The Eswatini railway line project, also known as the Swaziland railway line or Swazilink, is a proposed seamless railway line between South Africa and Eswatini.

The project is a joint railway strategic cooperation between South Africa's Freight Railway Company (TFR) and Eswatini Railway Company (ESR).

The US$1.34 billion project aims to create a new dedicated general cargo business (GFB) corridor that will transfer general cargo from the Mpumalanga province to the port of Richards Bay. It will release the production capacity of coal export lines, the eastern trunk line and the north-south corridor. General cargo is planned to be shipped to Richards Bay via Eswatini.

The Eswatini Railway Project in South Africa will create approximately 3,000 and 6,500 construction jobs in South Africa and Eswatini, respectively. It will also create some indirect employment opportunities. The construction of the project will begin after the funding is finalized and is expected to be completed in 2023.

Background of the project

The railway project began a conceptual level study in 2011 to investigate the construction of railways between Lothar in South Africa and suitable locations along the railway network in Swaziland.

The Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini signed a memorandum of understanding in August 2012. Subsequently, the Railway Fund and the Railway Development Bureau signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2012 to conduct a joint evaluation on the feasibility of connecting the two railway networks. The feasibility study was completed in July 2015.

The project will be developed as a public-private partnership and is waiting for suggestions from suitable partners.

details

The project will build a new railway with a total length of 150 kilometers. About 100 kilometers of the new railway line will be located in Eswatini, while the remaining 50 kilometers will be built in South Africa.

The project is divided into three parts, one is the greenfield development project for the new connection between Lothair and Sidvokodvo in Eswatini, South Africa, and two brownfields on the existing lines between Ermelo and Lothair and the existing lines between Sidvokodvo and Richards Bay Upgrade project. It will include the construction of 28 viaducts, 28 bridges, 25 bullpens, 31 underground passages and 110 culverts.

The Eswatini Railway Line project will reduce railway and road traffic congestion and accommodate axle loads of up to 26 tons. The train on the railway line will be 2.5 kilometers long and have 200 carriages. The heavy transportation line through the Usutu Valley will use distributed power technology.

The project will increase the existing ESR’s Komatipoort-Golela line with 12 trains per day, carrying 81 trucks in each direction, and will help double the traffic volume.

The African Development Bank provided funds to the Royal Government of Eswatini to support the detailed design process. Part of the loan will be used to pay for the related payments for the pre-construction and detailed/final design service contracts.

Project benefits

The project will support the economic development of mining and railway-related industries. It will create business opportunities worth R894 million (US$62.86 million) in South Africa and SEK 1.7 billion (US$91.41 million) in Eswatini. By establishing a dedicated GFB export corridor to the ports of Richards Bay and Maputo, the new link will increase the capacity of the GFB system on the eastern coast.

This railway will reduce the financial burden related to road maintenance, border congestion and carbon emissions.

For residents of Eswatini, this railway will provide a direct railway to Gauteng, the economic center of South Africa. Editor/Huang Lijun