#5729· Zuid-Afrikaanse Klasse 20E

South African Class 20E

🇨🇳 China ·built by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd.· from 2013· class of 95 South African electric locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Class 20E (20 002): SAR Connecta· CC BY-SA 3.0
2. Class 20E 20-080: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
3. Class 20E (20 004): SAR Connecta· CC BY-SA 3.0
4. Class 20E 20-014: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
5. Class 20E 20-061: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
6. Class 20E no. 20-032: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
7. Class 20E (20 001): SAR Connecta· CC BY-SA 3.0
8. Class 20E 20-001: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0
9. Class 20E (20 004) - Tail: SAR Connecta· CC BY-SA 3.0
10. Class 20E 20-004: Col André Kritzinger· CC BY-SA 3.0

what is it?

The Transnet Freight Rail Class 20E of 2013 is a South African electric locomotive. In early August 2013, the first of ninety-five Class 20E dual-voltage electric locomotives for Transnet Freight Rail, was lowered onto its bogies for the first time. Ten of these locomotives were built by the Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Company in China while the rest were built locally.

who runs it

Transnet Freight Rail Transnet

base stats

speed 100 km/htop speed
power 3 MWpower output
weight 86.4 tin working order
built 95made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 13 years ago, in 2013.
3 MW is about 35 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
Weighs about as much as 14 African elephants (~6 t each).

electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.

spec sheet

built: 2013–2015
in service from: 2013
number built: 95
kind: Electric
traction: electric
origin: 🇨🇳 China
builders: CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd.
designer: Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co.
operators: Transnet Freight Rail, Transnet
top speed: 100 km/h
power: 3 MW
gauge: 1,067 mm Cape gauge
electric system: Dual 3 kV DC & 25 kV AC 50 Hz catenary
wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
weight: 86.4 t
nicknames: China Doll
Dutch name: Zuid-Afrikaanse Klasse 20E

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q16924889, Wikipedia: South African Class 20E (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.