JOHANNESBURG, August 24 (ANA) - South Africa's state-owned rail, port and pipeline company Transnet said on Monday it had issued a request for information (RFI) to assess the market’s capabilities and capacity as part of its strategy to localise rail manufacturing.
Transnet said the objective of the RFI was also to determine the timelines and investments required to meet the company's demand, projected at approximately 77 000 tons per annum over the next 20 years.
Transnet buys rails of a prescribed standard specification and length and has a continuous rail replacement programme that - amongst others - meets the requirements of the Railway Safety Regulator. The preferred specification for the entire system is 60 kg head hardened rails, which enables the interoperability of rolling stock and ensures that maintenance is optimised.
The logistics company said a joint effort between itself and the departments of trade, industry and competition as well as public enterprises had been established to drive this process.
"Among the benefits in the localisation of rail manufacturing would be job creation, local and economic development, as well as enterprise and supplier development," it said.
Last month, Transnet launched a two-year tender to local and global manufacturers for the supply of 60 kg per metre of head hardened rails.
It said this would ensure the security of rail supply and enable the company to meet its maintenance schedule and ensure that the rail system was kept safe and reliable. The tender will close on August 26.
Should the investment and subsequent operation of such a capability prove viable, this could be extended to serve other markets in sub-Saharan Africa, Transnet said on Monday.
Transnet operates and maintains over 30 000 km of infrastructure for the South African government, the largest rail network on the continent.
The utility operates 40% of the rail network in Africa and accounts for 70% of the traffic on the 55 000 km of track in the sub-Saharan region.
- African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa
