Technology powers up Zimbabwe's ailing railway system

For the first time in years rail locomotives are being rebuilt in Zimbabwe which is good news for the revival of the rail industry in the country. According to a spokesman for Grindrod, one of its subsidiaries is now refurbishing the old locomotives, some of which will be for use on the private railway line between Beitbridge and Bulawayo. “The process is boosting job creation and up-skilling Zimbabweans,” said the spokesman. “The rebuilt locomotives are as good as new, and each one now has a live satellite-tracking system which integrates with an ERP database containing information on cargoes.” This on-line platform is accessible from anywhere in the world by mobile phone or PC and gives the user a view of where all the locomotives are positioned. In addition, a new wireless radio system has been introduced which feeds important technical information to the control room. The new radios can transmit and receive up to 100 times the volume of traffic that the old microwave system radios could handle without compromising quality. The cost of the wireless network is a fraction of microwave technology and because the 5.6Ghz frequency is a regulated band, interference from competing devices is limited. The system can accept and carry any traffic from a range of devices that are networking enabled. On top of this, Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR), the company which built and operates the 350-km railway line in Zimbabwe, has also introduced four brand new diesel-electric 3000 HP locomotives to haul cargo to and from Beitbridge and Victoria Falls. These new locos all come with hi-tech computer systems and satellite tracking, contributing to greater efficiency and better fuel consumption. “The new locomotives were supplied by Grindrod, a shareholder in the NLPI group, which in turn is the parent company of BBR,” said the spokesman. BBR was formed during 1997 as a partnership with the National Railways of Zimbabwe to manage a rail concession between Beitbridge and Bulawayo. The concession included a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement to construct 150 km of new track and upgrade 172 km of existing track. This BBR track forms part of the north-south corridor, which links the ports of Durban and Richards Bay to the Copperbelt in northern Zambia and southern Democratic Republic of Congo. The most common cargoes are fertiliser, sulphur, fuel, maize, wheat, sugar, copper and copper concentrate, as well as clinkers for cement. The trains also carry containers for export and import.