Railways Africa Magazine

In this Coffee with the Editor, Babatunde Oso, Regional General Manager for Africa at Wabtec Corporation, discusses the company’s strategic role and ongoing efforts in the South African and broader African rail industry. The conversation provides a deep insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the rail sector in Africa, including the competition with road transport and the need for sig...

Welcome to an engaging Coffee with the Editor with Eng. Eric Ntagengerwa, Acting Head of the Transport and Mobility Division at the Infrastructure and Energy Department, African Union Commission. This interview took place during the Continental Workshop on the Implementation of the Africa Integrated High-Speed Railways Network. Eric takes a moment to share the objectives of the workshop, focusing...

James Holley, CEO of Traxtion, recently joined Railways Africa Magazine for a Coffee With The Editor interview. The conversation covered various topics and updates in the rail industry. One of the key highlights was the refurbishment of Class 39 locomotives purchased from Transnet Engineering. Two of the locomotives are currently in testing, and all locomotives have been contracted out for lease....

For this Coffee with the Editor, we sit down with Engineer Hilina Belachew - CEO, of Ethiopia Railways Corporation. In this in-depth interview, we discuss the transformative role of the rail network in Ethiopia, its current projects, and future expansion plans. We explore exciting development corridors and dive into the Corporation's visionary plans for increased independence in railway production...

We had the opportunity to catch up for a "Coffee with the Editor" with Lubinda Sakanga, Director of Technical & Operations at the Southern African Railway Association (SARA), during the recent Continental Workshop for the Africa Integrated High-Speed Railways Network (AIHSRN). SARA, a subsidiary organization of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is solely dedicated to railway devel...

Join us for an insightful interview with Mama Sougoufara, Alstom's Managing Director for MENAT - Middle East, Northern Africa and Turkey, as part of our "Coffee with the Editor" series. In this episode, Mama shares his perspectives on the Middle East rail market, its potential, and Alstom's approach in supporting its development. Discover the exciting projects and initiatives happening in the regi...

In this Coffee with the Editor, Antonio Merheb, the current chairman of the International Heavy Haul Association, gives me an update on the plans for the 12th IHHA - International Heavy Haul Association Conference and Exhibition, which is set to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 27-31, 2023, at the Windsor Convention & Expo Centre. It is set to be the biggest event yet for IHHA, repl...

Join our editor for an insightful "Coffee with the Editor" session featuring the team from the Union Internationale des Chemins de fer (UIC) – International Union of Railways, as we discuss their involvement and activities in the African region. We had the privilege of "meeting" Christian Chavanel, the coordinator for the Africa region and Rail System Director, along with Marie Plaud-Lombard, Mari...

In this episode of Coffee with the Editor, Johny Smith, CEO of TransNamib, joins Philippa Dean to discuss his impending departure from TransNamib and the exciting projects the company is working on. Watch to learn about the Walvis Bay-to-Kranzberg upgrade project, the Trans Kalahari Project, new locomotives being purchased with a 2.6 billion loan, and the government's plan to rehabilitate sections...

Join us as we sit down with Andy Knight, President of the Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers (IRSE), to learn more about ISRE and discuss his recent visit to South Africa and his insights into the challenges facing the country's railway industry. From multiple infrastructure owners to skills development, we delve into the important role that the IRSE plays in providing guidance and suppor...

Listen to our interview with Xolani Mbambo, the incoming CEO of Grindrod Limited and the current CEO of Grindrod Freight Services. Our interview took place during their recent interim financial results announcement. In our interview, we touch on the locomotive fleet expansion, market opportunities for rail, and the recently launched coal train service with Eswatini, among other items of interest t...

Prof. Jan Havenga and Dr. Zane Simpson, Stellenbosch University cover "The Future of Heavy Haul" at the South African Heavy Haul Conference and Exhibition.

Dr. Andrew Shaw, Group Chief Strategy & Planning Officer covers Transnet's strategy to support the commodity sector at the recently held South African Heavy Haul Conference and Exhibition (SAHHA).

