threat of trains derailing, often as a result of broken rails. As the trains are up to 3.7km long, derailments are costly. Equipment and infrastructure get damaged and signiﬁcant delays are caused, explains Council for Scientiﬁc and Industrial Research (CSIR) materials science and manufacturing division sensor science and technology manager Jeremy Wallis. Transnet contracted the Institute for Maritime Technology (IMT) in Simon’s Town to develop a broken-rail detector system – one that could operate in real time and remotely – in other words, something that could be left unattended to do its work. Railway lines are normally checked using a specialised ultrasonic inspection vehicle, as well as by personnel pushing portable ultrasonic scanners along the rails. Both procedures are labour and time-intensive. IMT’s solution, achieved in partnership with the CSIR, adapts underwater sonar technology and neatly translates it for use in places like the Northern Cape, where temperatures can range from -10˚C to 50˚C. A transducer is bolted on the rail. When it vibrates, the rail itself vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency nobody can hear. The displacement of these vibrations is in the nanometer range. The sound propagates down the rail for a distance of up to 1.5km, where the electronics check for the arrival of a valid signal. Should a valid signal not be detected within a set time-period, an alarm is sent to the centralised train control room, This means that hundreds of kilometres of rail can be monitored continuously and remotely, with Transnet able to pinpoint the section where a rail break has occurred. The ultrasonic broken rail detection system has been evaluated in service on Transnet

Railways Africa May 2011

Track on the Sishen-Saldanha heavy-haul ore line. Photo: TFR.

freight lines for a number of years, and successfully detected a number of rail breaks – two during last year alone – thereby avoiding two potentially costly derailments. Many others have tried, but the Transnet/IMT/CSIR partnership is the ﬁrst to get it working, says Wallis. The system, which has attracted considerable attention from the international rail community, has been tested in Canada, Hong Kong, on the New York subway and (currently) in Japan. Some tests were more successful than others,

Wallis admits, as rail tracks have different shapes and lengths, and operate under different ambient temperatures. “We have worked to make it functional on almost any line,” Wallis says. IMT has registered patents on the overall system, and CSIR is busy patenting key aspects of the ultrasound technology. “We are currently trying to secure funding to present a ﬁnal, industrialised design. The idea is to transfer the technology to a commercial partner in the next two to three years.”

WELL DONE, SHOSH MEYL!

From Nathan JC, posted on Hellopeter.com, 28 February 2011: “I had to go to Pietermaritzburg urgently from Johannesburg. I got to Park Station only to ﬁnd that all the buses were booked. Someone suggested I try a train. I went to the Shosholoza Meyl booking ofﬁce. The lady that assisted me was very professional and friendly. The booking was quick and simple. “When I got to the train, there were people helping to carry your luggage and to show you to your compartment. I found all the train’s facilities to be clean and comfortable. I did not once feel insecure as there where plenty of security staff on the train. “The train staff, from the train manager to the assistants, were professional, friendly and eager to assist. “Well done Shosholoza Meyl!”

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SA RAIL NEWS

OUT & ABOUT IN THE WESTERN CAPE From Peter Rogers: 1

“While most of the world were glued to their TVs on 29 April, watching the royal couple taking their nuptials, I was out in the country playing trains. “Following a major derailment at Klapmuts on Easter Friday [see under “Mishaps” on page 46], the main-line 47km north of Cape Town was closed for three days. I was hoping to pick up some of the trains clearing the backlog. “I ﬁrst went to Klapmuts to look at the damage - wagons all over the countryside. Work on the track and overhead was continuing. “I travelled up the line with red signals in both directions at all stations - not promising! I decided that if I saw nothing by Hermon, I would shoot over to the Malmesbury line and photograph whatever was moving there. At Hermon however, I was greeted by the sight of a fearsome pall of smoke over the station yard - two class 33s from Worcester were shunting a long string of cement wagons that they had just brought off the Riebeeck West branch. After setting out most of the load destined for Bellville in sidings, they departed for Worcester with four DZs of cement. They crossed a southbound freight at Hermon and I snapped them as they came through Tulbagh Kloof (photo 1).

“Afterwards I went and had a look at Tulbagh Road station totally stripped. While I was there, the main-line signals winked to green and the Cape Town- Johannesburg Shosh Meyl came through. Both the economy and tourist classes are now combined into one train (18 vehicles) - this makes economic sense and is how things should have been run in the ﬁrst place, instead of having two separate services.

“I followed the train through to Breërivier where the opposing passenger express was crossed - and then back towards the kloof. It proved impossible to follow the train - there are so many trucks on the R44 road, it being the preferred alternative to the north as it avoids the N1 tolls). This includes a large number of grain-carrier road trucks - a commodity that should never have been allowed to be lost by rail !! I still managed a good shot of the train passing through Artois (photo 2) and another at Hermon (photo 3). “Then I went back to other side of Wolseley and gardened a spot at one of the Breede River bridges in preparation for the southbound Premier Classe. Everything looked good, but a solitary pesky cloud killed the light as the train appeared. More trucks held me up on the road and I just a managed a grab shot at Artois but this time made it to the kloof (photo 4). It’s interesting to see that a second car-carrier wagon is being used on the train - this is a new SCJ commercial type and was not in Shosh Meyl colours.

