Kranzberg-Tsumeb rail undergoes upgrade

Sept 19, 2016: Sections of the Kranzberg-Tsumeb railway line have been fully upgraded, while other sections on the same line have been rehabiliated since 2012, said managing director of D&M Rail Construction Dawie Molle during an address to the journalists at Otjiwarongo at a media day organised by the company.

“The distance between Kranzberg and Tsumeb is 392 kilometres, and we have fully upgraded 13.2km and partially upgraded 114.1km. So roughly, 127 kilometres of rail has been upgraded, which is 100 per cent safe,” he stated. According to Moller, so far, the company has rehabilitated 183.4 kilometres of the Kranzberg-Tsumeb railway line, which happens when old or broken sleepers are removed and replaced to make the railway safe. Moller further said to date they have installed 1267 tonnes of new rails, 178 104 concrete P2 sleepers, reinstalled 6 846 tonnes of rail and replaced 560 broken rails. Additionally, a total of 116,411 square metres of ballast had been unloaded and materials worth N$40 million have been purchased. Moka Engineering has been contracted by D&M Rail Construction to do the welding on the rails, while Mengela provides safety services.