Kei Rail is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

project in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

. The

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

government restored rail services between AmaBhele and

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matan ...

, on an abandoned branch from the

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...

- Springfontein main line. Infrastructure was rebuilt, and passenger services restarted in March 2008. The local Department of Roads and Transport leases the network from

Transnet Freight Rail Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people ...

, and Sheltam Grindrod are subcontracted to operate trains. The project was part of a broader development plan for the region. The line has also been used by the Phelophepha health train. ECDORT planned several other projects to restore disused infrastructure in the province. However, funding is threatened and the service is not connected with the rest of the South African rail network; Kei Rail suspended services in November 2010 but resumed in June 2011. 20 coaches were repossessed by Transnet Rail Engineering, and sold to an Angolan railway operator in September 2011.

References

{{reflist Railway lines in South Africa Transport in the Eastern Cape Railway companies of South Africa 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in South Africa