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The Sishen–Saldanha railway line, also known as the Ore Export Line (OREX), is an heavy-haul railway line in South Africa. It connects 
Initial train lengths consisted of three class 9E electric locomotives, hauling 210 type CR ore wagons with a payload of 80 tonnes. Upgraded wagons now carry 100 tonnes. Train lengths were increased in 2007 to 342 wagons, employing Radio Distributed Power (RDP) technology. These trains (initially with 10 locomotives, a mix of electric and diesel-electric) and 342 wagons have a total mass of 41,400 tonnes and are long, the longest production trains in the world. The same 342-wagon trains are now powered by just five 15Es, crewed by one driver and one assistant.
The train length was increased in October 2019 to 375 wagons
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...
mines near Sishen in the Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi ...
with the port at Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 202 ...
. It is used primarily to transport iron ore (60 million tonnes per year) and does not carry passenger traffic.
The Sishen–Saldanha line was built by Iscor, the then iron and steel parastatal
A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the government ...
, opening in 1976.
In 1977 the line was transferred to Transnet Freight Rail
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people ...
, then known as ''South African Railways & Harbours'', and was electrified. A voltage of 50 kV AC
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...
was chosen instead of the usual 25 kV to haul heavier loads and allow greater distance between transformers.
A single-track line with 10 crossing loops to allow trains travelling in opposite directions to pass was constructed. The number of crossing loops has increased to 19 to increase line capacity.
From an altitude of at Sishen, the line climbs for before descending to cross the Orange River
The Orange River (from Afrikaans/Dutch: ''Oranjerivier'') is a river in Southern Africa. It is the longest river in South Africa. With a total length of , the Orange River Basin extends from Lesotho into South Africa and Namibia to the north ...
about downstream of Groblershoop. For the next , the line rises and falls before descending towards the Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
coast. The railway crosses the Olifants River on a viaduct between Vredendal and Lutzville
Lutzville is a settlement in West Coast District Municipality in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It resides under the Matzikama Local Municipality.
Village 22 km north-west of Vredendal and 45 km west of Vanrhynsdorp
Van Rhynsdorp ( ...
and reaches the coast about north of Saldanha. From there the line follows a coastal route.
Initial train lengths consisted of three class 9E electric locomotives, hauling 210 type CR ore wagons with a payload of 80 tonnes. Upgraded wagons now carry 100 tonnes. Train lengths were increased in 2007 to 342 wagons, employing Radio Distributed Power (RDP) technology. These trains (initially with 10 locomotives, a mix of electric and diesel-electric) and 342 wagons have a total mass of 41,400 tonnes and are long, the longest production trains in the world. The same 342-wagon trains are now powered by just five 15Es, crewed by one driver and one assistant.
The train length was increased in October 2019 to 375 wagons
See also
* South African Class 9E, Series 1 * South African Class 9E, Series 2 * South African Class 15E * South African Class 34-000 * South African Class 34-400 * South African Class 34-500 * South African Class 34-900 * South African Class 43-000References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sishen-Saldanha Railway Line Railway lines in South Africa Iron ore railways Mining railways Mining in South Africa 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in South Africa Articles containing video clips