Swazi Rail celebrates

MBABANE – October
this year marked the
golden anniversary of Swaziland
Railway Company which was
born for one purpose only: to
haul iron ore to Mozambique
for shipment overseas. While
the railway lines have expanded
since then, other than a few
excursion trains on special
occasions the system has solely
been used to move freight.
King Mswati officiated
at the golden anniversary
celebration held at the rail head
in Sidvokodvo, halfway between
the Ngwenya iron mine and the
Mozambique border. Altogether,
301 km of track, including a
north-south line, transports
transit rail traffic from Mananga
border gate at SA’s Mpumalanga
province to Goleta at KwaZulu
Natal and onward to either
Durban or Richards Bay.
Transit traffic accounts for
the majority of the company’s
revenue. Inland cargo from DRC,
Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
can cut 270 km of transport
distance to Gauteng by rolling
through Swaziland. Further
transit traffic will significantly
boost Swaziland Railway’s
revenues upon the completion
of a R17-billion rail line under
construction from Lothair in
Mpumalanga to Sidvokodvo.
Built in partnership with
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR),
the new line – at 146 km – will
expand the country’s rail system
by a third (96 km will be in
Swaziland) upon completion in
2017. Although in theory offering
Gauteng rail freight shippers
a way to save transport time
and distance by going through
Swaziland en route to Maputo,
the line is being promoted as a
means to move SA coal.
Swaziland Railway’s first
train engines were displayed
to King Mswati at the 50th
anniversary event. From 1964
to 1975, the company rented
locomotives from Caminhos
de Ferror de Moçambique,
the Mozambique national rail
operator. When the line to
Maputo from Swaziland was
closed during the Mozambique
civil war, locomotives were
secured from SA for use in the
north-south line.
Swaziland Railways is leasing
from Thelo Rolling Stock, the
SA rail financing firm, four
mainline RL 305CC-3 dieselelectric
locomotives that are
accompanied in the deal by 75
TFR-built ore wagons, at a cost
of R75m. The locomotives come
from the National Railway
Equipment Company in the
US and RRL Grindrod in SA
and like the rolling stock were
acquired on a ten-year lease.
The new equipment will
service one of Swaziland
Railway’s most-profitable
transit traffic commodities,
magnetite from Phalaborwa
en route to Richards Bay.
Commodities moved by rail out
of Swaziland include raw sugar,
canned fruit, coal and textiles,
and rail is a vital means to
import fuel, wheat and cement
into Swaziland.