Media releases

Tuesday, 7 February 2017 was a big day for Gibela, its customer, PRASA and thousands of excited rail commuters travelling in the Koedoespoort – Rissik Corridor in Pretoria. The first of 600 new, state-of-the-art X’Trapolis Mega trains built by Gibela for PRASA carried its first passengers, paving the way for its entry into full commercial service.

More than 500 construction workers – most of them recruited from local communities – have celebrated 500 000 injury-free hours of work on the site of train manufacturer Gibela’s new premises at Dunnottar, near Springs.

Gibela has been awarded a Provisional Acceptance Certificate from PRASA for its first X’Trapolis MEGA train¹, paving the way for its customer, PRASA...

Seven months since site mobilisation for the construction of its sprawling, R1 billion train manufacturing complex at Dunnottar, Gibela has made dramatic progress, together with its empowered partners.

Gibela is a new, exciting, empowered South African company, charged with building South Africa’s new commuter trains right here in South Africa, by South Africans, over the next 10 years. In doing so, Gibela will revitalise South Africa’s once proud railway industry.

Gibela gave life to its commitment to local socio-economic development this week when it launched its maths, science and English Saturday classes in communities neighbouring its Dunnottar manufacturing site, currently under construction.

Some 914 learners at Umnyezane Primary School, near Nigel, are walking that little bit taller from today, in new school shoes donated by Gibela employees in recognition of Mandela Day.

The first 32 South African suppliers to provide local content for 600 new passenger trains being built by Gibela for the Passenger Rail Authority of South Africa (PRASA) were welcomed to PRASA’s Wolmerton depot today to preview the first five X’Trapolis Mega trains to be completed.

Gibela has announced the award of the contract for the main site buildings for its factory in Dunnottar, Ekurhuleni.

The production of the first South African-manufactured commuter train − made up of six state-of-the-art cars – destined for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA) Metrorail network is scheduled to start in about 18 months’ time at a new R1 billion factory at Dunnottar in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.

Gibela is set to begin preparing the site selected for its Dunnottar train manufacturing facility in Ekurhuleni.

The first of a batch of 20 X’Trapolis MEGA (metric gauge) commuter trains for the PRASA rolling stock project has arrived in South Africa from Brazil on schedule.