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Mbombela - The scourge of coal trucks tearing up Mpumalanga’s roads may soon come to an end following Eskom's announcement that the R5.2bn Majuba railway line near Ermelo will start operating in the next two years.
The 68km railway, operated by Transnet, will connect the province's coal mines to Eskom’s Majuba power station.
Eskom spokesperson Andrew Etzinger said: "Civil construction and earthworks for the development will be completed by the end of October.
"The line will be able to carry the first coal-loaded train on 31 May 2016.”
He said the project was expected to yield lower lifecycle transportation costs, improve coal-delivery turnaround times and enable Majuba to access more coal sources than was currently the case.
Benefits
Mpumalanga residents have been up in arms over the number of coal trucks destroying town roads, but Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has given the assurance that the new railway would alleviate this problem.
During his 2013 state of the province address, Mabuza said there would be numerous social and economic benefits associated with the project.
“Safety on roads will be enhanced by movement of commodities on rail.
"Larger loads will be delivered, translating into positive impacts on economies of scale, while the running costs for doing business will be reduced due to better conditions on roads,” Mabuza said.
The mining town of Ermelo has been the most heavily affected with three national roads, the N11, N2 and N17 passing through.
The N11 carries approximately 1 000 trucks a day.
Finance the balance
Mayor of the Msukaligwa local municipality Sipho Bongwe said in an interview that partnerships with Eskom and local mining companies were key in order to maintain Ermelo’s roads.
“Coal haulage has adversely affected our road infrastructure in one way or another and we hope that the partnerships we have started will be sustained and further cemented in years to come,” Bongwe said.
The Majuba railway has been designed to transport 14 million tons of coal from the Goedgevonden, Vlakvarkfontein, Exxaro, Middelkraal, Kuyasa and Shanduka mines annually.
The project received a R3bn loan from the World Bank and Eskom will finance the balance.
Mabuza said that roads in good condition would encourage tourism in the province and their longer life cycles would reduce the cost of maintenance.
“The savings from this will be redirected to other priorities.
"Jobs will be created during the construction process and local people will benefit. It is expected that other economic spin-offs will emerge as result of the rail construction,” he said.
The 68km railway, operated by Transnet, will connect the province's coal mines to Eskom’s Majuba power station.
Eskom spokesperson Andrew Etzinger said: "Civil construction and earthworks for the development will be completed by the end of October.
"The line will be able to carry the first coal-loaded train on 31 May 2016.”
He said the project was expected to yield lower lifecycle transportation costs, improve coal-delivery turnaround times and enable Majuba to access more coal sources than was currently the case.
Benefits
Mpumalanga residents have been up in arms over the number of coal trucks destroying town roads, but Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has given the assurance that the new railway would alleviate this problem.
During his 2013 state of the province address, Mabuza said there would be numerous social and economic benefits associated with the project.
“Safety on roads will be enhanced by movement of commodities on rail.
"Larger loads will be delivered, translating into positive impacts on economies of scale, while the running costs for doing business will be reduced due to better conditions on roads,” Mabuza said.
The mining town of Ermelo has been the most heavily affected with three national roads, the N11, N2 and N17 passing through.
The N11 carries approximately 1 000 trucks a day.
Finance the balance
Mayor of the Msukaligwa local municipality Sipho Bongwe said in an interview that partnerships with Eskom and local mining companies were key in order to maintain Ermelo’s roads.
“Coal haulage has adversely affected our road infrastructure in one way or another and we hope that the partnerships we have started will be sustained and further cemented in years to come,” Bongwe said.
The Majuba railway has been designed to transport 14 million tons of coal from the Goedgevonden, Vlakvarkfontein, Exxaro, Middelkraal, Kuyasa and Shanduka mines annually.
The project received a R3bn loan from the World Bank and Eskom will finance the balance.
Mabuza said that roads in good condition would encourage tourism in the province and their longer life cycles would reduce the cost of maintenance.
“The savings from this will be redirected to other priorities.
"Jobs will be created during the construction process and local people will benefit. It is expected that other economic spin-offs will emerge as result of the rail construction,” he said.
