The Sishen–Saldanha railway line, also known as the Ore Export Line (OREX), is an heavy-haul railway line in South Africa. It connects

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

mines near Sishen in the

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

with the port at

Saldanha Bay Saldanha Bay () is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

. It is used primarily to transport iron ore (60 million tonnes per year) and does not carry passenger traffic. The Sishen–Saldanha line was built by Iscor, the then iron and steel

parastatal A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...

, opening in 1976. In 1977 the line was transferred to

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 ...

, then known as ''South African Railways & Harbours'', and was electrified. A voltage of

50 kV AC Railway electrification systems using alternating current (AC) at are used worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. It is usually supplied at the standard utility frequency (typically 50 or 60Hz), which simplifies traction substations. The dev ...

was chosen instead of the usual 25 kV to haul heavier loads and allow greater distance between transformers. A single-track line with 10 crossing loops to allow trains travelling in opposite directions to pass was constructed. The number of crossing loops has increased to 19 to increase line capacity. From an altitude of at Sishen, the line climbs for before descending to cross the

Orange River The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch language, Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibi ...

about downstream of

Groblershoop Groblershoop is a settlement in ZF Mgcawu District Municipality in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about 2 km west of the Orange River. Groblershoop was founded in 1914 on the farm Sternham, but was renamed in 1939 ...

. For the next , the line rises and falls before descending towards the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast. The railway crosses the Olifants River on a viaduct between

Vredendal Vredendal () is a town in the northern Olifants River Valley in the Western Cape province of South Africa, with a population (according to the 2001 census) of 16,164 people. It lies north of Cape Town on the banks of the Olifants River at the so ...

and

Lutzville Lutzville is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It falls under the Matzikama Local Municipality. Village 22 km north-west of Vredendal and 45 km west of Vanrhynsdorp. Established in A ...

and reaches the coast about north of Saldanha. From there the line follows a coastal route. Catenary_masts_with_very_long_50kV_insulators_of_Sishen-Saldanha_line

Catenary_masts_with_very_long_50kV_insulators_of_Sishen-Saldanha_line

The_Transnet_locomotive_for_the_Sishen-Saldanha_line

Initial train lengths consisted of three class 9E electric locomotives, hauling 210 type CR

ore wagon An open wagon (or truck in the UK) forms a large group of railway goods wagons designed primarily for the transportation of bulk goods that are not moisture-retentive and can usually be tipped, dumped or shovelled. The International Union ...

s with a payload of 80 tonnes. Upgraded wagons now carry 100 tonnes. Train lengths were increased in 2007 to 342 wagons, employing Radio Distributed Power (RDP) technology. These trains (initially with 10 locomotives, a mix of electric and diesel-electric) and 342 wagons have a total mass of 41,400 tonnes and are long, the longest production trains in the world. The same 342-wagon trains are now powered by just five 15Es, crewed by one driver and one assistant. The train length was increased in October 2019 to 375 wagons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sishen-Saldanha Railway Line Railway lines in South Africa Iron ore railways Mining railways Mining in South Africa 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in South Africa Articles containing video clips

See also

References