Coaches

Versatile and cost-effective solutions for the design and build of any type of railway car you can imagine.

The Coaches Business is Transnet Engineering’s manufacturing, repairs, upgrades and maintenance unit for various railway cars, catering for the needs of Africa’s commuter, intercity, and luxury rail services.

The Coaches Business builds a variety of coaches, from suburban commuter coaches, to kitchen, sleeper, sitter, conference, baggage, dining cars and Business Express coaches catering for the business class, and everything in-between, including specialized custom coaches built tailor-made to customer requirements and specifications.

Remanufacturing includes a wide range of services, with facilities being well equipped and able to upgrade and maintain everything from the luxury Blue Train, to urban commuter coaches. Specialized passenger cars produced by the business range from small tourist trains, to dining, lounge and kitchen cars, power generating units and more.

It also manufactured Phelophepa, South Africa’s first train built for taking medical and dental services to far-flung areas and rural communities. Among the technical innovations achieved by this business is the development of the 3CR12 corrosion resistant cladding used on the modular rebodying of commuter coaches.

The Coaches Business manufactures, reconditions, builds, upgrades and repairs over 250 mainline and suburban electric coaches annually.

The Coaches Business boasts an exceptional fast turnaround time, completing projects in records, such as the 2015 Tshwane Business Express in only four months.

The unique General Overhaul Modular (GOMOD) approach results in train cars that are cost-efficient, well-built, vandal- and fire-proof.

This, in turn, led to another innovation called General Overhaul Modular (GOMOD), which is a cost-effective and modular alternative to coach remanufacturing. The coaches’ team has also constructed a commuter coach, called 10M5, that is vandal and fire resistant, energy efficient, and extremely low on maintenance, manufacturing components such as the modular 3CR12 sides, ends and roofs, and paneled with high-density polyethylene.

The Transnet Engineering Coaches Business is exceptionally versatile; consulting closely with each client to produce passenger coaches that are specially tailored to each client’s needs. The Unibody modular mainline passenger coach, that was designed and manufactured by this business, was the first of its kind in the Southern hemisphere, adding to the long list of expertise of the business