The new rolling stock procurement programme from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is the largest passenger rail and system upgrade in the world, says professional services firm KPMG.

The project consists of two phases, the first phase being a complete upgrade of the South African rail infrastructure, the importing and building of new trains and the maintenance of the entire railway system for ten years. KPMG infrastructure deal advisory head De Buys Scott says that the second phase will be finalised towards the completion of the first phase in around ten years’ time and having considered the overall transport economics at that time.

There are currently three different companies undertaking the upgrades for the new railway system and rail transport company Alstom is providing the first set of trains from its Brazil manufacturing plant with the assistance of the Alstom-controlled local rail transport consortium Gibela. Scott explains that the trains will be substantially manufactured in South Africa within the next ten years to secure economic growth in the country.

He says that the first of two phases of the project is a fixed price contract between PRASA and Alstom/Gibela that amounts to around R65-billion, including any cost increases that might occur as a result of damages or unforeseen challenges being absorbed by one of the parties.

The contract that Alstom/Gibela has with PRASA ensures that the work to manufacture the new trains and to upgrade the existing infrastructure takes place within South Africa by the end of the first phase, which ends in 2026. He explains that the trains will not only sustainably be built in South Africa, but the materials used to create them will be sourced from local companies.

“The upholstery, body panels and any other parts that can be made will be sourced locally. However, the engines and other high-tech electronic equipment that will drive the trains will have to be sourced internationally from Alstom’s international manufacturing plant. Before the end of the first phase, more than 50% of all costs to produce the trains will be reinvested into the local supply chain,” says Scott.

At the moment, the first semi-manufacturing plant for the new trains is being built in Dunnottar, in Nigel, Gauteng. He explains that, at the end of May, the first testing facility for these new train cars will also be completed in Wolmerton, in Pretoria, Gauteng.

At the testing facility, trains will be tested on their ability to function on a wider area such as the new railway structure that is being built across South Africa, together with the technical compliance testing for the new train cars.

Scott explains that the first countrywide upgrade to the rail infrastructure has been the signalling system that can accommodate the new technology that controls the trains. Eventually, the entire rail infrastructure will be upgraded to accommodate the new X’Ttrapolis Mega trains that are being built by Alstom.

“The entire signalling system across South Africa is already being upgraded, while every major station also needs to be upgraded. “This is because the new trains are longer than the older platform sizes, which is why they are being lengthened. All the technical equipment at these stations will be upgraded as well,” he explains.

The new trains will consist of 6 coaches/cars that will be capable of handling more than 200 passengers per car, for example, in excess of 1 200 passengers per train journey, and will be capable of travelling at 160 km/h, which is almost twice as fast as the older Metrorail trains.

He says that this will eventually assist in decreasing the pressure on other transport systems within the country.

“A lot more people will be able to be move through the metros and arrive on time at their desired locations. With people arriving faster, earlier and more safely at their place of work, this is likely to have a positive impact on productivity of the country,” says Scott.

Last month, Engineering News reported that PRASA has, to date, taken delivery of five X’Trapolis Mega train sets being manufactured by the Gibela Rail Transportation Consortium, in Brazil.

A further two of the train sets, each comprising six coaches, are en route to South Africa, while the remaining 13 are in the manufacturing phase.

The 20 train sets form part of the Gibela consortium’s original R51-billion contract, signed with PRASA in 2013, for the supply of about 600 train sets over a ten-year period. Speaking at the public launch of Test Train No 2 (TT2), on May 25, PRASA senior executive Piet Sebola reiterated that the first of the X’Trapolis Mega train sets would be commissioned by October.

Unlike the first test train, TT1, which had not been outfitted with any passenger comforts, the first three coaches of TT2, which was delivered to PRASA in March, have been fully fitted with all the interior components, including air-conditioning, closed-circuit television and an emergency passenger intercom system.

The three remaining coaches have been fitted with only electronic systems to allow for comparison with TT1’s electronic systems as part of the overall test phase.

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has called on South Africans to protect and value the new trains, stressing the importance of PRASA and government’s investment in new rolling stock to ensure the delivery of good-quality services to communities.