When it comes to moving goods efficiently through South Africa’s logistics arteries, rail infrastructure remains an unsung hero of the cold chain. This is part one of a two-part series.
Ensuring that perishable exports reach ports swiftly and reliably depends as much on rail engineering as it does on refrigeration technology. One of the professionals at the forefront of this integration is Viroshka Sudoi, senior project manager: rail at GIBB Engineering, who brings over 23 years of experience to the table.
As South Africa navigates complex challenges in energy, transport and urban infrastructure development, the need for strong, inclusive leadership within the engineering sector has never been more critical.
At GIBB Engineering, women in senior positions are not only contributing to the design and execution of major infrastructure projects; they are breaking barriers in the traditionally male-dominated field.
Sudoi became entrenched in rail after studying civil engineering with the help of a bursary from Transnet. On completing her degree, she was assigned to Metrorail where she was appointed Permanent Way (Perway) engineer before stepping into a more senior role in the region.
She hadn’t been in the role long before leaving to join what she saw as the rail sector’s most exciting and innovative project: the Gautrain. “The Gautrain environment, however, didn’t suit me and I soon left. Fortunately, I was able to return to Metrorail where I worked for the next 16 years, transitioning from the engineering and maintenance space to project management.”
Today, nearly two and a half decades later, Sudoi says she still has trains in her veins. “It’s a phrase we use in the industry, because it’s such an interesting sector and tends to get under your skin. At GIBB I am employed as senior project manager: rail in the engineering firm’s infrastructure and transportation division.”
Working in the public sector, Sudoi says the focus was always on the end user, no matter what infrastructure was being built. “Now I am still helping the public sector with projects, but from the private sector side – and the same focus applies. If you keep the end user in mind, then the infrastructure should improve their lives, whether it’s the lives of train users or the people who work in the depots that we were refurbishing when I was at PRASA.”
Now, at GIBB, Sudoi is currently working on two major projects. “The first is the Transnet National Ports Authority’s Cape Town Container Terminal Expansion Project. The entire yard is being remodelled, with all rail infrastructure being removed and replaced in a new configuration.”
The second is a platform rectification project for PRASA, aimed at reducing the gaps between the trains and the platforms to improve embarking and disembarking for people with mobility challenges, for example, children, the elderly, mothers with prams and people with heavy bags or parcels.
Source: Supplied by GIBB