Photo by: Dylan Slater
The first new Xtra’polis Mega commuter train to be built in South Africa is undergoing final testing and will be handed over to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) before year-end, transport consortium Gibela reported on Monday.
The train is being tested on a 1.2 km customised test track at Gibela’s manufacturing facility at Dunnottar, Gauteng, and can reach a top speed of 120 km/h.
Gibela stated that a second X’trapolis Mega commuter train was nearing completion and that it would deliver at least six trains scheduled to Prasa by the end of March next year.
Gibela launched its R1-billion, 78 ha train manufacturing facility in October. The plant contains more than R350-million worth of specialised equipment, including seven-axis welding robots, the first of their kind to be used in the rail industry globally.
At full production, the plant will turn out two railway cars a day, one-and-a-half trains a week, 62 trains a year and a total 580 trains over the next ten years – reportedly the fastest train production rate in the world.
The trains will be delivered to Prasa as part of a R51-billion contract for 600 X’trapolis Mega commuter trains. The first 20 were manufactured in Brazil, with the last of these arriving in South Africa in June 2017.
Some 65% of the value of each train is spent with local suppliers. Currently, there are 71 South African suppliers registered with Gibela for the supply of various goods and services, and a robust supplier development programme is in place to ensure this number grows.