Transnet Freight Rail Annual Maintenance Shutdown on Manganese Mainline
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) Cape Corridor will embark on a 10-day Annual Maintenance Shutdown of the Manganese mainline from the 12 – 21 April 2023 from Hotazel to Gqeberha (Port Terminal). The PE Manganese line recorded its highest volumes in a decade, ending the 2022/23 financial year at 9.7 million tons. This maintenance allows for the provision of a safe and reliable network to ensure operational efficiencies to all customers.
Rail Network teams will execute the shutdown maintenance of the Manganese line over 1587km distance, which is coordinated with customers and other Transnet Operating Divisions in order for all parties to optimally utilise the maintenance window. Furthermore, local communities will benefit from short-term employment on the maintenance projects conducted pre-and-post the Shutdown period.
The scope of work for this year Shutdown Maintenance includes but not limited to the following:
- Sleeper replacement
- Ballast screening and regulating
- Rail replacement
- OHTE refurbishment and replacement
- OHTE tiger wire installation
- Fibre replacement and maintenance
The shutdown assists in the uplifting of temporary speed restrictions in some sections that have constrained the network and recovery of train slots, thus making way for TFR to ramp up its PE Manganese throughput.
The Cape Corridor has been engaging stakeholders doing collaborative work during the planning of the shutdown maintenance to ensure complete execution of the projects in the affected depots. The safety of our employees and the public remains a priority during the shutdown.