 Prior to this point, rail transport via Maputo (Lourenço Marques) and Durban was the main means of transport and was reaching a point full capacity.Industry and SAR&H saw pipelines as a means of relieving the pressure on the railways.The first pipeline built was 12 inches wide at 430 cubic metres per hour, costing R20 million and was routed from Durban to Pretoria via Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith, Bethlehem, Kroonstad, Sasolburg and Alberton with ability to draw product from each of those points.