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
PRASA has received the second test train (TT2), as well as a Public Display Train Coach (PDTC) from Gibela.
This follows the delivery of the first test train (TT1) in December last year.
The Gibela consortium, in which French multinational Alstom has a stake, will supply 600 trains to PRASA up to 2027 in a R51-billion contract.
The TT2 is a six-coach train. The first three coaches will be empty, with exposed electrical panels and no passenger comforts, while the remaining three coaches will be fitted with passenger comforts in a similar fashion to the expected final passenger train.
The differences in the trains will mark the second phase of testing by PRASA and Gibela, which will include upgraded tests from lessons learned from TT1.
The testing teams will compare their findings from TT1 and investigate how the changes and adjustments affect the specified customer comforts and functionality of the train as per PRASA’s specifications.
The PDTC will, meanwhile, enable the public to see what the final trains will look like.
Like TT1, TT2 will not be released as a commercial train but will remain a test train, while the findings from the tests will ensure that all final train manufacturing specifications comply with the changes recommended by the testing teams.
Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.
On Budget and on Time?
Construction of the Dunnottar factory was initially expected to start in early 2015, but delays related to securing the site resulted in work falling behind schedule.
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.