eskom, page-39

Thanks Pitman for your view always appreciated by us all here....Now Rob below is a link from Transnet Executive Overview of the 2012 edition of Transnet’s Long-term Planning Framework (LTPF).

It's worth the read 58 pages long.


Some highlights from the report.

From 2021 onwards Volumes beyond 60mtpa are also anticipated on the section, from Thabazimbi to Pyramid South, reflecting an increase in coal mining activities in the Waterberg coalfields.


In the next 30 years the identified sections will be
converted to heavy-haul status, with axle load increased to
26 ton per axle and electrification system upgraded to
25kV AC. These sections comprise of the following rail
segments:

1. Lephalale to Ermelo – Extension of the export coal line
to the Waterberg coalfields. Based on the demand
forecast exceeding 30mtpa, a new line may need to be
constructed to be able to run 200 wagon trains from
Richards Bay to the Waterberg coalfields. A link to
Botswana will be necessary to connect the South
African network with the Botswana rail network,
thereby allowing the railage of coal from the Botswana
coalfield to South Africa for consumption or export
purposes.

2. Hotazel to the Port of Ngqura – Manganese export
corridor from the Northern Cape to the deep sea Port of
Ngqura in the Eastern Cape.

3. Hotazel to Newcastle – iron ore , Manganese and coal
corridor. The iron ore and manganese is mainly
transported to the steel plants in Van der Bijl Park and
Newcastle. The coal from either Waterberg or
Mpumalanga is also transported along the Natcor to the
Eskom power stations.

4. Ogies to Ermelo – The coal back bone handling most of
the domestic coal to the Eskom powerstations in the
Mpumalanga area. The joint Eskom and Transnet
strategy to migrate coal from road to rail will be major
contributor to the system expansion requirements.

5. Pyramid to Vereeniging – This section forms part of the
freight ring which will receive traffic from Waterberg,
Northern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga coalfields.
The general freight traffic is also high in this area.


www.transnet.net/BusinessWithUs/LTPF 2012/Rail Development Plans.pdf


Good luck to all that hold RES