Beit Bridge and Bulawayo Railway Line – Zimbabwe, Southern Africa

KV3, as a member of a multi-disciplinary consortium, was responsible for the Horizontal and Vertical Route Alignment, Bridge Design, Formation Design and Earthworks Design of 80km of the 160km new line, the rehabilitation required on 60km of existing line, as well as Construction Supervision on the project as a whole. The surveying of the complete line was performed under the supervision of KV3 using GPS technology and transmitting information after hours via satellite to the design team. The 220km were surveyed in 45 days, detail design was completed within 3 months and the line was constructed within 12 months. It was constructed at a cost of US$35 million.

Specification/Design:

• During the planning and design of the railway line, considerable attention was given to environmental aspects, particularly regarding the protection of ancient indigenous Baobab trees along the route.

The railway line was designed as a conventional formation with ballast and concrete sleepers.

Location: