Interfleet is helping to shape the future of South African rail by supporting the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) on a major national project to reinvigorate the country’s rail network and wider rail industry.

Interfleet’s client is the Enterprise Programme Management Office (EPMO) team of PRASA. The Rolling Stock Fleet Renewal Programme involves the acquisition of up to 7,200 new electric multiple units (EMUs) which, over a period of 20 years, will augment and progressively replace the existing fleet, making it one of the biggest-ever train procurement programmes.

The new trains will allow expansion in the overall fleet to accommodate demand growth and provide the necessary resources to operate definitively planned extensions to the PRASA network. The programme will also facilitate the South African government’s overarching strategic vision of revitalising the local rail manufacturing industry.

Encompassing the provision of both strategic and technical advice to PRASA, Interfleet’s specific scope of work is to: lead the programme management, co-ordinating other advisors to PRASA; compile the technical specification; compile the maintenance specification; and support the tendering process and contractor selection in the technical and maintenance arena.

The Invitation to Tender for the new vehicles was issued in April 2012 with bids from potential suppliers to be received in September 2012.

This project follows on from previous work undertaken by Interfleet during 2010-11 (as part of a KPMG-led consortium comprising Arcus Gibb, ENS and Interfleet), to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study to prepare the groundwork for the current procurement phase of the project.