Name and Location
PRASA new rolling stock procurement programme – Gibela rolling stock project, South Africa.

Client
Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).

Project Description
The programme involves the acquisition of about 7 200 new rail vehicles by 2034.

The supply programme will be rolled out in two phases, with the first involving the supply of 600 trains comprising 3 600 coaches over a ten-year period.

The rail agency signed a R51-billion contract with Gibela Rail Transport Consortium, comprising Alstom (61%), Ubumbano Rail (30%) and New Africa Rail (9%), in October 2013 to supply the first 600 trains from 2015 to 2025.

Ubumbano Rail comprises several companies that are keen to enter the rail sector as suppliers. The three commercial entities in Ubumbano Rail are Khipunyawo Rail, the Elgin-Identity Rail Corporation and Community Rail.

The consortium will provide PRASA with Alstom’s X’Trapolis Mega train, with each train comprising six cars capable of transporting more than 1 300 passengers. The trains will travel at speeds of up to 120 km/h and could be upgraded to travel 160 km/h.

The first 20 trains and 120 coaches are being manufactured at Alstom’s Lapa facility in São Paulo, Brazil, while a R1-billion, 600 000 m2 local manufacturing facility will be built in Dunnottar, Ekurhuleni, to manufacture the balance of the trains.

Gibela will also provide maintenance, spare parts and technical support for PRASA over a 19-year period in terms of a contract worth about R10-billion. Alstom will establish five maintenance depots – two in Gauteng, two in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Eastern Cape – that will provide fault-finding support, reliability engineers, controls and monitoring, and material requirement planning. Gibela will also establish two repair centres in Salt River and Durban.

In support of the programme, PRASA has embarked on a major modernisation programme, which will include depot and station modernisation; a rolling stock refurbishment programme; and perway, bridges, infrastructure and signalling upgrades.

Value
The project forms part of PRASA’s R136-billion rolling stock fleet renewal programme.

Duration
R51-billion.

Latest Developments
The first new passenger trains to be delivered according to a multibillion-rand contract signed between Gibela and PRASA, are set to enter service in October, PRASA strategic asset development group executive Piet Sebola has said.

The first new blue and grey passenger trains, replacing the yellow and grey Metrorail sets, will operate on the line between Pretoria and Pienaarspoort.

“By January next year we will have only new trains on that line. It will be about eight sets, with one set spare,” he notes.

The second line to introduce the new trains will be the Pretoria – Saulsville line, followed by the Pretoria – Johannesburg line.

Sebola has said that he is “very happy” with the progress on the rolling stock contract.

“As we are talking, we have six train sets on our shores, the factory is under construction and a new training centre will open at the same site. Everything is on track.”

Thirty-two local companies are already supplying parts to the Brazilian-made trains.

Gibela also has forty-seven contracts in place to supply various materials, components and services.

PRASA is expected to operate the old Metrorail train sets for about another ten years, to ensure that the company has “the critical mass” necessary to support its customers.

“The new sets will start to dominate by around 2027.”

Old train sets are still being refurbished at a cost of around R2-billion a year.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
The local suppliers to Gibela include: Siyahamba Engineering (cabin doors, and interiors, including partition walls); Booyco Engineering (saloon heaters, driver footrests); ILVA  General Engineering (air tank reservoirs); KAMA Industries (horns); Profibre (passenger seats and longitudinal benches); KARE Industrial (battery boxes); First National Battery (batteries); Denel (baseboard ducts); Global Composite (luggage racks, equipped ceiling, cab and saloon air ducts); Delberg Engineering & Quality Systems (handbars and backrests); Radél (passenger and cab lighting, door-light and voltage indicators); Gibbs (insulation); Crest Information Systems (door external fairing, extract air duct in cubicles); Laser Junction (brackets, cab foot steps); Laser Junction/General Profiling Matla Steel (coupler push backs); Laser Junction/SPE (tool boxes); Jandinox (equipment support); Buzas (obstacle deflectors); Columbus Stainless/Macsteel (stainless steel); Arcelor Mittal South Africa/Macsteel (carbon steel); LED Lighting SA (external front/cab lighting); Aberdare Cables (cables and wires); and Forminox (piping).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
PRASA, Moffet Mofokeng, tel +27 12 748 7000 or email momofokeng@prasa.com.
Gibela communications director Pamella Radebe email pamella.radebe@gibela-rail.com.
Siyahamba Engineering, tel +27 11 824 2183.
Booyco Engineering, tel +27 11 974 8640 or email info@booyco.co.za
ILVA  General Engineering, tel +27 11 609 3000/1, fax +27 11 609 6618 or email info@liva.co.za.
KAMA Industries, tel +27 11 472 3980, fax +27 11 672 9800 or email sales@kama.co.za.
Profibre, tel +27 31 713 8900, fax +27 31 702 0500 or email admin@profibre.co.za
KARE Industrial, tel + 27 11 334 0922 or email info@kare.co.za
First National Battery, tel +27 11 741 3600, fax +27 11 421 1625 or email marketing@battery.co.za.
Denel, tel +27 12 671 2700, fax +27 12 671 2751 or email marketing@denel.co.za.
Global Composite, tel +27 33 346 0203, fax +27 33 346 0310 or email info@globalcomposites.co.za.
Delberg Engineering & Quality Systems, tel +27 12 666 8169/8451/8408 or email sales@delbergsa.co.za.
Radél, tel +27 11 888 6696, fax +27 11 888 2390 or email info@radel.co.za.
Gibbs, tel +27 11 519 4600 or fax +27 (0)11 807 5670.
Crest Information Systems, tel +27 11 887 7154.
Laser Junction, tel +27 86 0 52737.
General Profiling Matla Steel, tel +27 11 062 3200, fax +27 11 062 3271/2 or email sales@generalprofiling.co.za.
SPE, tel +27 11 674 5046 or email enquiries@spe-sa.com.
Columbus, tel +27 13 247 9111 or fax +27 13 246 1681.
Macsteel, tel +27 11 871 0000 or fax +27 11 823 3860.
AMSA, tel +27 16 988 0509 or email thami.mphokela@mssc.co.za.
LED Lighting SA, tel +27 21 510 0028
Aberdare Cables, tel +27 11 396 8000 or fax +27 11 396 8010.