Despite considerable investment to upgrade its Richards Bay coal line, Transnet is under continuing pressure from both mining companies and the port terminal to boost capacity even further, reports Paul Ash.
SOUTH Africa's Treasury is being blamed for a four-month delay in concluding the country's largest rolling stock contract and for putting a cap on the total cost which could reduce the number of commuter trains being acquired.
THE WORLD Bank has approved the allocation of $US 300m towards Tanzania's Dar es Salaam - Isaka railway upgrade project, which is part of a larger scheme to link Dar es Salaam with Kigali in Rwanda and Gitega in Burundi.
CHINA Railway Engineering Corporation has started work to electrify the 34.3km two-line light rail network under construction in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
ALGERIA's transport minister Mr Amar Ghoul inaugurated the 4.2km eastern extension of Algiers light rail Line 1 from Bordj El Kiffan to Kahouat Echergui on April 16.
THE Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) says it will commence feasibility studies on 200km of proposed extensions to South Africa's Gautrain commuter network by the end of June.
KENYA's TransCentury has sold its 34% stake in Rift Valley Railways (RVR) to Egyptian private equity firm Citadel Capital for an undisclosed sum.
THE GOVERNMENTS of Botswana and Namibia have signed an agreement to build the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR), a 1500km heavy-haul line linking Botswana's coalfields with the existing railhead at Gobabis in Namibia.
CONSTRUCTION is expected to begin on April 7 in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on a 1050km railway link with Benin's capital Cotonou.
ZAMBIA Railways Limited (ZRL) has selected a consortium of Bombardier, Huawei and local contractor GMC Technologies in a $US 51m contract to supply and install ERTMS Regional on the 980km Chingola - Livingstone line.
