Gibela Rail Transport — jointly owned by Alstom (
www.alstom.com) (majority shareholder), Ubumbano Rail and New Africa Rail — announced at Africa Rail 2015 that construction of a new train-manufacturing site at Dunnottar (near Johannesburg) will begin in the third quarter of 2015.
The new site forms part of a contract won by Alstom in 2013 for the supply of 600 X’Trapolis Mega commuter trains (3,600 cars) over a period of 10 years, as well as technical support and the supply of spare parts over an 18-year period.
The site will cover 85,000sq m and be able to produce 62 trains per year; and while the first 20 trains are being built at Alstom’s Lapa plant in Brazil, the balance of 580 will be produced at the new site.
A first train is already in the testing phase and is well on course for shipment to South Africa in September.
Gian Luca Erbacci, senior vice-president for Alstom Transport Middle-East and Africa, said: “This project is one of the biggest in rail transport world-wide; Alstom, through Gibela, is proud to be part of it.
“This illustrates Alstom’s strategy to strengthen its presence at both global and local levels, thanks to its world-wide industrial footprint and strategic partnerships.”
When up and running, the Dunnottar facility will employ at least 1,500 people and will create thousands of jobs among suppliers over the first 10 years, achieving a local-content level of over 65%. The recruitment process for permanent positions is at an advanced planning stage.