A request for proposals (RFP) will be released in September for the procurement of 12 additional train sets for the Gautrain rapid-rail operation, which is currently facing peak-period capacity constraints. The aim is to have the first new trains – which would be compatible with the network, but run independently of Bombardier Transportation's existing Electrostar trains – operational by March 2018.

Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe confirmed on Friday that the acquisition could cost between R2.5-billion and R4-billion and would be coupled with a 20-year maintenance contract, which could necessitate the expansion of a depot already being operated by the Bombela Concession Company (BCC), or the creation of an entirely new depot.

The BCC, which has the 20-year dispensation to operate the Gautrain public-private partnership (PPP) until 2026, would oversee the “open and competitive” tender process. Funding for the acquisition, meanwhile, had been secured through the Gauteng provincial government and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

Besides the key issue of pricing, the RFP evaluation criteria would deal with the technical capability of the train sets, comprising 48 cars in total, as well as life-cycle energy and operating efficiency, supply and maintenance costs, local content and socioeconomic development.

A localisation threshold of 65% had been set for the rolling stock, but the local-content stipulation also covered life-cycle maintenance and specified components, including the depot and signalling equipment.

Speaking at the Gauteng Infrastructure Investment Conference in Midrand, Van der Merwe said the acquisition programme was being pursued ahead of the completion of a feasibility study into the expansion of the 80 km, ten-station system to one comprising 200 km of rail and 18 stations. However, he stressed that the expansion study was advancing and that the intention was to share the PPP plan with the market during the course of 2016.

Various options were being considered, including adding medium- or slow-rail aspects to the rapid-rail system. This would facilitate the integration, onto certain routes, of train sets similar to those being acquired by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa from the Gibela Consortium for R51-billion.

Through the expansion across the Gauteng city region, it was possible that four services could eventually emerge, including the current Pretoria-to-Johannesburg passenger service and the airport service from Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport. The other services under review were a link from Mamelodi to Naledi, through Fourways, and a connection from Boksburg to Honeydew, via Randburg.

Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi said government’s support for the expansion had been strengthened by recent research showing positive socioeconomic spin-offs from the investment. A KPMG study indicated that the R27-billion project had released value in the province of around R47-billion. It had also played a powerful role in changing perceptions about public transport.

Vadi said that the feasibility study should be completed in 2016, but that various options were being interrogated to assess the form it should take and how it could support the aspiration for making rail transportation the “backbone” of public transport in the province.