Construction work on the commuter train factory complex at Dunnottar in Gauteng, Ekurhuleni area is set to begin during the third quarter of 2015. This was recently reported by the Gibela Rail Transport Consortium and it would cost US $0.08bn.
Establishment of the 85 000m2 factory would aid in the manufacturing of trains for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) which is owned by the state. In line with this construction project, there is also a contract worth US $4.15bn for the supply of 600 new trains in over ten years.
Construction work led by the Alstom consortium was initially expected to begin earlier in the year but delays due to site securing made the process to be scheduled for later in the year.
The first 20 trains from the 600 to be supplied would be constructed in Brazil while the 580 would be assembled in the Dunnottar Industrial factory complex. The last train is expected to be delivered in 2017.
The construction factory is expected to construct 62 trains in a year during its peak time. All this will be done in line with the Alstom X’Trapolis Mega commuter train design.
In order to meet the requirement of 65 percent local content use as per the contract, the train factory will accommodate local suppliers.
According to the CEO of Gibela, Marc Granger, a special relationship with new and old South Africa suppliers had to be established in order to have a sustainable industry.
Construction of the train factory complex would help create employment for 1500 people with priority of employment being given to those with academic qualifications or artisanal skills.
