Transnet completes restoration of key commodity rail line.

By Nelson Banya.

South Africa’s state-owned logistics operator Transnet said on Friday ​it has completed the restoration ‌of the Cape Mainline rail link following storm damage in May.

Heavy ​rainfall, strong winds and ​flooding on May 11 and 12 ⁠caused extensive damage to ​railway infrastructure, resulting in sections of ​the line being closed for more than two months, the Transnet Rail ​Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) said in a ​statement.

The Cape Mainline is a strategic mixed-freight ‌corridor ⁠linking Cape Town with South Africa’s inland rail network.

It carries containers, agricultural products, industrial ​goods, ​and minerals ⁠between the Port of Cape Town and the ​country’s economic heartland.

The line ​was ⁠first opened to diesel trains on July 31, before it ⁠was ​fully reopened for ​electric trains in August 2026, TRIM said.

© 2026 Reuters.

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