Railways Africa Magazine

Africa’s rail sector is moving into a new phase, shaped by reform, open access, corridor development, digitalisation and the need for more reliable infrastructure. In this episode of Railways Africa Coffee with the Editor, Phillippa Dean speaks to Florian Kellenberger, Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Mobility South Africa. Florian explained his first priorities since taking up the South African...

As Transnet advances its LeaseCo model, this Coffee with the Editor interview provides a detailed update on rolling stock deployment, bidder progress and growing demand from Train Operating Companies (TOCs) in South Africa and across the SADC region. Phillippa Dean speaks with Yolisa Kani, Chief Business Development Officer at Transnet and Acting CEO of Transnet International Holdings, on the late...

In this episode of "Coffee with the Editor," Phillippa Dean sits down with Russell Baatjies, Acting CE of Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), to discuss the ambitious roadmap for the 2026/27 financial year. From the deployment of the new 23E electric locomotives to the integration of Artificial Intelligence in maintenance, Baatjies outlines how TFR is moving beyond "recovery mode" tow...

In this Coffee with the Editor, Phillippa Dean reconnects with Traxtion CEO James Holley for a progress update on the company’s acquisition of 46 locomotives (42 U26C and 4 C30-8MMI), as part of its latest rolling stock investment programme. With engine orders placed and manufacturing underway, Holley confirms that the first locomotives are scheduled for shipment at the end of June, arriving in So...

In this Coffee With The Editor interview, Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean speaks with Dr Frederick Appoh, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, on the launch of Ghana’s updated national railway Master Plan. The revised Master Plan repositions rail as a freight-led economic enabler, prioritising bulk mineral transport, corridor development and structured private...

In this interview, filmed during the recently held TransMEA 2025 in Cairo, our editor, Phillippa Dean, speaks with Alstom’s Vice President for Digital and Integrated Systems for Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, Boris Symchowicz, about the signalling system that powers the monorail. He explains how the system enables high passenger capacity, short headways and future scalability to eight-c...

Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean catches up with Martin Vaujour, Alstom’s President for Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, at TransMEA 2025 in Cairo. Martin outlines the strong pipeline of activity across the region, including developments in South Africa with PRASA and Transnet, the impact of open access in the freight sector, new very high-speed and signalling projects in Morocco, an...

It is not every day that forty-six Cape-gauge locomotives in great condition become available at the same time. For Traxtion, this was an opportunity that could not be passed up. In this Coffee with the Editor, Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean speaks with Traxtion CEO James Holley about the R3.4 billion rolling-stock investment, considered the single largest investment made by a private rail...

Join Railways Africa Editor, Phillippa Dean, for a Coffee with the Editor conversation with Gwen Mahuma-Madida, CEO, and Sales Executive, Mothemane Makhura of Colossal Concrete Products, filmed during the recent Southern African Railways Association (SARA) Conference and Exhibition. The discussion covers Colossal’s role as Southern Africa’s largest railway sleeper manufacturer, and includes: Colos...

Railways Africa speaks with Hon. Keoagile Atamelang, Botswana’s Assistant Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, in this Coffee with the Editor. The discussion covers the status of Botswana’s key rail corridor projects, including the Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR), Mmamabula–Lephalale Railway, and Mosetse–Kazungula–Livingstone line, as well as the rehabilitation of the Ponta Techobanine corridor...

In this Coffee with the Editor interview, recorded during the SARA Rail event, Transnet Freight Rail CEO Russell Baatjies discusses the company’s operational focus and regional integration efforts. Baatjies shares progress on pilot tests with Eswatini Railways to increase train length from 80 to 160 wagons, with full implementation expected soon. He highlights the potential to double capacity per...

In this Coffee with the Editor interview at the Southern African Railways Conference and Exhibition, Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean speaks with Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Transport, Joshua Sacco, and the MD of the National Railways of Zimbabwe, Ainah Dube-Kaguru. The discussion explores: 1️⃣ Zimbabwe’s central role in regional rail integration across the North-South Corridor and the Beir...

In this Coffee with the Editor interview, Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean speaks with James Holley, CEO of Traxtion. Holley reflects on why Traxtion did not apply for rail access slots in this round, explaining that the awards remain conditional on certification and rolling stock availability, and that the company’s fleet of sixty locomotives is already fully deployed across nine African cou...

