The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) of South Africa has concluded its inspection and verification of the AFRO 4000 Locomotives and has released its findings into the matter.

The AFRO 4000 series of diesel locomotives were purchased by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) from Vossloh Espana. The first locomotive arrived in South Africa in December 2014. To date, there are 13 AFRO 4000 locomotives in the country.

The RSR conducted inspections and tested 12 locomotives in the AFRO 4000 series. These inspections and tests were conducted at different locations within the railway network.

The report covers the technology review process followed by the RSR as it pertains to the AFRO 4000 fleet of diesel locomotives. It also covers an investigation into the impact of a deviation in the form of the AFRO 4000 fleet exceeding the vehicle gauge height on South African networks.

The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that the locomotives will operate safely in all the areas where they will be deployed by PRASA’s Main Line Passenger Services (MLPS).

RSR processes include submission of documents from permit and non-permit holders from the conceptual stage of each and every project. This report details the submissions from PRASA which, in this case, did not follow the required processes during the procurement of the AFRO 4000 series of diesel locomotives. Notwithstanding that the RSR received a statement of intent from PRASA stating its plan to procure Euro 4000 locomotives on 13 March 2014, it has since become apparent that the locomotives had already been purchased by this date.

The RSR conducted inspections and testing of the 12 locomotives in the AFRO 4000 series. Such inspections and tests were conducted at different locations of the railway network. These inspections were limited to the 25kV lines. The findings of the inspection and verification exercise are as follows:

• Abrasion marks were found on the roofs of the locomotives, indicating that contact or flashover occurred during testing;
• The cabin design is deemed not suitable for the South African operating conditions based on the location of the seats;
• There is no evidence of an existing maintenance contract to support the locomotives during the testing and commissioning process and beyond deployment; and
• Of the 13 locomotives, only one is equipped with a radio communication system.

The results of the inspection and assessment confirm that the AFRO 4000 series of locomotives is designed and manufactured to a height of 4140mm above rail head. This height exceeds the vehicle structure gauge height of 3965mm as required in the Transnet Freight Rail track maintenance manual. The impact of this deviation is that there is a greater risk of interference between Overhead Traction Equipment and the locomotive.

Accordingly, the RSR approves the deployment of the AFRO 4000 series on the 25kV lines in the Free State, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provided that the conditions highlighted in the assessment are met.

The RSR reiterates that all the safety critical items identified and communicated with PRASA in this report must be addressed before an operating licence can be granted for the locomotives to be operated on the South African network.

These include the successful completion of the tunnel tests and the acceptance of the results by the RSR, cab ergonomics analysis – all of which must be submitted to the RSR for evaluation and assessment purposes.

With the exception of locomotive height limitations in certain areas of the network and subject to the highlighted conditions in this report, the PRASA AFRO 4000 series locomotives possess acceptable performance capabilities to operate in the South African network.

View the full RSR report (PDF).