December 04, 2008

RBCT coal line running at 90% capacity -Transnet

Reuters reported that rail service on South Africa's Richard's Bay Coal Terminal is running at 90% after a power outage earlier this week disrupted freight traffic.

Mr Sandile Simelane a spokesman of Transnet Freight Rail told Reuters that "We are currently running at 90% capacity.”

Transnet Freight Rail said that lightning had struck a transformer supplying power to the line in the east of the country on Thursday, slowing freight to RBCT. It said that "Due to the severity of the lightning strike, the last transformer will be operational in 14 days time. By then the line will be operating at 1.52 million tonnes of normal capacity.”

Transnet said that within a week the first transformer should be up and running and increase service on the 80 kilometer long stretch between Vryheid and Piet Retief to 95% of normal capacity.