Enthusiasm for new Lothair rail link

Swaziland Railway’s
enthusiasm seems to be
increasing over one of the
most ambitious transportation
initiatives in years, now that
a feasibility study has been
completed on a new line that
will link the country directly
with Gauteng. The Lothair
line project in partnership
with Transnet Freight Rail
(TFR) will be for all types of
cargo and will boost profitable
transit traffic through
Swaziland.
“It’s a strategic asset to
government and for the
economy, to have the line. It’s
a macroeconomic strategy
we are following, and that
is why the line is in the
Swaziland Transport Master
Plan, a policy document of
the Swaziland Government,”
Stephenson Ngubane, CEO for
Swaziland Railway, told FTW.
Announced in 2012, the
146-kilometre line will allow
Gauteng rail shippers to save
time on the transportation
of cargo to Richards Bay and
Maputo via Swaziland. Project
cost was originally estimated
at R17 billion. The complexity
of the project and the detail
required in the study has
caused the rescheduling of
the construction stage of the
project by 18 to 24 months
largely due to preparatory
work such as clearing the
route before construction can
start.
“Even at the outset that
target date was tentative
but helped in aiming at
an ambitious target to put
pressure on the feasibility
study process," he said.
“It’s a big project and a
strategic infrastructure asset
to stimulate economic growth
in Swaziland and South
Africa. The revised completion
date depends on a number
of factors. Right now we are
talking about 2020,” he said.