“The Premier Classe crossed another freight at Hermon, but apart from the other freight train that was observed in the morning, there was no goods trafﬁc moving – one assumes as an effect of the extra, extra long weekend. “I tried a few more shots southbound, but the previous pesky cloud’s cousins conspired to ruin both chosen spots. Thereafter I made enquiries at Wellington cabin but nothing was due for a while (now of course with brilliant lighting) so I headed for home”.

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Railways Africa May 2011

SA RAIL NEWS TRANSNET FLEET RENEWAL Public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba, speaking to the South Africa Chamber of Commerce, said the government is to fund the procurement of “consistent and signiﬁcant quantities of both electric and diesel locomotives annually over the next 15 years.”

The 8,600 coaches that would come into service over the next 18 years would be “completely modern, energy efﬁcient”, and similar to the Gautrain. “We need at least 600 coaches to come into our service a year, starting from 2014,” Montana said.

The average age of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) locomotives is currently 33 years. “We need both to bring down the age of the fleet and add significant capacity if we are to unlock TFR’s customer growth potential and move goods from road to rail,” Gigaba says. TFR previously announced it will invest R52bn ($US 7.49bn) in rolling stock and infrastructure in the years 2010-15, adding 304 new locomotives which will make up around 15% of the fleet. The government is keen to partner international suppliers with South African manufacturers with the aim of more than doubling local content in new locomotives. New sources of finance need to be explored if capacity is to be further enhanced on the heavy-haul ore and coal lines. Further investment is limited by the strength of TFR’s balance sheet, Gigaba explains.

These 5M2A Metrorail sets are up to 40 years old. Photo: C Baker.

PRASA DIVERSIFIES SUPPLIERS Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana told a media briefing in Johannesburg that the company’s maintenance suppliers have been “diversified”. Instead of relying solely on Transnet Rail Engineering (TRE) for maintenance. Prasa now has contracts with seven separate companies. This rearrangement follows a long-running dispute between Prasa and TRE over maintenance costs, which Montana says was not settled finally until the end of 2010.

PRASA’S R97 BILLION OUTLAY

Prior to South Africa’s class 43 currently being delivered, no main-line diesels had been acquired since these class 37 locos (EMD GT26M2C) built in 1981 & 1982. Photo: Andre Kritzinger.

MONTANA ON PASSENGER RAIL CRISIS The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has warned again of a crisis if new trains are not introduced by 2014. “If we don’t get new trains, our ability to transport [people] to work will be greatly undermined,” Prasa chief executive Lucky Montana told reporters in Johannesburg. “We have rolling stock over 40 years old. The level of reliability of that fleet is very low.” Montana said Prasa has submitted a feasibility study on new rolling stock to cabinet for approval. Once this is obtained, procurement would begin. “It is important to understand that while this is a process that will be undertaken over an 18-year period, due to its magnitude, the first new trainsets will enter the passenger rail system in the next three years - by 2014,” Montana explained. Should this not happen, a crisis similar the one when Eskom had power blackouts would hit the country. “We are going to have another Eskom if the first 350 coaches do not go into service in 2013. We cannot turn back from this. If there is any delay we are going to be in trouble.”

Railways Africa May 2011

On 5 April. South African transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele announced an impressive programme to procure new rolling stock for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa). To be rolled out over 18 years, the declared aim is to reposition rail as the “backbone” of public transport. There has been more than usual disparity in ﬁgures reported in the press, ranging from 6,000 to 8,600 new coaches to be bought and 2,000 locomotives. As far as we can make out from ofﬁcial sources, the reality envisaged looks like this: For Metrorail in the short term: 862 additional coaches; in the medium-tolong-term 6,296 coaches. The possibility of multiple-unit diesel or hybrid electric & diesel units is mentioned for the Eastern Cape (a strategy, incidentally, recommended by consultants more than 20 years ago). For Shosholoza Meyl: 1,195 coaches (sleeper; sitter; dining; catering/grill; power cars). A total of 124 locomotives (not quite 2,000!) comprising 76 x 3kV DC; 21 x 25kV AC and 27 diesel-electric. Our thanks to Peter Bagshawe for deciphering various documents and websites.

MANAGEMENT IS THE PROBLEM – PRASA Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana blames much of Metrorail’s reliability problems on “lazy and unreliable managers”. He told a media brieﬁng in Johannesburg: “There have been numerous complaints and protest marches about our service.” A 12-month investigation showed that a lack of effective management and supervision underlies Metrorail’s poor service

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SA RAIL NEWS delivery. Because of a lack of proper supervision, accountability and scheduling, both management and operating staff (including train drivers) have been failing to report for work. “We have heard the voices of commuters and have an action plan aimed at improving their travel experience,” Montana says. The plan he explains includes “cracking the whip on ill-disciplined managers”. It has been decided to cut “about 200, or 30%” of Prasa’s 500-strong middle management and supervisors, to rid the company of what Montana calls “cheque takers”. Measures are to be introduced immediately and will be reviewed after three months. [Meanwhile a new top post has been created under Montana: CEO of Prasa-Rail, which consists of Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl only. Mosenngwa Moﬁ, previously CEO of the Railway Safety Regulator, has been appointed. - Editor.]

