...ESWATINI IMPORTS 78 % OF ITS CARGO FROM SA

MBABANE - Eswatini imports 78 per cent of its cargo from South Africa with 85 per cent of this shipment transported by road.

This results in congestion on the roads and at the border gates which negatively affects the road infrastructure. The ESRL project is a strategic initiative between Transnet and Eswatini Railways to develop a new rail link from Lothair (South Africa) to Sidvokodvo (Eswatini) which aims to address the abovementioned challenges. The initiative to develop the Eswatini Rail Link started in 2012 when the Government of South Africa and its Eswatini counterpart signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the project.

proposed

The proposed Eswatini Rail Link will be approximately 150km long, with 50km located in South Africa between Lothair (South Africa) and the South Africa/Eswatini border. At least100km will be located in Eswatini between the South Africa/Eswatini border and Sidvokodvo. The ESRL will have a capacity of approximately 36 million tonnes per annum, operated at 20 tonnes per axle. Further capacity will be unlocked when the line is operated at 26 tonnes per axle. On completion, the Eswatini Rail Link is expected to deliver significant socio-economic benefits to Transnet, Eswatini Railways and the region. Some of these benefits will include improved regional integration and connectivity to the eastern seaboard ports of Maputo and Richards Bay. Approximately10 000 direct jobs during the construction phase of the project are expected while also presenting over E2 billion in direct economic opportunities for small and medium enterprises.

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