IRSE News 135 Jun 08.pdf

Institution of Railway Signal Engineers
A Dutch President visits South Africa
Asmost presidents before me, I visited the
Southern African Section arriving on
19 October 2007 at Johannesburg, where Conny and I were
greeted by Harry and Dinky Ostrofsky.
The next day Harry picked us up and we joined Ben van der
Merwe and Colin Matlala in the Gauteng Government offices
where the Gautrain Project organisation is housed. Gautrain
aims to provide a suburban type rapid transit connection
between Johannesburg’s O R Tambo Airport, the centre of
Johannesburg and on to Pretoria. The first section of the line is
scheduled to be completed in time for the 2010 soccer world
championship. The project is sponsored by the Gauteng
provincial government and the signalling systems are being
supplied by the Bombela consortium.
Saturday was the day on which the SA section held its technical
visit to the Coal Line. Our visit started in Ermelo, the location
where two sections of the line meet. Here the overhead power
supply changes from 3000 V d.c. to 25 kV a.c. and two consists of
100 cars are joined to form 200-car coal trains in an enormous
“roundabout” style yard to continue their journey to the coast.
Ermelo OCC.
Note the aquaria that
have replaced train
describer VDU's in the
panel
The first SA picture showing "us" in the Gautrain project office
after the safety induction. Note how elegant Mrs President
manages to look in safety boots and hi viz clothing
The plant near Johannesburg
where bridge elements are manufactured for Gautrain
After a presentation of the project itself, Conny and I were
given a thorough safety induction and some personal protection
equipment. And so, appropriately dressed, we set off on our
tour of the Gautrain project. During our visit earthworks and
bridges were being constructed and, after being shown round
the site of an impressive purpose built plant where pre-cast
concrete bridge sections etc. were being produced, we were
even allowed a peek in the tunnel construction site.
In fact, the concrete plant, as with many other aspects of
the project, is also used as part of a workers training scheme,
one of the project goals being to promote the concept of Black
Economic Empowerment.
14
Issue 135 June 2008
IRSE
NEWS