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Following the launch of the Request For Proposals (RFP) for the new rolling stock by the Minister of Transport on 19 April 2012, and a successful market engagement, the RFP process formally closed on 30 September 2012.

This was an international RFP process that attracted the interest of some of the best rolling stock manufacturers in the world, in line with our intent to build modern trains that will have the best design and technology systems in the world.

The closure of the bidding period for this important project is a major milestone and we envisage that this exciting project will change the face of passenger rail in South Africa and reposition passenger rail as a backbone of South Africa’s public transport system.

We are satisfied with the response we have received through this process. This means that we have now entered the most critical phase in the bidding process as rolling stock manufacturers will partner with Prasa in building the best and modern fleet of passenger rail in the country.

At the close of the RFP process, a total of seven (7) companies submitted their bids to build South Africa’s next generation of modern commuter trains, which should be delivered from 2015 over the next 20 years. We are pleased to announce the following companies that have submitted their bids:

1. CAF – Spanish company
2. Bombadier – Canadian company
3. China South Rail – Chinese company
4. China North Rail – Chinese company
5. Gibela Rail Transportation – French consortium comprising of Alstom and Actom
6. Dudula Rail – consortium comprising of ABB (South African company) and Stadler (Swiss company)
7. CSR/Wictra – consortium comprising of CSR (Chinese company) and Wictra (South African company)

It remains government’s strategic goal to ensure that the trains are manufactured locally, local content is maximized and meaningful skills transfer in rail engineering is implemented. This is a step in a long journey for us as Prasa as we seek to modernize our fleet and contribute to job creation and economic development for our country.