South Africa’s Transnet suspends iron-ore railway on storm damage

South African state-owned rail operator Transnet SOC Ltd. said it has suspended operations along its iron-ore corridor to Saldanha since Thursday due to bad weather.

Around 600 meters of overhead track equipment was damaged in the Western and Northern Cape provinces and employees also had to be airlifted out after being stranded, Transnet said in a statement on Saturday.

The rail operator said Transnet Freight Rail suffered damage after thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail and high winds caused flash floods, cutting off access to a 150 km section of the railway.

The ore corridor, which also transports manganese, coal and others commodities, stretches 861 kilometers (535 miles) from Sishen in the Northern Cape to Saldanha Bay on the West Coast.

The company gave no indication of when operations will resume.