Inadequate budget derails Eswatini Rail Link Project

MBABANE – Among the challenges that have derailed the completion of the Eswatini Rail Link (ESRL) Project known as the Lothair – Sidvokodvo is the lack of enough budget.

This is according to the Ministry of Public :orks and Transport annual report for 2023/24. Other challenges cited include the chieftaincy and land disputes and the fact that some of the projectaffected people had not found alternative resettlement land, particularly at Mhlangeni, Zondwako and Nhlulweni.

The Eswatini Rail Link Project is a joint inter-railway initiative between Transnet and Eswatini Railways. For Transnet, the link will address bottlenecks in the Ermelo line which is experiencing efficiency challenges. The new link will be used to divert General Freight Business (GFB) traffic from Davel through Lothair and Sidvokodvo to the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo.

The link will create muchneeded additional capacity of up to 45mtpa for GFB export and will be a catalyst for trade and economic development in all sectors as well as reduce truck traffic congestion at the country¶s borders.

This will further create a shorter route from Gauteng northern provinces as well as neighbouring countries (particularly Botswana and Zimbabwe) to Richards Bay, strengthening regional integration in the SAC8-SADC Region. It is also envisaged that during construction approximately 5 000 work opportunities will be created, 263 new permanent jobs during operations and present business opportunities to SMEs.

Already about 16 contractors have benefited in the First Phase of the resettlement program whereby 98 of the 236 homesteads were moved.

The link project is part of a programme that consists of:

● The construction of a 150km new link (ESRL) also known as the Greenfield development (Lothair - Sidvokodvo)

● The upgrade of 300km largely consists of brownfield upgrades of existing infrastructure to the same network standards envisaged for the new link. Through the necessary infrastructure intervention, a realistic and achievable system capacity to accommodate trains of up to 26 tons/axle, 2.5km long and a capacity of 12 trains per direction will be realised.

Another package will include the equal upgrade of the line from Goba to Richards Bay.