By: OrePulse

Transnet's rail infrastructure division is carrying out a long-term restoration program worth R8.9 billion on the 861-kilometer Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line, with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy visiting the corridor near Upington, in South Africa's Northern Cape province, on October 12 to review progress.

Transnet Group Chief Executive Michelle Phillips and Group Chief Operating Officer Solly Letsoalo joined Creecy on the visit, which fell during the line's annual maintenance shutdown, scheduled for October 6 to 16, and coincided with the government's October Transport Month.

Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), the unit undertaking the work, said the program, part of what it calls the Ore Line Restoration Programme, runs through 2030 and is intended to improve the corridor's reliability and capacity rather than simply replace worn components, with the goal of producing more consistent train operations over time.

The national government has allocated R3.4 billion to the corridor through its Budget Facility for Infrastructure over the current and next financial years. TRIM plans to spend about R2.2 billion on restorative maintenance this financial year, with R1.5 billion of that drawn from the facility.

Work underway includes rail and sleeper replacement, ballast screening, turnout renewal and maintenance, rehabilitation of the rail formation, and installation of culverts, along with upgrades to the line's electrical and signaling systems, which TRIM says are intended to support steadier train control along the route.

Separately, Transnet is budgeting R1.47 billion for locomotive and wagon maintenance on the corridor this financial year, split between R752.3 million for wagons and R721.9 million for locomotives. The rolling-stock work includes overhaul programs for the 15GO and 43DGO locomotive classes and efforts to clear existing maintenance backlogs. Transnet expects to budget a similar amount for rolling-stock maintenance in the following financial year.

At the export end of the corridor, Transnet National Ports Authority is commissioning a separate R750 million Bulk Power Upgrade Project at the Port of Saldanha, which will add a third rail tippler and increase the port's available power capacity. Transnet Port Terminals is running its own shutdown at the Saldanha Iron Ore Terminal from October 6 to 21.

Transnet said the October maintenance program has created about 1,300 fixed-term jobs, with roughly 600 further indirect job opportunities expected, and that small, medium and micro enterprises are taking part in the works alongside the main contractors.

The restoration program is linked to the government's broader target of lifting rail freight volumes to 250 million tonnes a year; TRIM has cited 2030 as the target date for that goal, while the Minister's remarks referenced 2029. TRIM said it will continue to manage the corridor's infrastructure as South Africa moves to open its rail network to additional train operating companies, a wider reform of the freight rail sector that the government has been pursuing alongside the corridor's physical rehabilitation.