CUTTING 6 HRS OFF JBG-CT Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana says the slow speed of existing Shosholoza Meyl trains between Johannesburg and Cape Town “will never work”. The line is capable of sustaining speeds between 140 and 160km/h and that, he says, is how fast these expresses should be travelling: “It would cut six hours off the present schedule”. (As a matter of fact, the “Witblitz” fast container train managed this twenty years ago, even though CTC was not as continuous as it is now. ie very nearly all the way.)

COAL LINE SHUTDOWN Transnet Freight Rail’s coal line to Richards Bay was shut down from 23 May to 11 June 2011 for a 20-day planned maintenance operation. This was reported by the government information service publication Buanews, quoting railway spokesman Sandile Simelane. The report added: “The 580km coal line, which starts in Mpumalanga and runs through KwaZulu-Natal to Richards Bay, is fully electriﬁed with two 100-wagon trains, with one 200-wagon train at Ermelo.” [Only three trains? Go ﬁgure. – Editor: Railways Africa.]

The Witblitz fast container train, seen hurrying through the Western Cape 19 years ago behind two class 38 electro-diesels. Even the Blue Train was sidelined to let the Witblitz overtake. Photo: Editor.

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Railways Africa May 2011

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MISHAPS & BLUNDERS

Mishaps & Blunders One objective of our regular feature reporting and commenting on rail mishaps is to provide information and object lessons from Africa and abroad, in the hope that – in some cases at least - this might help avoid recurrences.

SOWETO CRASH HURTS 250, 644, 857…. At about 17:50 on 19 May, a Metrorail commuter train from Johannesburg ran into the rear of Soweto Business Express #2 between the Mzimhlophe and Phomolong stations. Evidently there was no derailment, but an incredible number of injuries was reported – initially 250, then 644 and ﬁnally 857. Press reports spoke of “only two serious cases detained in hospital”, but dramatic TV shots showed busy hospital scenes and at least one woman with a broken leg and arm. Speculation over the number of injuries included the possibility of “try-ons” hoping for compensation hand-outs. But no doubt there were standing passengers, many of them lodged insecurely in the customary open doorways. Panic after the collision seems likely, with people struggling to get out of the trains. Paramedics spoke of people lying scattered “over a wide area” and it took some ﬁve hours to clear the scene. Train services on the line were cancelled and buses brought in.

According to an ofﬁcial statement from Metrorail, “Commuters using the Soweto Business Express 2 will be greatly affected as the train will be out of operation until further notice. They are requested to make alternative arrangements.” A team of inspectors from the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) was at the scene soon after the accident. Metrorail announced subsequently that the train driver had been dismissed. Investigations revealed that he had been travelling at more than twice the authorised speed, and had run through two red signals. Among steps taken afterwards, the regulation permitting trains to proceed cautiously past automatic block signals at danger, after waiting three minutes, was amended to prohibit this procedure. In addition, it was proposed to use retired drivers to retrain newer appointees.

Business Class express rear-ended in Soweto. Photos: ER24.

PRASA COMPENSATION “VOLUNTARY”

MINSK STATION BOMB KILLS 11

Compensation by the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) for victims of two recent serious accidents – one north of Pretoria and the other in Soweto - is on a “voluntary” basis, says spokeswoman Nana Zenani. Anyone opting for settlement has to sign an agreement that they would not pursue further legal claims. However she explained: “The ﬁnancial assistance is separate from medical costs which are being covered entirely by Prasa”.

On 11 April 2011, an explosion in a subway station in the Belarusian capital of Minsk during the evening rush hour killed 11 people and wounded 126. The station is within 100 metres of the presidential administration building and the Palace of the Republic, a concert hall often used for government functions. Witnesses said the bomb exploded as passengers were stepping off a train at about 18:00. The Oktyabrskaya station, where Minsk’s two subway lines intersect, was crowded at the time.

Meanwhile it has been suggested in media coverage that immediate compensation is being offered so as to avert much larger personal injury law suits. Zenani warns of “unscrupulous lawyers” in this regard.

Railways Africa May 2011

DERAILMENT ON CULLINAN BRANCH In mid-May, two class 34 diesel locos derailed on the Cullinan branch east of Pretoria as a result of sleeper theft. In the last

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MISHAPS & BLUNDERS weekend of May, more sleepers were stolen, resulting in the cancellation of a charter train that was to have overnighted at Cullinan

POINTS MOTORS STOLEN During May, electric points motors were stolen at Capital Park yard and on the line from Pretoria North to Rustenburg. A 28 May hook-up at Bon Accord north of Pretoria (loco pantograph tangling in and bringing down the overhead) resulted in the main-line to Pietersburg (Polokwane) being closed.

