SWAZILAND Railways has unveiled plans to build a western link into South Africa, to provide a direct route to Johannesburg and the Gauteng region. Chief Executive Officer Gideon Mahlalela said in Mbabane on May 29 that he hoped the line would be open within five years.
The new link would use part of the dismantled route from Matsapha to Kadake, before swinging west along the Usutu river valley to Lothair, in the South African region of Mpumalanga. Here it would connect with an existing Spoornet branch from Ermelo on the Richards Bay heavy-haul coal corridor.
SR has already started rehabilitation work on its east-west corridor from Matsapha to the Mozambique border at Goba, following the renovation of CFM’s Goba - Maputo line in an Italian-funded project three years ago. Mahlalela hopes to be able to launch a Matsapha - Maputo passenger service within four years. He expects the service to Johannesburg via Lothair to follow about a year later. SR also plans to launch a luxury tourist train before the end of this year, using the north-south corridor linking Komatipoort and Golela. o
