State-owned Transnet has stopped all rail activity along the Saldanha iron-ore export line after a truck carrying an abnormal load with excessive height collided with a railway bridge between Vredendal and Lutzville, in the Western Cape.
The accident, which took place at about 10:00 on Wednesday has damaged the railway line network and compromised the integrity of the railway bridge.
Transnet’s maintenance teams are working to restore the line and expects to complete the repairs by December 9, the company said in a statement issued on Friday.
“We would like to assure South Africans that the iron-ore stockpiles on site can keep the business going for at least seven days. We are hard at work and are doing all it takes to restore the line. We are doing all this for the safety of our employees, customer goods and surrounding communities,” commented spokesperson Molatwane Likhethe.