South Africa shuts its iron ore railway for ten days of repairs
The 861-kilometre line from Sishen to Saldanha is getting new rails, sleepers and signalling, as the state prepares to let private operators run trains on it.
Saldanha — South Africa's iron ore export railway, one of the country's most important freight routes, is closed for its annual maintenance shutdown while crews renew track and signalling along its length, the government news agency reports.
The line runs 861 kilometres from Sishen, in the Northern Cape, to the port of Saldanha, in the Western Cape. The shutdown lasts from 6 to 16 October and allows work that cannot be done while trains are running.
What is being done
The work is led by Transnet's rail infrastructure manager and includes:
- replacing rails and sleepers;
- screening ballast, the bed of stone under the track;
- renewing and maintaining turnouts;
- rehabilitating the formation beneath the line;
- installing culverts;
- upgrading electrical and signalling systems.
The transport minister, Barbara Creecy, inspected the work on Monday with Transnet's chief executive, Michelle Phillips, and its chief operating officer, Solly Letsoalo.
Jobs along the line
The programme has created about 1,300 fixed-term jobs for October, and a further 600 indirect opportunities are expected. Small businesses are supplying civil works, transport, equipment, accommodation and other services.
Why it matters now
The government wants rail to carry 250 million tonnes of freight a year by 2030, and is opening the network to operators other than Transnet.
Under that reform, the infrastructure manager will go on owning and maintaining the track, while approved train operating companies will be able to use it to move freight for their customers. Transnet says reliable infrastructure is fundamental to making that work.
Source: SAnews, 13 October 2026.
