Conakry, Republic of Guinea ─ Rio Tinto SimFer today marks a significant milestone in the development of rail infrastructure for the Simandou project, as it announces successful completion of the bridge piling on the rail spur between Beyla and Kérouané.
The construction team demonstrated outstanding efficiency by completing construction five months ahead of schedule. Over the course of 165 days, the teams completed 327 piles, pouring 12,186 tonnes of concrete and averaging a construction rate of two piles per day. If laid end to end, the piles measure 5.34 kilometres which is more than six times the height of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The 327 newly constructed bridge piles form the foundations of five bridges spanning a total of 1.7 kilometres. Their completion represents a crucial step in the construction of the 70-kilometre rail spur connecting blocks 3 and 4 to the mainline Trans Guinean railway. This connection will facilitate the transportation of Simandou high-grade iron ore to the multi-use Morébaya port facilities.
Charles Zimmerman, Global Head of Projects at Rio Tinto visited the mine-site in June, bringing his leadership team to offer their expertise and insights to this world-class project: “One of the greatest joys of my role is seeing ambitious and innovative projects come to life. During my recent visit to Guinea, my team and I had the privilege of witnessing first-hand the remarkable speed at which the Simandou project is taking shape. The completion of the bridge piles – six months ahead of schedule – demonstrates our team’s relentless focus on delivery. It marks another milestone in our construction of critical infrastructure – moving us one step closer to the realisation of the Simandou project.”
For his part, Chris Aitchison, Managing Director of SimFer expressed pride for the achievement of this important milestone: “The delivery of the bridge piles, significantly ahead of our original schedule, underscores our commitment to progressing the Simandou project at pace – and reflects the strength of our collaboration with our partners. I am proud of our team’s dedication – achieving a crucial step in enhancing regional infrastructure and laying the foundation for the next phase of construction on the rail spur.”
In line with its commitments, Rio Tinto SimFer and its contractors completed the works injury free. Additionally, to support operations and the well-being of workers, 81% of whom are Guinean, Rio Tinto SimFer constructed four new living quarters, accommodating 1,600 workers.
