In what has been a move that is geared towards revamping the economy of Sierra Leone, Kingho Mining Company Limited has confirmed that its mines in Tonkolili and the railway and port of its co-subsidiary in Pepel Town have started full operation on Saturday March 6, 2021.
This landmark move by the Company came when it acquired a large scale mining license in 2020 to operate the New Tonkolili Iron Ore Mines, and took over the site from the Government of Sierra Leone on September 23, 2020. It also came just about two months after the signing of the 192 kilometer railway and port lease agreement by Kingho Railway and Port Company and the GoSL that will ensure the company utilizes the infrastructure for their iron ore transportation out of the country.
Already, as a way of reawakening the awareness of the people in the rail corridor communities, the company is putting safety modalities in place to ensure that residents along the railway are protected while its train operations are ongoing.
According to management, motor bike /vehicle pass which cross the rail must use the legal level crossings and before one passes the level crossing they must, listen and look for trains. Pedestrians, they say, must maintain a 3 meter distance away from the railway on both sides. The Management of Kingho added that communities along the railroad have been sensitized that they should look after school going children, educate them not to put anything on the rail or climb up the wagons, and take reasonable steps to keep domestic animals like goats and cattle off the brail track.
Reaffirming its commitment to safety in the communities, Kingho companies have also over the past weeks engaged communities along the railway and recruited over 200 level crossing flagmen directly from the villages close to the rail track.
The first set of locomotive departs from Pepel Town today at 6:00 am for the mining site in Tonkolili, where also full-scale iron ore mining has also started.
09/03/2021. ISSUE NO: 8016