Civil Engineering December 2022 | Vol 30 No 11

12 December 2022 Civil Engineering 10 Rail B- Heavy haul freight lines Over the last 70 years freight rail tra c has grown by a factor of ve (driven by the export of coal and iron ore), while passenger transport has largely disappeared. The condition of the coal line (graded C+) has deteriorated, primarily due to management capacity shortcomings, mainte- nance practice deterioration, ageing signalling infrastructure, vandalism and theft. This has in turn caused a 20% reduction in the tonnage carried between 2017 and 2022. The iron ore line (graded B+) is prone to similar challenges but is currently in better condition. The existing general freight network is in a fair condition. This is despite signi cant deterioration brought about by constrained maintenance practices and the ongoing need to replace or repair stolen or vandalised equipment. Declining condition is re ected in reduced volume and safety performance. The most important corridor, between Durban and Gauteng, was severely damaged by oods in April 2022 and is still a long way from being fully repaired. The branch lines are in a very poor condition and only a small percentage is operational – some lines are no longer used. The general condition of the commuter rail network is very poor. Safety and security on the rail network have deteriorated, and fewer and fewer trains are dispatched each year due to infrastructure, process, and systems challenges. Operational issues include outdated equipment, theft, arson, and vandalism. Many mainline passenger services have collapsed and are now almost non-existent. The Gautrain system is in good condition, although track geometry has deteriorated since the line was built. Sound maintenance practices are in place and the system is still deemed world class. C- General freight lines E Branch lines E PRASA passenger lines A- Gautrain Electricity D- Eskom generating infrastructure Eskom owns and operates 15 thermal coal power stations. Some of them are more than 50 years old and have been operated without su cient maintenance and refurbishment. The consequent decline in energy availability has increased the severity of national grid loadshedding and forced greater usage of emergency diesel-powered open cycle gas turbines. The condition of electricity generating infrastructure weighs heavily on the national economy. Peak demand for Eskom electricity, while uctuating, has been on a slow decline over the last 10 years. Although in uenced by the state of the economy, this is linked to the decline in the condition of Eskom infrastructure and the consequent increasing unreliability of Eskom supply. Increasing tari s and the increasing availability of alternative sources of electricity are further in uences. The national transmission system consists of 33 000 km of high-voltage overhead lines and 446 power transformers. Although its average age is nearly 40 years, diligent refurbishment of switch gear, instrument transformers and power transformers have contained any deterioration in performance. The Eskom distribution grid consists of 351 000 km of overhead lines, nearly 8 000 km of cables, and 391 000 power transformers. Performance is measured by the number of disruption events and their duration. Both indicators have remained steady over the last decade. Given the paucity of data on municipal distribution networks, they have been excluded from the grading. B Eskom transmission network D Local distribution Healthcare D+ Hospitals There are nearly 4 200 health facilities, including 394 hospitals, in the country. In response to the outbreak of Covid-19, a signi cant amount of funds have been diverted to related emergency infrastructure. Data on the condition of health infrastructure is di cult to obtain. However, it appears that most provincial health depart- ments and their associated public works departments do not place enough emphasis on maintenance. Inadequate budgets, shortages of suitable sta , and supply chain and administrative issues often result in poor infrastructure condition. D Clinics Fire (new) While a grading for re infrastructure is not deemed appropriate at this stage, the following concerns must be noted:  Too many of the public sector’s buildings are not compliant with re safety regulations.  Municipal re protection services are often inadequate.