AllAfrica.com reported that the time taken to load a train with coal at BHP Billiton’s Douglas mine improved significantly when Ms Maria Ramos took over the reins. Earlier loading a train took on average 5 hours and now it takes only two.

Mr Burtie Maree export coal manager at Transnet Freight Rail remarked that loading performance has improved by 100% since 2002.

This improvement offers clues as to whether the 560 kilometer rail line stretching from Blackhill in Mpumalanga to Richards Bay in KwaZulu Natal is becoming more efficient after years of unreliability and declining volumes. The turnaround time has fallen from 76 hours in 2002 to 54 hours now.

Even reliability and availability of locomotives has taken a turn for the better. Transnet has gone a step further in making the coal line efficient. After years of neglect, the transport parastatal is maintaining and upgrading wagons, locomotives, and infrastructure. It intends adding 110 new locomotives to the coal line.

Ms Ramos said that she was pleased with the success of the capital investment strategy. She stated that “We are pleased with the success of our capital investment strategy, which is reflected in the discernible shift in the bias of spending towards activities that expand, instead of replacing it. This means our strategy to create appropriate capacity ahead of demand for our existing and prospective clients, is being implemented.”

For the 6 months to September 2008 Transnet said its investment in capital grew 22.3% to SAR 8.3 billion. Transnet plans to spend a further SAR 12.6 billion in the second half of the year, which will bring total spending for the year to SAR 20.9 billion. Of the SAR 8.3 billion invested in capital, SAR 4.4 billion had been spent in expanding capacity, and the balance on replacing capacity. About R222 million had been invested in coal itself.