Engineering News reports that while the Gibela factory in Gauteng has started to steadily produce new, made-in-South Africa trains for the Metrorail system, it might take some time before these trains all start carrying passengers.
The Gibela Rail Transport Consortium is to deliver 600 new trains (3,600 cars) to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), in a R59-billion deal signed in 2014. The deal forms part of a 20-year, R172-billion programme to improve the Metrorail service on the whole, including signalling systems and station infrastructure. There is a question, however, as to when Prasa will be able to meet the conditions set by the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR). In that regard, Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani commented Metrorail faced a massive challenge in terms of modernising its corridors to be able to accept any new rolling stock, owing to rampant theft, arson and vandalism. The courts rarely impose maximum sentences on those responsible for the damage. But, according to the SA Police Service (SAPS), it is the job of Prasa to look after its assets, and not that of the SAPS. Meanwhile, Gibela’s factory will not stand still, with peak production set at 62 trains a year. Metrorail has depots in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape able to house the new trains.
- Read the full original of the report on the above at Engineering News
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