In this Coffee with the Editor conversation, Rudolf Vidacak, ABB Global Segment and Account Manager – Business Electrification – Transportation Rail and Infrastructure, joins Phillippa Dean, Editor of Railways Africa Magazine. Rudolf explains how ABB supports the rail sector with low- and medium-voltage components that are critical for both passenger and freight rolling stock. He highlights the im...

In this edition of  Coffee with the Editor , Railways Africa Editor, Phillippa Dean, speaks with Nicholas Fournier, the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lobito Atlantic Railway (LAR). Fournier shares his insights on the rehabilitation of the Lobito Railway line from Lobito in Angola through to Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He highlights progress in track refurbishment,...

In this episode of  Coffee with the Editor , Railways Africa sits down with Patrick Moodley, CEO of Siemens Mobility South Africa, to discuss the company’s role in the country’s rail reform journey. As South Africa prepares to unlock open access through the Transnet Interim Infrastructure Manager (TRIM), Siemens Mobility is stepping forward with advanced signalling solutions, including SICAS S7 el...

In this  Coffee with the Editor  interview,  Railways Africa ’s Phillippa Dean sits down with Kim Wilson, Managing Director of Clyde Industrial Corporation, to discuss the journey that led to the development and launch of Zak’s 48 kg 1:12 Secant turnout. The turnout features a fully flexible switch blade made from 51 kg rail and a cast manganese rail-bound frog, assembled on concrete sleepers with...

In this episode of Coffee with the Editor, Phillippa Dean sits down with Martin Vaujour, recently appointed President of Alstom’s AMECA region (Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia) and new member of Alstom’s Executive Committee. Martin shares insight into Alstom’s strategic ambitions across a vibrant and diverse region, covering key rail projects in South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Ivory C...

In this insightful episode of  Coffee with the Editor , Railways Africa Magazine editor Phillippa Dean speaks with Wilson Mogoba, General Manager for Business Development at Transnet SOC Ltd, during Transnet Engineering’s Industry Day. The discussion covers Transnet’s growing regional footprint, strategic infrastructure partnerships, and the transformative role of the soon-to-be-operational LeaseC...

In this episode of  Coffee with the Editor , filmed at Africa Rail 2025,  Railways Africa Magazine  editor Phillippa Dean speaks with the Chief Business Development Officer at Transnet about the strategic vision and current status of the Transnet LeaseCo initiative, which is currently in bid phase. The conversation explores the origins of LeaseCo, its link to local rail reform, regional leasing op...

In this  Coffee with the Editor , filmed during Transnet Engineering’s Industry Day — held the day before Africa Rail 2025 —  Railways Africa Magazine  editor Phillippa Dean spoke to Bessie Mabunda, Chief Executive of Transnet Engineering. The conversation explores the company’s evolving strategy, notable achievements, and future ambitions as Transnet Engineering strengthens its role within South...

In this  Coffee with the Editor , filmed during Africa Rail 2025, Vuyiswa Tlomatsane, Services Executive at Gibela Rail Transport Consortium, unpacks the full scope of Gibela’s Maintenance, Technical Support, and Spare Supply Agreement with PRASA. Under this long-term contract, Gibela not only provides technical support but also develops PRASA’s maintenance regime and supplies all required spare p...

In this episode of  Coffee with the Editor , filmed at Africa Rail 2025,  Railways Africa Magazine  speaks with  Reggie Boqo , Acting CEO of  Gibela Rail Transport Consortium , about how Gibela is positioning itself to meet the future needs of passenger rail on the African continent. Gibela has just delivered its 280th trainset for South Africa’s passenger agency, PRASA and is on track to reach th...

Join us for this Coffee with the Editor as Traxtion CEO James Holley shares key updates on the company’s fleet expansion, workforce growth, and African market expansion. Our conversation covers; Fleet Expansion – 50 out of 60 locomotives now in operation, with workshop capacity fully booked until August 2024. Slots for third-party rebuilds available in the second half of 2025. Workforce Developmen...

On the sidelines of the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, Anura Partners launched their latest report, Tracks to Prosperity: Realising the Vision for the South Africa-Botswana Rail Corridor, at their annual Mining X Logistics event, attended by 250 senior executives. In this episode of Coffee with the Editor, Dr Maximilian Matschke, Managing Partner at Anura Partners, discusses the...