CHAOS IN UK TUNNEL On 25 May, passengers on a train that failed near Kentish Town station at 18:30 due to electrical supply problems complained that they were stuck in a tunnel for nearly three hours with no water, air conditioning or communication. The train was towed back to Kentish Town station at 21:15. Following the incident, “limited services” were reinstated accompanied by warnings of “severe delays” into the early hours.

“utter chaos”. People tried to walk down the track due to lack of communication. This caused further problems.

COMMUTERS BURN ARGENTINIAN TRAINS From the British press, 4 May 2011: Angry mobs in Argentina burned train coaches in at least three stations after a derailment caused long delays to commuter services on 2 May.

SORRY NO SHOSH MEYL – NO LOCOS According to a 4 May radio report: Passengers booked on a Shosholoza Express to Johannesburg on 3 May were told at Cape Town that the train had been cancelled as there were no locomotives. REAR-ENDER KILLS TWO

Police said the mobs also attacked ticket booths, train conductors and police ofﬁcers who were trying to restore order. Huge plumes of smoke soared from a least three trains along the Sarmiento line, which links the capital, Buenos Aires, with its western suburbs. Dozens of people were involved in the mayhem with several arrests. Gustavo Gago, a spokesman for Buenos Aires Trains, said it was not easy to set a train alight, but the mobs appeared quite organised, destroying security cameras and coming prepared for arson.

One passenger said the commuter train had been “packed like sardines” and it was

On 17 April, a coal consist rear-ended another eastbound train at McPherson, about 72km south-east of Council Bluffs near Red Oak, Iowa, killing two crew members and shutting down the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) main-line. Ten wagons of the stationary train were derailed, as well as the lead loco of the coal train. According to BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas, the 135-wagon coal train was heading to Chicago from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. The other train comprised 34 wagons of rail maintenance equipment moving from Bridgeport, Nebraska, to Creston, Iowa. Both trains had two-person crews. The

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MISHAPS & BLUNDERS conductor and driver of the coal train were killed in the collision, but those on the other train were not injured.

magnitude earthquake struck. Minutes later, a tsunami slammed into large swaths of the Senseki line, rendering its tracks unusable.

DERAILMENT NEAR KLAPMUTS

The stretch at Nobiru, about halfway down the line, was one of the hardest hit. The station building’s windows were shattered and its roof needs major repair. It one of the few among thousands of buildings in this beach neighbourhood that wasn’t ripped from its foundations and swept away.

In a major derailment near Klapmuts, 47km north of Cape Town on Easter Friday 22 April, a number of ﬂat wagons came off the line and containers were destroyed. The main-line remained closed for three days. Southbound passenger trains terminated at Worcester and passengers were taken to Cape Town by bus. A single track was opened on Monday 25 April and trafﬁc started to move. Peter Rogers, who visited the scene a week later - on 29 April reported: “There were wagons all over the countryside. Apparently the cause was a mechanical failure on the train, though the locos did not come off.”

On 21 April, US soldiers and a team of Japanese ground troops arrived at Nobiru to clean out the station. The American army group comprised parachute riggers, missile operators, mechanics and others who have been helping Japan since 20 March. At Nobiru, the station was jam-packed with sludge. Inside, feral animals had made themselves at home. On the day following the helpers’ arrival, it rained, adding a new element of mustiness. According to Sergeant Joshua Mason from Georgia, a veteran of the Iraq War from 2003, “It looked a lot like Baghdad did, except for the pine trees”. No one knows when trains will reach Nobiru again. Japan Rail says that Senseki line service will be restored for the ﬁrst 26km from Sendai, ie to a point about 8km short of Nobiru, by the end of May. The track remains covered with dirt, electric lines, debris and mangled machinery. Almost 2km from the station, the tsunami dumped a 7.5m boat on the line: this has still to be moved.

Derailment near Klapmuts. Photo: G Hart

ROSSLYN COLLISION FORCED STOP FOR TRAIN WITH SICK PASSENGERS On 26 April, a Canadian Via Rail passenger train bound for Vancouver was forced to make an extended stop in Edmonton after 11 passengers became ill. Medical help was called in when the train, which originated in Toronto, made a scheduled stop in Edmonton. One passenger who was getting off in Edmonton was taken to hospital. Medical personnel determined the illnesses were the result of a minor viral infection. The train was sanitised before continuing and the other sick passengers were isolated in separate sleeping cars.

BREAKAWAY BARGES JAM ON RAIL BRIDGE On 27 April, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, emergency and hazardous materials crews were dealing with two out of four barges that broke free from a towboat on the Ohio River and jammed against a rail bridge over a back channel. One was carrying light crude oil, containing 65% benzene, a highly ﬂammable liquid and known carcinogen. The container of benzene was not leaking but communities downstream were notiﬁed of the potential danger.

