GE Sells 100 Locomotives in South Africa

South Africa’s state-owned rail freight utility, Transnet Freight Rail, is acquiring 100 diesel electric locomotives from GE Transportation.

Only 10 of the locomotives will be manufactured at GE’s facilities in Erie and Grove City, Pa. The other 90 will be manufactured locally at Transnet Rail Engineering’s site in South Africa with kits provided by GE Transportation.

These will be the first AC diesel electric locomotives anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa although GE Transportation has an installed base of some 1,200 locomotives in Africa including approximately 900 in South Africa.

A year ago, Mineworkers Investment Company, based in South Africa, established subsidiary GE South Africa Technologies, which now has the contract to build the 90 units for Transnet.

“We are delighted that GESAT has been successful in winning this Transnet Freight Rail contract as this is an excellent example of the type of participation in the South African economy that was anticipated in the creation of GESAT 12 months ago,” said Tshidi Madima, executive director of the MIC.

“We are pleased that GE is helping drive South Africa towards a lead manufacturing economy by localizing the production of locomotives in South Africa. We look forward to sharing some of our global success with Transnet and thus jointly expanding our regional footprint,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO of GE Transportation.

Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.