GUINEA: British Steel, Trackwork and Pandrol are to supply 244 000 steel sleepers to mining company Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée, which is upgrading its 135 km standard gauge heavy haul line which links the Sangarédi bauxite mine with Kamsar.
Trackwork will process the rolled sleepers from British Steel into the finished 436 profile, and Pandrol has designed a rail fastening with a bespoke cast steel shoulder and e-clip that together provide an anti-vandal feature.
British Steel said the sleepers would be stronger and more durable than the wooden sleepers traditionally used in Africa, while lorries can deliver three times as many steel sleepers as concrete ones, lowering transportation costs. Steel also offers 100% recyclability.
‘Our steel sleepers provide the perfect technical solution to the challenges facing rail operators in this region’, said Jérôme Bonef, British Steel’s Export Sales Manager Rail, on March 8.
Complete package
British Steel’s largest-ever sleeper order is ‘fantastic news for our business, particularly given the high level of competition we faced’, said Bonef.
The long-term partnerships with Trackwork and Pandrol mean ‘together we’re able to provide a complete global supply chain involving processed steel sleepers and railway fastenings. This enables us to meet all heavy haul technical requirements and deliver a cost-effective and timely solution to our customer.’
Trackwork Sales Manager Dave Roberts said it is ‘the most significant single order for steel railway sleepers in the long history of our partnership with British Steel’, while Pandrol Sales & Commercial Director UK Iqbal Chadda said the ‘unique’ project ‘brings together the finest range of British products and expertise in order to provide a complete sleeper and rail package’.
