Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has said in a statement that the bulk ore line from South Africa's manganese basin in Hotazel to the Port of Gqberha (Port Elizabeth) has managed a record volume for the last financial year.
TFR said it's delighted by the success of the Cape Corridor, achieving 9 780 293 for the 22/23 financial year.
"We have more than doubled our corridor's total capacity, increasing progressively from 4.9 million tons in 2012 to 9.7 million tonnes in 2023. These efforts were driven by our commitment to deliver value and respond to the needs of our customers," TFR said.
It added that it meant working in tandem with TFR's customers to jointly realise expansion efforts.
"The customers have shown their commitment to growing manganese volumes by boosting the capacity in their facilities to reduce loading times."
Continued improvement and phased implementation of further growth plans to meet demand is part of the process to guarantee volume increases, TFR said.
It emphasised that the "significant milestone has been made possible by a combination of investment in the rail infrastructure, rolling stock, and our employees."
From a capital expenditure perspective, it included investment in infrastructure capacity between Kimberly and De Aar at a cost of R2.2 billion, a project that was completed in 2017; protection of the network through weigh-in-motion weighbridges at Vlermuislaagte and Postmasburg, and a power upgrade in the Witloop and Vlermuislaagte substations to cater for the higher power demand.
TFR also said that the significant increase in manganese exported on the Cape Corridor was also made possible by bumping up the number of slots to run a 104-wagon train on the network - "an increase from 16 in 2012 to the current 42."
TFR's statement furthermore said: "This has been achieved through close collaboration with the OCC Service Design, Rail Network and Operations Efficiency teams. Major investments into the CR17 wagons as well as the 23E Dual Voltage Electric locomotives used on the Corridor" and "an increase in the staff complement across the PE Manganese export line, including mainline crew, yard officials and rail network to drive the increased volume in trains."