Metrorail collision at Rosslyn

Initially the other two barges were also pressed up against the bridge but one of them, with a cargo of steel coils, sank. That caused another barge loaded with coal to move again down river where it got hung up at a lock.

US ARMY HELPS CLEAR TSUNAMI DAMAGE During peak hours, commuter trains on the Senseki line used to arrive every few minutes at stations along a 48km stretch of northeast Japan. Train trafﬁc stopped at 14:46 on 11 March, when the 9.0

Railways Africa May 2011

On 8 April, one fully-laden Metrorail passenger train rear-ended another that was stationary on a bridge above John Vorster Drive in Rosslyn, north-west of Pretoria. Both were en route to Mabopane. One person died in the collision, which saw coaches knocked onto their sides. Some 200 injury cases were reported.

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MISHAPS & BLUNDERS UK TREE FELLS HIGH-SPEED TRAIN It was something that could happen in the best of families but there was quite a bit to be learned from this one, the subject of a recently released report by the UK Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB). At around 14:09 on Saturday 10 July 2010, a high-speed diesel express from London Paddington to Penzance, travelling at 145km/h, collided with a tree near Lavington. Though (luckily) the driver was only slightly injured, his cab was extensively damaged and the train was disabled. The two-way radio in the cab failed, due either to direct physical damage or loss of electrical supply when the control circuit breaker tripped, but it was in any case inaccessible under debris. The tree, which struck the train at a height of approximately 2.8m above rail level, penetrated a distance of about 1m through the left side of the cab. The steel window frame on the left-hand side was distorted and the glass side window broke and fell out of its frame. There was also cracking to the glass reinforced plastic (GRP) cab roof. The severity of the damage to the upper left-hand portion of the cab was sufﬁcient to distort the aluminium windscreen frame and cause the windscreen to become detached from the GRP structure. The driver had to push the windscreen away to extricate himself from the wreckage. He knew that TVSC was the controlling signal

box, but did not have the phone number stored on his cellphone, which he used to call Westbury 5½ minutes after the train came to a stand. Conflicting information was given about the location of the train; this involved numerous conversations between the train crew, two signalling centres and the control centre in Swindon. Nobody seemed aware that the identity numbers on nearby signals would provide the authorities with the precise location. To ensure that the train could be moved safely, two fitters were despatched from Reading (88km), arriving by taxi two hours after the accident. It was eventually hauled 14.5km to Westbury by a locomotive despatched wrong road from that station, arriving complete with some 200 passengers at 19:03 – very nearly five hours after the accident. They continued their journeys in another train. The application of the emergency brake after the accident, followed by loss of power and contact with debris from the fallen tree, probably caused all axles on the train to lock and the train subsequently slid to a stand. This caused severe flats on all wheels along the train, limiting the speed under tow to 16km/h, to minimise further damage to the train or track. It had been decided not to disembark the passengers at the accident scene, on the grounds that the air-conditioning was still functioning (from the rear loco) and that the buffet was well stocked. Photos courtesy RAIB.

RED RIVER FLOODS CLOSE LINES Late in April, flooding by the Red River forced the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to reroute trains on one Manitoba branch and to close another, while Canadian National Railway (CN) closed one secondary line. The Manitoba provincial government built dykes across two of CPR’s lines on 20 April, to protect the towns of Emerson and Morris against flooding, CPR spokesman Mike LoVecchio told the press. The two lines connect Winnipeg with Morden, Manitoba, and with Glenwood, Minnesota. Detours were in place for the Winnipeg-Glenwood line, resulting in service delays.

DERAILMENT NEAR HANNIBAL On 20 April, about 30 out of 124 wagons derailed in a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train around 3km south of Hannibal in

Railways Africa May 2011

eastern Missouri, alongside the Mississippi River. According to BNSF spokesman Andy Williams, the train - carrying a variety of goods, “from particle board to wheat and ﬂour” - was bound from St Louis to West Quincy. No injuries were reported. There were also four tankcars, fortunately empty, and some of these came off the line.

SIDESWIPED WAGON DERAILS In a shunting accident in a yard at Seattle, a double-stack container ﬂat wagon derailed when it was sideswiped by a passing train. No other damage was reported in the collision, which took place at slow speed. The accident caused no delay to freight or passenger trains on the main line through Seattle.

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MISHAPS & BLUNDERS ISRAELI CRASH INJURES 60 Sixty people were injured when two Israel Railways passenger trains were involved in a side-swiping collision near Netanya. It is thought that the driver of a train travelling to Tel Aviv ran a red signal. The other train was approaching from the south. Two coaches derailed. Emergency services said that the relatively light injuries were a consequence of the slow speed at which the trains were travelling, though several carriages were â&#x20AC;&#x153;severely damaged.â&#x20AC;?

