SOUTH African private rail freight company Traxtion has secured a contract with Lobito Atlantic Railway, the private concessionaire operating the 1744km line from the port of Lobito in Angola to Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to lease two shunting locomotives for use at the port.
Traxtion has already leased U20C locomotives to the concessionaire to move copper and other freight trains in the DRC to the border with Angola, where they were replaced with other locomotives for the journey across Angola to the port. However, with the port unable to accommodate trains consisting of 30 wagons, the G18U shunters will be used to improve operations, offering a faster turnaround of the mainline locomotives.
Traxtion will also maintain the shunting locomotives and provide training to local staff. According to Traxtion CEO, James Holley, the first locomotive will arrive in Angola “shortly” and the second will follow later this year following the completion of modifications and upgrades at its Rosslyn Rail Hub site in Pretoria, South Africa.
"Projects in Africa can be tough and that is why we tailor-make solutions for our clients,” Holley says. “We have delivered [locomotives] for this customer in the DRC, and the success of that project means we have now been able to move into Angola with them.”
LAR is a consortium of Trafigura, Mota-Engil, and Vecturis. It began operation on the line under a 30-year concession in July 2023.
