Rail services company Traxtion is expanding its locomotive overhaul capabilities to support the growing demand for rolling stock across the continent.

The expansion is centred on the company’s Rosslyn Rail Services Hub in Pretoria, where up to 14 locomotives can be rebuilt at a time. Recent additions include a 2 500 m² facility that houses a locomotive and wagon parts store. This is expected to reduce turnaround times and cut costs for rail operators through quicker access to critical components and in-house refurbishment of rolling stock parts.

The hub also includes a wheel shop, a paint booth, and a Transport Education Training Authority-accredited training centre that develops diesel electrical fitter artisans on a yearly basis. In 2023, the company recorded its highest intake of apprentices to date, anticipating future growth in rail demand and a need to expand the sector’s skills base.

A recent project undertaken by Traxtion involved rebuilding four scrapped UC20 locomotive carcasses into fully functioning 2 000 hp locomotives for a client in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the company, the rebuild was completed in less than half the time and at significantly lower cost than purchasing new locomotives from an original-equipment manufacturer (OEM).

The project drew on local engineering and manufacturing firms to modernise and upgrade obsolete components. Traxtion’s in-house technical teams carried out the rebuild in line with OEM standards.

Traxtion CEO James Holley said that the Rail Services Hub enables the company to deliver high-quality refurbishment and maintenance services. “Having the right technicians, the right processes and procedures, and the right facilities is fundamentally important, but the first step is starting with the right quality assets, and that is what the Rail Services Hub achieves for us,” he noted.

The company has also started installing new control systems on older-generation locomotives and has invested in digitised maintenance systems to improve its service offering and fleet management capabilities.

As rail reform efforts gather pace in South Africa and elsewhere on the continent, Traxtion says its ability to scale locomotive rebuilds through refurbishment of decommissioned units offers a more sustainable and cost-effective response to growing fleet demands.