Vossloh to Supply Rail Milling and Grinding Machines to Railway Corporation (Pty) Limited in South Africa

• Vossloh is to supply two rail maintenance machines to Railway Corporation (Pty) Limited in South Africa.
• The order comprises a VTM-compact rail milling machine and a smart HSG-city rail grinding machine.
• The smart HSG-city is built to the 1,067mm Cape gauge and works at speeds of between 8km/h and 60km/h.
• The grinding machine records rail condition data, which Vossloh’s mapl-e platform analyses to direct maintenance.
• The VTM-compact is designed to remove severe rail defects and has an adjustable wheel gauge.
• The machines will maintain lines used to carry coal, iron ore and other commodities.

Vossloh is to supply two rail maintenance machines to Railway Corporation (Pty) Limited in South Africa: a VTM-compact rail milling machine and a smart HSG-city rail grinding machine fitted with Vossloh’s mapl-e digital analysis platform. According to Vossloh, the machines will maintain railway lines used to carry coal, iron ore and other commodities.

The German supplier announced the contract on 24 September 2026, during the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin, and set it against South Africa’s modernisation of its logistics and rail infrastructure to improve network availability and transport capacity.

The smart HSG-city is built to the 1,067mm Cape gauge used in South Africa. It works at speeds of between 8km/h and 60km/h, recording rail condition data while it grinds so that maintenance can be carried out with minimal track closures, and the mapl-e platform analyses that data to direct maintenance where it is needed. The VTM-compact is intended to remove severe rail defects, and its adjustable wheel gauge allows it to work on different networks and under different operating conditions.

Jade Orren, Shareholder representative of Railway Corporation (Pty) Limited, said: “Being able to machine rails preventively in future at high speeds of up to 60 km/h opens up new opportunities for safeguarding our infrastructure long-term. At the same time, the solution provides us with the optimum blend of economic efficiency and track availability.”

Marcel Taubert, Managing Director of Vossloh Rail Services, said: “It’s essential to determine the condition of the infrastructure early and deploy targeted maintenance measures.”

Vossloh has not disclosed the value of the contract or when the two machines will be delivered.