It seems as though the very first Gautrain car “four-car train sets” have been handed over to SA!!
This is fantastic stuff.
Here’s a short press release and Pic below!
Custom branded in Gautrain’s distinctive golden colour, the first four-car train set was proudly handed over to Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa at Bombardier’s Derby assembly plant in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, 8 July.
The Gautrain rolling stock of 96 rail cars is based on the renowned Bombardier Electrostar series, known for their state-of-the-art technology and reliable, high performance standards. The lightweight aluminium car bodies – a first for South Africa – also offer increased energy efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements. It has been customised to meet South African requirements.
The first 15 rail cars, plus the body shells for the complete fleet, will be manufactured at Bombardier Transportation’s facility in Derby. The body shells and some of the major components for the remaining 81 rail cars will be shipped to Union Carriage and Wagon (UCW) in Nigel for final assembly.
Teams from UCW, who are presently at Derby being trained in the assembly of the Gautrain rail cars, will constitute the core of the assembly teams when local production commences. A core feature of the Electrostar rail cars is their suitability for local assembly, which is made possible by the use of bolted aluminium construction methodology. In turn, this delivers on Gautrain’s socio-economic objectives of skills transfer and job creation.
In order to meet the requirements for safety at higher speeds and easily obtain ‘state-of-the-art’ rail cars, Gautrain will operate on the widely used Standard Gauge track. Measuring 1 435 millimetres between rails, this is the predominant track gauge internationally, and was last used in South Africa in the 1860s. The existing narrower track gauge (1 065 millimetres) used locally is known as Cape Gauge.
Supported by a dedicated fleet of 125 buses, Gautrain will be able to carry more than 100 000 passengers per day in each direction between Johannesburg and Tshwane.
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