WINNING Consortium Simandou (WCS) has confirmed a $US 248m order with Wabtec for the supply of 65 Evolution Series ES43ACmi locomotives and associated services. The locomotives will be deployed on the under-construction 670km Trans Guinea Railway that will connect Beyla in the Simandou mining area in the east of Guinea with the Port of Morebaya on the Atlantic coast.
The dual-cab ES43ACmi diesel locomotive will be equipped with a 3.3MW Evolution Series diesel engine. The specific number of locomotives was not disclosed by Wabtec, which also won a $US 277m order to supply an undisclosed number of ES43ACmi locomotives to SimFer in July 2024.
SimFer is a joint venture of the government of Guinea, Rio Tinto and Chalco Iron Ore Holdings, and along with WCS, a joint venture of Winning International, which is headquartered in Singapore, and China Hongqiao Group, is working to develop iron ore mining activities in Simandou, the connecting railway and a new deepwater port at Morebaya. The project requires a total investment of more than $US 15bn.
The Simandou mountain range is described as containing the world’s largest untapped reserve of high-grade iron ore. WCS is developing blocks 1 and 2 of the Simandou iron-ore deposit, which is estimated to account for 1.8 billion tonnes of reserves.
The new double track railway will have 12 stations, 206 bridges with a total length of 79.2km and four tunnels totalling 27.6km. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the project in March 2024. Construction of the port is also underway.
Wabtec’s regional vice-president of Sub-Saharan Africa, Mpilo Dlamini, says that in addition to supplying the locomotives, the company is “committed to the development of Guinea by fostering local employment, developing indigenous talent, and empowering local businesses to support the operation and maintenance of this vital rail network.”
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