R1bn investment towards Transnet manufactured locomotive
Transnet Freight Rail CEO Siyabonga Gama and Transnet CEO Brian Molefe discuss becoming a locomotive OEM. Cameraperson: Nichoals Boyd.
State-owned rail operator Transnet is dedicating about R1-billion of its R307-billion Market Demand Strategy (MDS) towards research and development for the manufacture of its own locomotives, Transnet group CEO Brian Molefe said at the company’s R50-billion supplier announcement, in March.
He added that the investment would assist in developing its engineering arm, Transnet Engineering (TE), into an original-equipment manufacturer (OEM).
“TE has established a dedicated research and development unit dedicated to this goal, at the Council for Scientific Research (CSIR), in Pretoria,” he pointed out, adding that Transnet has signed a cooperation agreement with the CSIR.
“We have a team of engineers working on a Transnet locomotive and we believe that by the end of the MDS, we will have sufficient knowledge to become an OEM,” Molefe asserted.
Transnet is also making a R300-million capital investment towards upgrading TE’s facilities in Durban and Koedoespoort, in Pretoria. “This investment will assist us in developing TE into an OEM, specifically focused on assembling and manufacturing locomotives for the rest of Africa,” said Transnet Freight Rail CEO Siyabonga Gama.
Molefe commented that Transnet is dedicated to developing South African rail capabilities, which will enable it to participate in the development that will take place in the African railway industry.
“The significance of today is that we have identified partners that will assist us in becoming an OEM for future sales to the rest of the continent and to other parts of the world,” he enthused.
He added that Transnet is already an internationally recognised brand through its past rail equipment sales to Australia, India and countries in South America and the Middle East.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation