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Tendeka-Hlobane Branch LineThis 22 km branch line is generally regarded as being part
of
the Richards Bay coal line, although it is electrified at
3 kV DC. It was opened from Tendenka on the original
Ermelo-Vryheid line in 1909 to serve collieries at
Hlobane. Over the years, additional collieries were
opened at Coronation and in the Langkraans. Three
independent operators ran these lines which connected with
the government rail operator at Hlobane and Boomlaer.
During the 1980s the private railways closed one by one.
The first to be closed supplied coke and coking coal for
local steel production, while the second produced mainly
anthracite from a mine in Langkraans. Coal continued to be
delivered by road to Hlobane and Boomlaer, to the extent
that regular coal export trains were loaded weekly.
The branch has a 1 in 50 compensated ruling gradient, and
the maximum permissible wagon axle load is 20 tons.
Operations are controlled from Vryheid East and traffic
received is marshalled into the normal 210 wagon trains
for Richards Bay.
The branch is currently serving two colliery operators,
one feeding traffic at Hlobane and the other at Boomlaer,
where over 300,000 tons were loaded in 2005/2006. In both
cases, coal is brought by road
to the
rail terminal. It is likely that coal production and rail
loadings will continue for at least 15 years, depending on
domestic and international demand. For Details of
Volumes and Commodities Received
and Forwarded [Table 6]CLICK HERE
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