SOUTH African mining company Kumba Iron Ore has taken delivery of six C30ACi diesel locomotives from GE to shunt heavy-haul trains at its Sishen mine in Northern Cape.

THE FIRST two of 95 Class 20E dual-voltage electric locomotives being supplied to Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) by the CSR E-loco supply consortium was transferred from the port of Durban to the nearby depot at Umbilo on November 14 for commissioning.

THE government of Gauteng is evaluating options for the expansion of the Pretoria – Johannesburg Gautrain standard-gauge network as part of the South African province's 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25), which seeks to prioritise public transport investment in the region.

PASSENGER Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has signed a Rand 51bn ($US 5bn) contract with the Gibela joint venture led by Alstom to supply 3600 cars to be formed into 600 emus during a 10-year period, plus spare parts for 18 years. Financial closure of the contract is expected in December.

SWIFAMBO Rail Leasing, South Africa, has awarded a €250m contract to Vossloh for 70 electro-diesel passenger locomotives which will be leased to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) to haul passenger trains. The contract includes options for a minimum of 10 additional units as well as to maintain the fleet.

TRIALS have started in South Africa with three locomotives fitted with a system called Jika passive hydraulic steering (PHS) which is aimed at trebling the life of locomotive wheels and reducing track wear by 60%.

CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive, China, has unveiled the first of 95 Class 20E dual-voltage electric locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), South Africa, which were ordered last October from the CSR E-loco Supply consortium at a cost of Rand 2.6bn ($US 298m).

THE Alstom-led Gibela consortium has selected a site at Ekurhuleni in the South African province of Gauteng as the location for a Rand 2bn ($US 201m) rolling stock plant, which will assemble commuter trains for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

BOTSWANA Railways (BR) has issued a call for tender for the supply of eight diesel-electric locomotives. BR currently has a fleet of 38 locomotives of three different types.

TRANSNET Freight Rail (TFR), South Africa, is to introduce 200-wagon trains between the coalfields of Mpumalanga province and the port of Richards Bay in an effort to increase the capacity of the corridor to 81 million tonnes in the next financial year.