The commuter trains that will be built at the manufacturing plant in Donnottar will become a modern mode of transport.
The first 20 of the 600 commuter trains contracted to Gibela by Prasa are currently being manufactured in Lapa, Brazil.
Read more about the contract here.
The rest of the trains will be built from the last part of 2016 at the new rolling stock plant at Donnotar.
Pamella Radebe, Gibela’s communications director says the car body-shell of the first train in this contract was recently finished in Brazil.
A car body-shell, which weighs about 9 tons, is the metal structure of a railway truck, consisting the under-frame, two side walls, the roof and two extreme ends of the train.
The Prasa commuter trains are made of stainless steel which has been shipped from South Africa to Brazil for the first trains.
Radebe says the completion of the first body-shell is a significant milestone in the rolling stock project as it precedes the fitting phase where more than 2 000 different interior fittings – electrical equipment, traction motors, bogies, cables, pipes, air conditioning and doors are being fitted inside the shells.
The type of train to be built at the new plant will be the new X’Trapolis commuter train, developed by Alstom.
Radebe says the single-deck and eco-designed trains will have four types built to the same high technical specifications.
“The friendly exterior with its gentle contours exudes a quiet elegance, while its energetic and robust urban character expresses efficiency,” says Radebe.
The train will have features such as:
- accommodates up to 1,200 passengers in six coaches, although the multiple coupling modular design permits adjustments for periods of higher and lower demand.
- Travel speeds of up to 120km/h with the ability to be upgraded to 160km/h.
- Compliant with the latest international safety requirements including an anti-crash system designed to protect the driver and passengers in a collision.
- A lightweight, stainless steel structure which consumes significantly less energy than the current fleet.
- It will have 90% recyclable components and energy-saving features, including regenerative braking, allowing for a 30% reduction in energy consumption compared to the best of PRASA’s current fleet.
- Each coach has six wide double doors, accommodating people who are mobility challenged.
- The interior is spacious and allows room for easy movement, while the large exterior windows, together with a combination of LED lighting, provide a bright space with lots of natural light.
- The passages are wide and unobstructed and ensure uninterrupted views down the train, enhancing security.
- Additional to this there are overhead luggage racks, large ergonomic toilets in some of the trains, seating grips, CCTV and carefully selected fabrics and finishes.
- The X’Trapolis Mega is air-conditioned and passengers will enjoy real-time information and wi-fi internet access on the Metro Express.
- A monitoring system will ensure the trains are reliable and run on time.
Radebe says the raw material in manufacturing the trains include stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminium insulation and more than 2000 different parts manufactured locally and mainly in Europe.
“Once the manufacturing process has reached a stabilised pace, Gibela is targeting to reach 70% local content,” says Radebe.
