Conakry, Republic of Guinea – SimFer, the joint venture between the Government of the Republic of Guinea, Rio Tinto and the CIOH consortium led by Chinalco, has celebrated the mechanical completion of the 70 km railway spur linking the SimFer Mine to the TransGuinean Railway.
Trains began operating over the spur in November, and today this celebration marks the formal completion of the construction project.
The project was delivered by SimFer, together with China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co. Ltd (CR18), to connect the mine to market and enable the ongoing ramp up of shipments of high-grade iron ore. Completing the rail spur required a strong effort involving people from over thirty countries and was delivered on time and on budget, with an excellent safety performance.
Speaking at a SimFer event last week to celebrate the achievements of the people who worked on the rail spur, Mark Davies, Rio Tinto’s Chief Safety and Technical Officer, said:
“It is a great honour to have watched the rail team overcome significant engineering and technical challenges to deliver such an important piece of Simandou’s infrastructure and most importantly to do it safely. The team worked for nearly 15 million hours without a lost time injury.
I would like to sincerely thank our teams, our partners, local communities and in particular, our Guinean workforce many of whom came from Beyla and Kérouané, their contributions have been central to this achievement, and their dedication and professionalism have made this possible.”
Dong Jianxiong, Vice President of Chinalco, was also present at the celebration and said:
“With the joint efforts of all investors and partners, the Simandou project has set a strong benchmark of confidence for global investors, fully demonstrating that mutually beneficial cooperation can create extraordinary value. We will continue to uphold high standards of social responsibility, develop local technical and management talent, and deepen our engagement in sustainable community development, contributing further to Guinea’s long-term economic and social progress. This milestone represents an important step forward in the development of the Simandou Project and its contribution to Guinea’s economic and industrial growth.”
The SimFer Rail Spur is a key component of the integrated logistics chain of the Simandou Project. Its delivery included a range of major infrastructure works, notably:
- Total track laid of 146km
- Five railway bridges totaling approximately 1.75 kilometres
- A railway tunnel measuring 926 metres
- A passenger station
- 210 kilometres of fibreoptic cable
- Integrated signalling, telecommunications and security systems.