Roger Baxter, CEO of the Minerals Council South Africa speaking at the South African Heavy Haul Conference and Exhibition on the topic of: "Opportunities & Challenges of the Mining Sector - Expected Role of the Logistics System".

There is no doubt that open access or third party access to Transnet Freight Rail’s core network is being seen as a “hoorah” moment for the revitalisation of South Africa’s ailing railway sector, but there’s more to this than meets the eye! Transnet Freight Rail is facing some very real and extraordinary challenges – theft, vandalism, rolling stock availability -among others. In this Coffee with t...

Officially a year since Bombardier Transport become part of the Alstom group. Making this an ideal opportunity to connect with Bernard Peille, Managing Director Southern Africa, ALSTOM. In this Coffee with the Editor, we discuss the changes to the group locally and what the future holds for both South Africa and Southern Africa. Especially, now as the product portfolio has been expanded. In South...

In this Coffee with the Editor, we get to know Dutliff Bredenkamp the recently appointed CEO of Thelo DB. Dutliff has extensive experience in the rail sector and outlines the vision of the business in Africa and South Africa. Thelo DB is an incorporated JV between, Thelo Ventures a 100% Black Owned South African company and Deutsche Bahn Engineering, Consulting and Operations which is a German-own...

Nacala Logistics, Director of Operations, Gustavo Stein in a Coffee with the Editor, explains the recent progress made by Nacala Logistics, including, investments and line rehabilitation. The opening of the $5.5 Million Limbe Container Terminal, the partnership with C. Steinweg Bridge and what the future holds for the organisation and the further development in terms of connecting to neighbouring...

In this Coffee with the Editor, Refilwe Kunene – Strategic Programs Manager, GCEO office of the Passenger Rail Agency South Africa (PRASA), discusses their corridor recovery, network rehabilitation and the overall strategy that is being executed to deliver services. We discuss the impact of theft and vandalism, signalling, services in Cape Town, general challenges and the corridor roll-out plan am...

Unitrans Africa is a diversified contractual logistics company serving the needs of selected sub-Saharan African markets. A few months ago the company ventured into offering a dedicated rail link between Mozambique and Zimbabwe. In partnership with the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), Caminhos de Ferro de Mocambique (CFM) and Traxtion. In this Coffee with the Editor, Unitrans Africa’s CEO, Rob...

Andrew Waller, CEO of Grindrod Limited, took a few minutes for a virtual Coffee with the Editor, following the announcement of Grindrod’s interim results for the 6-months ended 30 June 2021, on 27 August. Despite a tough year the company produced solid results. We discuss rail, leasing, the potential of open access, logistics and the recent reintroduction of locomotives in Sierra Leone, along with...

In this Coffee with the Editor, we catch up with Ronnie Ntuli, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Thelo DB, following the recent news that Thelo DB will manage, finance, build and operate a 450km railway corridor from the port of Pointe-Noire to the Mayoko Station in the Republic of Congo. With an estimated 100 million tonnes per annum! In addition, Ronnie shares his insight into the business,...

This Coffee with the Editor, with Kevin Pillay, CEO of Siemens Mobility South Africa follows the article published in week 28 of Railways Africa Magazine titled, Significant Milestone Reached For PRASA’s Gauteng Signalling Project. Article: https://go.railwaysafrica.com/milestone-gauteng-signalling-project 76 of 88 stations have been completed so far and Kevin discusses why this is such a signific...

James Holley, CEO of Traxtion, discusses two recent highlights for the company in this Coffee with the Editor. Firstly, the newly branded EURO4000’s that have entered service on the TAZARA line through the Calabash operation. James discusses the project and the logistics of getting the EURO4000’s to site, as well as, the value the new locomotives will bring to customers. Secondly, Traxtion is real...

James Holley the CEO of Traxtion is also the chairperson of the African Rail Industry Association (ARIA). In a recent Coffee with the Editor, James takes a moment to give us an update on the association’s activities, specifically on the progress of the study for the practical implantation of third party access to the South African railway. This has been well supported by the various stakeholders....