Transnet steps up war against railway infrastructure damage
Interventions include establishing safe zones for trains to stop at in secured areas
TRANSNET Freight Rail (TFR) has vowed to step up the war against theft, vandalism and sabotage of railway infrastructure and equipment.
The state-owned entity, which hosted a security workshop alongside the Mineral Council of South Africa (MCSA) recently, said it is working on various interventions to tackle the scourge which is costing the company millions.
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Interventions include establishing safe zones for trains to stop at in secured areas and forming technical teams in each corridor with customers, the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies.
‘There was generally positive feedback from customers concerning the initiatives presented by TFR, actions that are already being deployed to save customer freight cargo, and measures taken to improve customer service levels by reducing and eradicating security incidences,’ said Transnet Freight Rail spokesperson, Mike Asefovitz.
In September, TFR reported that six kilometres of overhead cables were stolen from a number of different rail network corridors in just 24 hours, with the Natal corridor (Natcor) line being the worst hit.
The Natcor line, which operates 22 trains a day transporting automobiles, domestic coal, general freight and agricultural goods, is one of the strategic corridors delivering goods to Gauteng from KwaZulu-Natal.
Other targeted rail networks include the north-east corridor servicing the mining industry, including coal export to Richards Bay, and the central corridor which services the automotive industrial parks in Pretoria.
In February, 177 trains on average had been cancelled as a result of cable theft, equating to a direct volume loss of 1.3 million tons worth roughly R400-million.
‘The consequence of cable theft is not limited to financial losses, but can also result in human disaster and tragedy.
‘Cable thefts also often lead to the destruction of Freight Rail assets such as locomotives and wagons and cost the company millions of rands in repairs and replacement,’ Asefovitz said.
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