Spoornet
Encyclopedia
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport
company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of 'South African Railways and Harbours', a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely referred to by the initials SAR&H (SAS&H in Afrikaans
). More recently, there have been customer complaints about serious problems with Transnet Freight Rail's service.
with the building of the Colenso Power Station
.
. The company comprises several businesses:
Transnet also formerly owned Shosholoza Meyl
, the non-luxury long distance passenger rail service. Shosholoza Meyl was transferred to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa on 23 December 2008. A line in the Eastern Cape
is leased to Kei Rail
.
Rail transport in South Africa
Rail transport in South Africa is the most important element of the country's transport infrastructure. All major cities are connected by rail, and South Africa's railway system is the most highly developed in Africa...
company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of 'South African Railways and Harbours', a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely referred to by the initials SAR&H (SAS&H in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
). More recently, there have been customer complaints about serious problems with Transnet Freight Rail's service.
First electrification
The first electrification of the South African Railways occurred in NatalNatal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
with the building of the Colenso Power Station
Colenso Power Station
Colenso Power Station was a coal-fired power station, located in Colenso on the banks of the Tugela River. It was built in the 1920's by the South African Railways to supply electricity for the railways, but was subsequently sold to the Electricity Supply Commission .-History:Steep gradients on...
.
Operations
Transnet Freight Rail is a freight logistics and passenger transport railway. It is the largest freight hauler in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. The company comprises several businesses:
- General Freight Bus - Spoornet's largest division; handles over 50% of its freight;
- COAL Export Line, also known as "Black Gold", serving coalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
customers on the MpumalangaMpumalangaMpumalanga , is a province of South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, north of KwaZulu-Natal and bordering Swaziland and Mozambique. It constitutes 6.5% of South Africa's land area...
- Richards Bay line; second largest coal railway in the world, delivering 62 million tonnes in the year ending 31 March 2010; - Ore Export Line - dedicated to iron ore transport on the Sishen to SaldanhaSaldanha BaySaldanha Bay is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa, north west of Cape Town. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality in 2000. The current population of...
line; - Luxrail - The operation of the Blue TrainBlue Train (South Africa)The Blue Train travels an approximately journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world...
, which is designed as a five-star hotel on wheels.
Transnet also formerly owned Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa that operates long-distance passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually...
, the non-luxury long distance passenger rail service. Shosholoza Meyl was transferred to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa on 23 December 2008. A line in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
is leased to Kei Rail
Kei Rail
Kei Rail is a railway project in South Africa.The Eastern Cape government restored rail services between AmaBhele and Mthatha, on an abandoned branch from the East London-Springfontein main line. Infrastructure was rebuilt, and passenger services restarted in March 2008...
.
Links to neighbouring countries
The Transnet rail network is linked to all of South Africa's neighbouring countries:
to TransNamibTransNamibTransNamib is the railway parastatal of Namibia. Organised as a holding company, it provides freight by rail and road as well as passenger services. Its administration is located in Windhoek.-History:...
of NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
at NakopNakopNakop is a small town and border post in southeastern Namibia, on its border with South Africa. It lies ten kilometres north of the Orange River....
to Botswana RailwaysBotswana RailwaysBotswana Railways is the national railway of Botswana.-History:BR was created in 1987 when the government of Botswana bought out the Botswana-based sections of the National Railways of Zimbabwe . NRZ had been initially operating the rail system after Botswana had gained independence.Management of...
at RamatlabamaRamatlabamaRamatlabama is a village and railway station north of Mafikeng, in the North West province of South Africa. It is located on the border with Botswana, and serves as a border post for road and rail traffic...
to National Railways of ZimbabweNational Railways of ZimbabweThe National Railways of Zimbabwe is the parastatal railway of Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe railway system was largely constructed during the time of British colonial rule, and part of it represents a segment of the Cape-Cairo railway...
and the Beitbridge Bulawayo RailwayBeitbridge Bulawayo RailwayThe Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway is a privately owned railway company that provides a rail link in Zimbabwe between Beitbridge at the border to South Africa and Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo....
at BeitbridgeBeitbridgeBeitbridge or Mzingwane is a border town in the province of Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The name also refers to the border post and bridge spanning the Limpopo River, which forms the political border between South Africa and Zimbabwe.-Background:...
to Mozambique Ports and RailwaysMozambique Ports and RailwaysPortos e Caminhos de Ferro de Moçambique is the parastatal authority that oversees the railway system of Mozambique and its connected ports. The rail system is composed of a total of 2,983 km rail of the gauge that is compatible with neighboring rail systems...
at Ressano Garcia
to Swazi RailSwazi RailSwazi Rail ', also Swaziland Rail, is the official railway corporation of Swaziland.- Overview :Like the neighboring countries, its 301 km rail system uses the narrow Cape gauge of . SR provides only service for transportation of goods, not passengers...
of SwazilandSwazilandSwaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
at GolelaGolelaGolela is a town in South Africa, 45km east of Pongola on the border with Swaziland. The Golela border post is currently being rebuilt to meet the increasing movement of people and goods between South Africa and Swaziland.- Transport :...
and Mananga
to MaseruMaseruMaseru is the capital of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, bordering South Africa, Maseru is Lesotho's only sizable city, with a population of approximately 227,880 . The city was established as a police camp and assigned as the capital after the...
in LesothoLesothoLesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
on the Maseru branch lineMaseru branch lineThe Maseru branch line is a railway line that connects Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, to the railway network of South Africa. It branches from the Bloemfontein–Bethlehem line at Marseilles, Free State, and runs in a south-easterly direction for to the Caledon River...
(owned by Transnet)
Ongoing projects
- Maputo CorridorMaputo CorridorThe Maputo Corridor is a major trade corridor which connects the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa with Maputo, which is a port and the capital of Mozambique....
: Transnet Freight Rail is developing a plan with the Railroad Development Corporation to transport magnetiteMagnetiteMagnetite is a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides and a member of the spinel group. The chemical IUPAC name is iron oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide. The formula for magnetite may also be written as FeO·Fe2O3, which is one part...
from PhalaborwaPhalaborwaPhalaborwa is a town situated in the Mopani district, halfway up along the length of the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo province in South Africa. The Lowveld, also known as Valley of the Olifants, has the highest winter temperatures in South Africa. The rainfall is low and the average winter...
to MaputoMaputoMaputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
as feedstock for a proposed steelSteelSteel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
plant in Maputo. - In May 2010, TransnetTransnetTransnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African...
revealed a five-year-plan involving rail projects costing R52Bn. Most of this would be spent on new rolling stock, including 304 locomotives and 7231 wagons. R4Bn would be spent on infrastructure connecting Majuba coal-fired power station with the Richards Bay freight railway.
See also
:Category:Locomotives of South Africa- Hex River TunnelHex River TunnelThe Hex River Tunnels, also known as Hexton, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is a tunnel system consisting of four single track railway tunnels connecting De Doorns in the Hex River valley with Touws River in the Little Karoo....
- List of South African locomotive classes