Passenger line revamp presents major opportunity

Bombardier started engaging with South Africa’s government in the 1980s. However, during that time period South Africa did not expand its infrastructure in any big way. “It was a time of mainly focusing on upgrades, not renewal,” Bombardier’s Aubrey Lekwane noted. “When the Gautrain bid emerged in the mid- 1990s, it was an opportunity for new expansion.” Bombardier won the Gautrain tender and built the entire project, including the electronic ticketing system, creating a state-of-theart passenger rail link within the metropolitan. Lekwane views Gautrain as Bombardier’s symbol of pride in South Africa. Now the company is participating in the R123- billion Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) tender for the largest passenger rail project on the entire planet. The bid includes the revamping and resignalling of the passenger lines, and introducing more efficient train sets and infrastructure upgrades within the Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal and Gauteng. “In KZN Bombardier has at the moment preferred bid status. We also have a reserve bidder status in Western Cape, and in Gauteng we are still awaiting news,” Lekwane said. The bid will be decided towards the end of the year.