Revitalised branch line carries first reefer

Transnet’s multi-billionrand rail plan to revitalise branch lines has officially taken off with the first freight successfully moved in the Western Cape on the newly refurbished Ceres-Wolseley- Prince Alfred Hamlet line. Two separate test trains carrying freight were successfully moved on the branch line under the watchful eye of the rail regulator in August this year paving the way for a daily freight train between Ceres and Cape Town from October. According to Derick du Toit, CEO of the Ceres Railway Company (CRC), not only was it the first freight to move on the branch line that was built in 1910 and had been closed for the better part of 20 years, but history was also made when the first ever reefer was moved out of Ceres on rail. “Revitalising branch lines is extremely important, not only from a TFR perspective but for manufacturers in these small towns. The benefit of moving freight out of Ceres on rail is going to be massive for the local agriculture industry,” he said. CRC first put its business proposal to TFR in early 2012. “The revitalising of the Ceres Wolseley line came about as local business started looking at creating a secondary industry in Ceres which is highly dependent on seasonal agriculture. The obvious answer was tourism but revitalising a train line and then maintaining it for weekend tourist train trips was just too costly. The decision to bring freight on board made sense.” After much discussion with TFR agreements were signed and the ugrading and refurbishing of the line started in November last year. “There was a lot of work to be done as the line had been closed for many years, but the commitment of all parties involved proved to be a winning recipe. In August two test trains successfully moved freight on the line for the first time giving the green light to the project.” From October this year a daily 35-wagon freight train will move on the line. According to Rion Henning, Ocean Freight Manager for UTi in Cape Town, the 750-metre-long train will have the capacity to move 70 TEUs every day from Monday to Friday. “On the return trip to Ceres it will move empty containers back to the pack houses for packing,” he said. Already the next phase of the freight train is being planned. Du Toit said by next year the goal was to have trains moving cargo inland to City Deep from Ceres as well. “With all the freight roleplayers on board and by growing the freight volumes we will be able to develop the tourism side that was our initial aim,” he said. CAPTION The first freight train on a refurbished branch line snakes its way through the Cederberg mountains near Ceres.