Rail » Major Rail Users

There are over 50 private siding owners in Mpumalanga and in cases where they are located in an established industrial area, access to the nearest Spoornet line is usually via industrial lines owned and maintained by the local municipalities. With the decline in the rail share of the general freight market, many sidings and access lines are either underutilised or disused. Considering increasing road congestion it may be advantageous to reconsider the use of some of these sidings in the future. The following information is the latest update of the status of rail in the identified industrial areas. It is followed by a section detailing private sidings that are linked directly to Spoornet lines at stations and halts in Mpumalanga.

Nelspruit Industrial

The Nelspruit Industrial area is located on the north side of the railway mainline and urban area. It is served from the Nelspruit yard at the west end with a service line providing a link with several private sidings. There are two large manganese processing plants and the ore is railed from the Northern Cape and the processed product is loaded in containers for export via Durban. There is a major brewer distribution centre and beer traffic is received from Rosslyn in Gauteng. A number of other rail users have private sidings and these include a liquid fuel distributor, a grain mill, and a petroleum gas company.

Witbank Industrial

The Witbank Industrial area is on the north-west side of the city and is served by a 4 km railway line which was once a private siding to a large coal mine. It is known as Ferrobank and there are a number of large industrial processing companies, both for carbon and ferrometals processing.

A number of liquid fuel companies have private sidings which are still used, but not to the degree associated with this commodity in the past. There are a number of other disused but still intact private sidings in the complex.

Middelburg Industrial

The Middelburg Industrial area is served by an access line running to the south of the railway station. It was originally constructed in the 1970's to serve a major stainless steel producer and ferroalloy plant but there are some other smaller users as well. An interchange yard is located at the east end of Middelburg station. There is also a grain mill at the west end of the station and a container handling facility run by a private company.

The places listed below serve individual companies that have private sidings but are not associated with developed industrial townships.

It is important to appreciate the fact that in official railway terminology, a station is a manned facility serving both passenger and freight services. Many former stations have been downgraded to mere passing loops or halts which have no passing loops. The places listed below are identified in terms of their current status. A passing loop is generally regarded as a halt, although a halt may not have a passing loop.

• Amersfoort (89 km from Bethal on Volksrust line)

There is a grain silo at the station but the line is not currently in operation.

• Arnot (33 km east of Middelburg on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A grain mill is situated at the station.

• Bethal (132 km from Springs)

There is a large grain silo at the station. A coal loading siding is located at the west end of the station and is occasionally used.

• Blinkpan (45 km from Ogies on the Ermelo line)

There is one colliery and a connecting line to a power station at this station. Coal is supplied to the power plant by overland conveyor and the rail connection is for emergency use should it become necessary to bring in coal from another source.

• Bloemkomspruit (about 20 km from Grootvlei on the Redan line)

There is a grain silo at the station.

• Boulders (40 km from Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading granite for export.

• Clewer (8 km west of Witbank on the Pretoria line)

A large steel factory is situated at Clewer and iron ore is received from Roossenekal.

• Delmas (23 km from Welgedacht on Witbank line)

There is a grain silo at the station and coal is being loaded from the Leeupan mine.

• Derwent (10 km east of Middelburg)

A fertiliser processing plant loads and receives fertiliser related traffic.

• Driefontein (5 km from Broodsnyersplaas on the Wonderfontein line)

There is a grain silo at the station.

• Dryden (32 km from Welgedacht on Witbank line)

There is a grain silo at the station.

• Ermelo (About 198 km east of Springs)

There is a Grain silo on the north side of the old station.

• Estancia (29 km from Davel on old Breyten line)

There is a grain silo at the station. The line to Breyten has been removed and trains are only operated as required to Estancia itself.

• Fairview (8 km west of Machadodorp station)

A large chrome smelter operates at this halt.

• Grootvlei (19 km from Balfour on the Bethlehem line)

There is a grain silo at the station. The line to Redan has recently been uplifted.

• Hawerklip (17 km from Delmas)

There is a grain silo at the station and a rapid loading facility for export coal.

• Hectorspruit (29 km from Komatipoort)

Forest product traffic, in the form of pulpwood is loaded here and railed to Ngodwana.

• Hemlock (63 km west of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading forest product traffic.

• Impala (70 km east of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading animal feeds and containerised traffic.

• Karino (13 km east of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading fruit for export.

• Kendal (58 km from Welgedacht on Witbank line)

There is a grain silo at the station

• Leandra (59 km from Springs on Ermelo line)

There is a grain silo at the station

• Lothair (terminus of the branch from Buhrmanskop)

There is a grain silo at the station

• Maizefields (27 km from Bethal on Volksrust line)

There is a grain silo at the station but the line is not currently in operation.

• Magnetite (54 km east of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading magnetite, a specialised ore used in the chrome smelting process.

• Malelane (61 km east of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading fruit for export.

• Mayfern (9 km east of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading fruit for export.

• Middelburg (37 km east of Witbank on the Komatipoort line)

• Moedig (45 km from Machadodorp on the line to Ermelo)

Is there still a coal mine here?

• Morgenzon (43 km from Bethal on Volksrust line)

There is a grain silo at the station but the line is not currently in operation.

• Ngodwana (55 km from Nelspruit on the Maputo - Pretoria line)

There is a major pulpwood mill west of the station.

• Ogies (68 km from Welgedacht on Witbank line)

There is a grain silo at the station and a small yard for general traffic. A CTC control cabin is located in the station area.

• Overvaal (24 km from Ermelo on Vryheid line)

There is a grain silo at the station.

• Pan (58 km from Witbank on Komatipoort line)

There is a grain silo at the station and a colliery loads coal for export.

• Palmford ( 55 km from Standerton, 30 km from Volksrust)

This station is the connecting point for a private line to the nearby power station. It is very busy, with over 7 million tons of coal being delivered per annum.

• Platrand (187 km from Union on Volksrust line)

There is a grain silo at the station.

• Reitkuil (About 15 km south of the junction with the Witbank - Maputo line)

A private siding runs to the Arnot power station of ESKOM and export coal is loaded from a number of mines in the area.

• Rivulets (28 km west of Nelspruit on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading forest products.

• Saaiwater (13 km from Ogies on Broodsnyersplaas - Ermelo line)

Location of a large yard which serves three connecting collieries.

• Stoffberg (71 km from Derwent on Roossenekal branch)

There is a grain silo at the station.

• Sunbury (9 km west of Belfast on the Witbank - Komatipoort line)

A halt with sidings for loading coal for export.

• Trichardt (98 km from Springs on the Ermelo line)

An important private siding serves the Sasol Plants at Secunda.

• Uitkyk (28 km east of Witbank)

Coal is loaded at this station.

• Vandyksdrift (35 km from Ogies)

Coal is loaded at the station and brought in by rail from two collieries.

• Voorslag (Situated on the Ermelo - Machadodorp line)

There is a coal mine at the station which loads coal for export.

• Wonderfontein (86 km from Witbank on Komatipoort line)

There is a grain silo at the station.