FLOODS CLOSE US LINES Snow melting on already saturated ground contributed to ďŹ&#x201A;oods in North Dakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Red River Valley which caused the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) to close six lines. Grand Forks, Minot and Bismarck, some of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest cities, were affected. The ďŹ&#x201A;oodwaters were expected to reach the third-highest crest on record in the Red River Valley. Some lines were closed to allow dikes across the track, BNSF said in a message to customers posted on its website on 14 April. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There may be a few industries that we may not be able (to) service due to high waters and reroutes may be established as necessary,â&#x20AC;? The valley Is an important producer of spring wheat, durum and sugar beets.

industry sources told the Reuters news agency. Both lines of the double track were affected, though later one was reopened to trafďŹ c. According to Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) chief executive ofďŹ cer Raymond Chirwa, the accident had no immediate impact on coal exports as adequate stocks were on hand. However, the continuing incidence of derailments, particularly in the Ermelo area, raises concerns about meeting this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s target of 65 million tons. An exporter quoted by Reuters said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;So 65 million tonnes is looking rather unlikely and we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even got to the maintenance period or scheduled pay talks which could lead to another strike.â&#x20AC;? A succession of derailments in recent months cut over three million tons from exportable coal, exporters were quoted saying. â&#x20AC;&#x153;South Africa exported 63.43 million tons of coal last year, boosted by demand from China and India,â&#x20AC;? Reuters points out, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but far below the terminalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expanded capacity of 91 million tons. Transnet is investing heavily in new and improved infrastructure, but it will take years before a substantial increase in transported tonnages is seen. Companies in the coal sector include Anglo American, Xstrata, Optimum Coal and Exxaro.â&#x20AC;?

MASSIVE INDIAN RAIL DISRUPTION Canadian National (CN) spokesman Warren Chandler said preparations were being made to close the line from Winnipeg to Emerson in the Canadian province of Manitoba, in advance of approaching ďŹ&#x201A;oodwaters.

COAL LINE DERAILMENT A derailment near Ermelo on South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heavy-haul coal rail line to Richards Bay put back throughput by some 500,000 tons,

According to India Today on 27 March, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Political unrest has virtually stopped the Indian Railways in its tracks. The railways say 3,611 trains were cancelled and 3,100 more diverted between April 2010 and March 2011 because of political agitations. The protests have been widespread - from Rajasthan (where the Gujjars agitated) and Andhra Pradesh (where supporters are demanding a separate Telangana state) to Jharkhand and West Bengal (where the writ of Maoists run), and Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (where the Jats

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Railways Africa May 2011

MISHAPS & BLUNDERS are agitating). Demands for statehood and reservation are becoming intense in some parts of the country.

TRAFALGAR SQUARE LEAK STOPS TUBE TRAINS According to the London Evening Standard, train service on the Bakerloo underground line was stopped by water short-circuiting the third-rail power supply between Paddington and Elephant & Castle. Apparently Charing Cross Station was ﬂooded by water leaking from Trafalgar Square after the pump station for the fountains broke down. A Transport for London spokesman said the water had reached Bakerloo line platforms and had caused problems with the station escalators. He said smoke had been seen coming from a machine room.

CONDUCTOR SUES OVER TRAIN SHOOTING A conductor is suing CSX Transportation after an assailant entered the locomotive, robbed him and shot the driver dead. Michael T Brand filed suit against the company and the Alabama Great Southern Railroad company on 25 March in New Orleans. The incident occurred on 20 June 2010. Brand’s train was stopped for approximately 30 minutes when an unidentified male climbed aboard and began firing shots. Brand states he dived to the floor and lay motionless. Believing Brand to be dead, the assailant searched his pockets and removed his wallet. The assailant then left the cab. Brand lay motionless for a few more minutes and then called for help. While waiting for emergency responders, Brand discovered that the driver was dead. The defendant is accused of failing to provide Brand with a reasonably safe place to work, in violation of the Federal

Employer’s Liability Act. The plaintiff is seeking damages for severe, permanent and disabling emotional and psychological injury, mental pain and suffering, permanent disability, loss of enjoyment of life, lost wages and fringe beneﬁts, medical expenses, interest and court costs.

100-YEAR-OLD BUILDING LOST AFTER DERAILMENT The derailment of a number of wagons in a CSX freight on 28 March in Newton Falls, Ohio, caused the evacuation of local residents as a safety measure. A 100year-old tower building that formerly served as a station was damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished. The CSX company later issued cheques to people who were evacuated, to reimburse their expenses. The cause of the derailment is unknown.

CANADIAN DERAILMENT On 26 March, according to the Ottawa Citizen, “about 25” wagons in a Canadian National freight train derailed west of Cobourg, Ontario. Due to badly damaged tracks, passenger trains were cancelled between Toronto and both Ottawa and Montreal until late on 29 March. Passengers were conveyed by bus. The derailed vehicles were carrying aviation fuel, propane and sulphuric acid containers. One with butane caught ﬁre, obstructing access to the others. Residents within 800 metres of the accident were evacuated from the area.

