Gibela

Gibela is a joint French–South African railway rolling stock manufacturer. It is majority owned by Alstom, which controls 61% of the company; African companies Ubumbano Rail and New Africa Rail have 30% and 9% stakes, respectively.[1]

Gibela was announced as the preferred bidder for a R51 billion contract to build 3,600 electric multiple units for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa in December 2012,[2] which was finalized in October 2013.[3] Under the terms of the contract, Gibela would construct the units over a ten year period, as well as provide parts and technical support after delivery.[3] While the first twenty EMUs, dubbed the X'Trapolis Mega, were built by Alstom in Brazil, Gibela began construction of a new R1 billion assembly facility in Dunnottar, South Africa in March 2016 to construct the remaining 580 trainsets.[4] The factory is about 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft) in size and will employ about 1,500 people at full production, with a capacity of building 62 EMU trainsets annually.[5][4] Gibela began occupying the facility in early January 2018, with construction scheduled to be completed in March.[6] In addition to building vehicles for South African operators, Gibela also plans to compete for other African rail contracts.[4]

References
  1. "First X'Trapolis Mega cars completed at Lapa". Railway Gazette International. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. "Alstom wins PRASA's 20-year fleet renewal programme". Railway Gazette International. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  3. "PRASA and Alstom sign R51bn EMU contract". Railway Gazette International. 14 October 2013. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  4. "Gibela starts work on EMU factory". Railway Gazette International. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  5. "X'Trapolis Mega EMUs enter revenue service". Railway Gazette International. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  6. "Gibela moves into South African EMU factory". Railway Gazette International. 9 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
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