Coal line maintenance shutdown

COAL rail lines across Zululand will be closed for almost two weeks this month for restoration and infrastructure maintenance work by Transnet Freight Rail (TFR).

According to the rail transport company, the shutdown from Wednesday to 25 May is an annual exercise to ‘catch up on maintenance backlogs and replace old, obsolete and problematic infrastructure.’

TFR will also use the rail network’s ‘time-out’ period to accelerate major capital expansion and upgrade projects to accommodate expected volume growth as identified in the company’s Market Demand Strategy (MDS).

‘Specific activities to be carried out during the shutdown period includes, among others, the following: sleepers replacement, formation rehabilitation, tamping (stabelising of the ballast stones under the sleepers), screening (cleaning and removal of obsolete ballast stones), sub-stations overhaul which includes, among others, repairing oil leaks on main transformers, repairing oil leaks on primary circuit breakers and filter oil of main transformers,’ said the company in a statement.

‘The shutdown programme is also necessitated by the fact that on the coal line there are sections where infrastructure work cannot be carried out without stopping the entire train service.

‘TFR is working closely with its customers in planning for the execution of the shutdown for both parties to realise the long-term benefits that goes with it.’