SEVERN VALLEY COPPER THEFT In January, six tonnes of copper were stolen from the Bridgnorth site of Britain’s well-known Severn Valley Railway (SVR). Police described the theft as “audacious”. The thieves broke in at night and hot-wired a crane to steal the metal from the boiler works.

MORE MUDSLIDES IN THE US NORTH-WEST A mudslide hit the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) main-line near White Rock, just north of the United States border, at 00:30 on 31 March. It was hoped to reopen the blocked track to freight trains later in the day but a safety moratorium meant no passenger train movement for 48 hours. It was hoped to resume Amtrak international service to and from Canada by 2 April, following evaluation by ofﬁcials. In the meantime buses were being used.

SA RAIL COLLISIONS: 3.28 DAILY AVERAGE IN 2009 According to SA Rail Safety Regulator (RSR) ﬁgures quoted by the Mail & Guardian, daily collisions on the country’s railways averaged 3.28 in 2009. The total of 1,200 compared with 1,002 in 2008.

DON’T SLEEP ON THE SUBWAY, DARLING It wasn’t the subway this time, but a surface line near Khuma, in South Africa’s Northwest province. According to a Sapa report, Mama Sekhamane, 26, was “lying across the tracks” when she was hit by a railway repair unit on 23 May. “The driver said he came across two men crossing the line and hooted to warn them to get out of the way. A short while later he saw Sekhamane.

MANHATTAN TUNNEL BLUES The Long Island Railroad (LIRR), the America’s largest commuter rail system, runs 447 trains in and out of New York city’s Penn Station on a typical weekday. All enter Manhattan through four tunnels owned by Amtrak. On 8 May, an Amtrak train derailed inside one of the tunnels, forcing LIRR to cancel and delay a number of trains for four days while the rolling stock was cleared and extensive track damage repaired. On typical mornings, 12 of the 98 LIRR trains normally travelling to Penn Station were cancelled. Ten were terminated early or diverted. During the disruptions, LIRR tickets were accepted on the subway. An LIRR inspection of the tunnels revealed that poor drainage may have contributed to the problem, Metropolitan Transit Administration (MTA) ofﬁcials say. Now local politicians, pressing for immediate remedial measures in the tunnels, are calling on the MTA to take over maintenance, or even ownership, of Penn Station and the tunnels.

Railways Africa May 2011

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CORRESP NDENCE THREE COUNTRIES – THREE GAUGES Dear Editor The May issue of NewAfrican has a feature on Togo, which describes plans for a regional hub for freight transport. The railway system, which is fairly moribund, would be rehabilitated. Togo is a long and very thin country (rather like Chile) and freight destinations within a worthwhile radius are likely to cross international borders. Should the railways of neighbouring countries ever meet, there are likely to be difﬁculties with gauge. From East to West: * Nigeria – 1,067mm * Benin – 1,000mm * Togo – 1,000mm * Ghana – 1,067mm (which might change wholly or in part to 1,435mm).

Apart from that though, face facts, the population on the Witwatersrand has been moving relentlessly northwards over a long period, and in density is beginning to overtake that over the so-called apartheid dormitory suburbs in the south. Take a good look around, there are now extensive townhouse developments where four or more matchbox houses are crammed into 1,500m2, housing at least 12 people where previously maybe two people enjoyed the beneﬁt of spacious and gracious living. What use is it living in Ruimsig and having to travel south to Krugersdorp to take a train to Johannesburg and then change to the Gautrain in order to get to Sandton? – James: semaj@icon.co.za.

Complete conversion to a single gauge is a daunting “bridge too far”. If the three gauges could be reduced to two, that would be worthwhile progress. But as discussed in previous issues of RA, triple-gauge sleepers to suit all three gauges mentioned are quite practical.

THE IMPRESSIVE CLASS 43 Dear Editor A photo [of the new class 43] shows a loco that looks about the same height as the 6E1 electric next to it. Given its massive weight (126,000kg) I would guess its dimensions will ﬁll the loading gauge and that it will be a good 20 metres long.

– Shall Ford (Australia). Tambao

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These diesel locos are probably at the limit of what can be fitted into the South African loading gauge and they have impressive vital statistics - their starting tractive force is 179% of that of the class 37 diesel. It is also 87% of the starting tractive force of the big 3,000kW AC diesels which run on the Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific and BNSF here in North America and on the iron ore lines in NW Australia. It is almost as much as the quoted tractive effort of the big North American steam locos, such as the UP 4-8-8-4 “Big Boys”. So, if these new locos work out and can be maintained, along with the impressive new class 15E and 19E electrics, Transnet will be running some first-class motive power.” – Stuart Grossert, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada .

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CHANGE GAUGE – LOSE CONTINUITY Dear Editor How will Uganda and Kenya ensure that their new network will not go “to the dogs”? And I do not understand why they are regauging their network to 1,435mm and not 1,067. From Angola/Congo/Namibia/South Africa up to Tanzania is an existing network in 1,067mm and there is the same gauge in Sudan. If the new East African network were to be in Cape gauge, there would be a 40,000km network without a break in gauge, not from the Cape to Cairo admittedly, but from the Cape to Sudan. – Jean Engwunduka, by e-mail.

