South African Wagon Builder Secures Major Order for the Lobito Corridor

Galison Manufacturing, a South African-based industry leader in the manufacture and supply of railway freight wagons and mining equipment, is pleased to announce a significant order for container wagons received from Lobito Atlantic Railway, SA, the concessionaire on the Lobito Corridor linking the Port of Lobito in Angola with the DRC Copperbelt.

The order entails the delivery of 275 wagons over a 30-month period, accompanied by a substantial quantity of operational spares. “The contract was secured amidst rigorous international competition, requiring Galison to meet exacting price points and stringent technical specifications,” says Galison CEO, Andrew Thorburn.

The container wagons will be manufactured at Galison’s state-of-the-art factory in Welkom, South Africa, using the latest equipment, including CNC drills, profiling machines, and presses; the welding will be done using robotic cells. Each wagon will be made from high-strength steel to reduce the weight to 13.5 tonnes, thereby maximising the cargo-carrying capacity for each wagon.

Over the past eight years, Galison has specialised in this type of wagon construction, which is commonly used in Europe, and has developed several container and hopper wagon types built to these designs that have been successfully deployed in the market.

“This order is among the most significant in our company’s history. It underscores our expanding presence within the South African Development Community (SADC), as Galison-made wagons will soon be operational across nearly all its member countries, including South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, and the DRC,” concludes Thorburn.