Thieves threaten World Bank-funded South African coal rail project

A World Bank Group-funded effort to increase train access to a power plant in South Africa’s coal-rich region has started to significantly backslide as criminals target the country’s rail system. Development of a 68-kilometer route between Ermelo, east of Johannesburg, and Eskom Holdings’s Majuba power station started over a decade ago to replace the continuous flow of trucks delivering coal to the plant. Once completed, the rail line will be cheaper, faster and more environmentally friendly, according to the World Bank.