#4607
South African Class 5M2
🇿🇦 South Africa ·built by Metro-Cammell· from 1985· South African Electric Multiple Unit class
3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Metrorail Class 5M2A EMU near Kalk Bay: Ben Crouch· CC BY 2.0
- 2. PRASA 5M2 at Fish Hoek station: JNRworship· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. Together X'trapolis Mega and 5M2 at Fish Hoek: JNRworship· CC BY 4.0
what is it?
The Class 5M2 and Class 5M2A are electric multiple units that provide commuter rail services operated by Metrorail in the major cities of South Africa. The original Class 5M2 trainsets were built for the South African Railways by Metro-Cammell between 1958 and 1960. Most of those in use today, however, are of Class 5M2A, built to the same design by Union Carriage & Wagon (UCW) from 1962 to 1985; a total of 4,447 coaches were built by UCW. A programme began in the 2000s to rebuild the trains, which were subsequently designated Class 10M3, 10M4 and 10M5.
who runs it
base stats
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 41 years ago, in 1985.
- 925 kW is about 11 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 10 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Seats 149: 3 full city buses (~50 seats each).
- Still in service after 64 years.
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1985
- in service from
- 1962
- status
- in service
- number built
- 4,447
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
- builders
- Metro-Cammell, Union Carriage & Wagon
- operators
- Metrorail
- top speed
- 100 km/h
- power
- 925 kW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 3000 V DC Catenary
- formation
- 4–14 cars per trainset
- weight
- 60 t
- capacity
- 149 passengers
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7565544, Wikipedia: South African Class 5M2 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.