RE:Getting RailroadedApologies. I should have outlined the relevant information for you but figured you would just type search for rail in the relevant documents.
From page 11 of the 2016 Kamoa PFS:
Access to the Project area from Kolwezi is via unsealed roads to the villages of Kasekelesa and Musokantanda. The road network throughout the Project has been upgraded by Ivanhoe to provide reliable drill and logistical access. A portion of the 1,500 km-long railway line and electric power line from Lubumbashi to the Angolan town of Lobito passes to the north of the Project area, approximately 10 km to the north of the project area. From page 29 of the 2016 Kamoa PFS:
A phased logistics solution is proposed in the Kamoa 2016 PFS. Initially the corridor between southern DRC and Durban in South Africa is viewed as the most attractive and reliable export route. As soon as the railroad between Kolwezi and Dilolo, a town near the DRC-Angolan border, is rehabilitated, Kamoa’s production is expected to be transported by rail to the port of Lobito in Angola. I understand that you are arguing that the existing rail system isn’t up to the standards you have outlined, but IVN has noted and accounted for that. I am very confident that they are capable of upgrading the rail system to perform as required. It should be easier than building a mine after all, since the railbed is already visible and defined.
btw, when you move your goalposts to needing a "perfectly good railroad" from "there is no rail transport", it gets tiresome for me to pin down the point we are debating.
bloomfield18 wrote: Going Deeper and Alvarez,
There is no mention in any official Company studies of an operational railroad 10 miles from the project. They discuss regional rail options, but nothing local. And they all end the rail section (5.1.3) exactly the same way:
"The condition of and access to the current rail infrastructure in the DRC make rail a less viable option for inbound Project logistics."
Now how is it possible that a qualified person, either professional engineer or geologist, failed to mention even once, that there is a perfectly good railroad just 10 miles from Kakula?
Maybe because it's a dilapidated, rusting, piece of junk that hasn't seen any use in decades, and no one considered it worth mentioning?
I have a few questions:
When was the last time a train passed 10 miles from Kakula?
Can a person buy a ticket and travel 10 miles from Kakula by train?
And more to the point, how much will IVN have to spend to restore rail service?
I don't have any problem with IVN building rail access. It goes with the territory and is a lot more efficient than transport by truck. I'm sure they'll resolve the issue in time if the project advances as expected.