GAUTRAIN EXTENSIONS EAST & WEST [Gautrain runs in an easterly direction to OR Tambo airport. Gauteng transport MEC Ismail Vadi is quoted saying this line could be extended further east and then to the west, “as there is currently no commuter rail option that runs from east to west.”] Dear Editor Of course there has been an east-west commuter service for years. I personally used it for many years from 1948 onwards, however I would hesitate to use it these days thanks to the rundown nature of the entire system.

Railways Africa May 2011

Transnet Freight Rail’s new class 43 diesel-electric. Photo: R Ouwenkamp.

LESSONS FROM HISTORY Posted on sar-L: From what I can see a whole trick is being missed, namely because political powers are being true to form, they did/do not read, follow or acknowledge history. Now I’m sure there are folk better informed than me, but after the Boer War and right up to World War II, there was a need for employment on a massive scale, and a need for nation-building. After the Boer War, the economic depression of the late 1920s left people destitute and this all needed leadership from the top. The government of the day, instead of just paying everyone on a “dole type” system - which would have just produced an

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END OF THE LINE Correspondence continued from page 54 underclass (just look at the UK today) - used the railways and harbours to create jobs. This gave people a purpose, self-worth, pride and for the country a work ethic. People were given status and aspiration and were not all dressed up with nowhere to go. If we look at South Africa today, much the same could be said again. The railways could be used once more to build a nation, to integrate people, in a productive and proactive way. Whole towns could be revived, people given status, a workforce that is trained. The railway could be used to spread the wealth of South Africa and more than likely increase it. Just putting money in big capital projects has never really helped the masses. People could be housed, welfare and education provided; and most of all, given meaningful employment. It takes strong leadership - this way of thinking - and it’s not always popular. If you go back to Union, the leadership of the day had to work hard to get the country to go with them. The country went forward, infrastructure was built, and the country still beneﬁts from it today. I come from three generations of railwaymen in South Africa. My grandfather worked hard and long, up and down the line, but because of the railway he provided for his family. My uncle had an outstanding career on the railway, providing and educating his family. I joined they railway and used it as a stepping stone into the great wide world. The railway is one of the few places where true social engineering can take place. If only the powers that be would just stop a minute, look back, take the dark glasses off, and then look forward. – Terry Rowe.

THAT 15E ORDER Dear Editor I have some doubts about the total quantity of new class 15Es now on order. I understood that the very ﬁrst order for 32 units was augmented by another 12 and UCW/Mitsui were expecting a further 18. I think that the “new” order for 32 comprises the old second order for 12; then the last 18 has now become 20, giving 32. The total number of units will thus be 32+32 = 64, as I see it and not 76. At about R50 million a shot, somebody had better have their ﬁgures correct!

CONSUMER PROTECTION CO ON South uth Africa’s new Consumer Protection Act requires serv ervice provid viders to furnish customers with receipts setting out comple plete, comprehensive details of all transactions.

Consumer protection’s the name of the game Keeping p g service pproviders in line. With luck it’ll stop them from doingg us down And ripping us off all the time. There’s more than one side to this coin, of course. As always, y a downside exists. Full contractural detail on passenger g tickets Is a very tall order to list. Then, full compensation is required to be made For everyy conceivable thingg For a train that is late or, worse still, does not run, There’s an onerous penalty sting. The effect of these laws on the heritageg scene Are perturbing.g It seems that theyy mayy Put continued existence in signifi g cant doubt Or worse, at the end of the day. Thus if TFR’s signalling g g gums g up the works And our steam train can’t gget veryy far, The Act can compel us to shell out such cash As to bankrupt us - finished and klaar. - LRD

– Jean Dulez.

“The tickets have to be so big, there’s going to be no room left inside for passengers.”

going to be provided. It is noted that the body that regulates the oil industry in Texas, USA, is the Texas Railroad Commission, which reﬂects the history of oil in this state. Transnet Freight Rail’s new class 15E electric loco on the 50kV AC ore line. Photo: Aidan McCarthy.

RAIL IS THE WAY Dear Editor A letter titled “Rail is the way” in African Business magazine, April 2011, talks about carrying newly discovered oil in East Africa by rail. Oil pipelines cannot carry any freight other than oil, whereas rail can carry lots of different freight. And passengers! Rail haulage of oil makes a lot of sense, especially if the quantities of oil are “small” and the rail infrastructure exists already or is

Railways Africa May 2011

– Shall Ford (Australia). [See below – Editor]

PROFOUND TEXAN NAME CHANGE Texas’s Sunset Advisory Commission, which advises on possible bureaucratic redundancies, has recommended to the state legislature that the Texas Railroad Commission’s name be changed to the Texas Oil & Gas Commission. The advisory commission says this change will recognise that the railroad commission no longer has anything to do with railroads – it regulates the oil and gas industries in Texas. (from the San Antonio Express-News)

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