[1] Gibela was announced as the preferred bidder for a R51 billion contract to build 3,600 electric multiple units for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa in December 2012,[2] which was finalized in October 2013.
[3] Under the terms of the contract, Gibela would construct the units over a ten-year period, as well as provide parts and technical support after delivery.
[3] While the first twenty EMUs, dubbed the X'Trapolis Mega, were built by Alstom in Brazil, Gibela began construction of a new R1 billion assembly facility in Dunnottar, South Africa in March 2016 to construct the remaining 580 trainsets.
[4] The factory is about 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft) in size and will employ about 1,500 people at full production, with a capacity of building 62 EMU trainsets annually.
[5][4] Gibela began occupying the facility in early January 2018, with construction scheduled to be completed in March.