Rolling Stock & Vehicle Engineering
New, upgraded and refurbished locomotive design for manufacturing; wagon structure design, build and approval; and integration of battery, dual-fuel and hydrogen powertrains into rail applications.
Railway & Vehicle Engineering
Where transport meets energy
Entra Engineering is a specialist railway and vehicle engineering consultancy — designing rolling stock from first principles, simulating it in the cloud, and advising on the corridors, fleets and decarbonisation strategies that move heavy transport forward.
110+
Cumulative years of railway engineering experience
14+
Engineers across mechanical, electrical, electronic & software
10+
Rolling-stock and rail projects delivered & underway
Who we are
One team for the full life of a rail vehicle.
Multidisciplinary rail engineering — rolling stock and components designed, tested and homologated under one team.
We were founded on a simple idea: that the greatest opportunities in heavy transport lie at the intersection of the transport and energy sectors.
Entra Engineering is a specialist railway and vehicle engineering consultancy operating from South Africa and serving clients internationally. Our work helps rail operators, rolling-stock owners and infrastructure developers modernise their assets, decarbonise their fleets, and plan new corridors with confidence.
We combine deep, hands-on locomotive and wagon design experience with advanced simulation, electrical and electronic engineering, and a pragmatic, commercially-aware approach to consulting — from a single component to a full corridor study, with the same rigour throughout.
Transport × Energy
Finding the balance and synergies between energy and transport — technically, commercially and operationally — is the thread that runs through everything we do.
Our capabilities
Across the full lifecycle of rail vehicles and rail systems.
From concept and feasibility, through detailed design and simulation, to procurement, testing, commissioning and in-service fleet support.
Infrastructure & Logistics Planning
Rail-freight corridor feasibility, demand modelling and traffic forecasting, fleet sizing, service development, and capital and operating cost estimation — engineering reality brought to commercial planning.
Computer-Aided Engineering & Simulation
Multi-physics simulation on cloud-resourced platforms: structural FEA (EN 12663 loads), CFD, heat transfer, electromagnetics, and multi-gas modelling including hydrogen leakage and plume propagation.
CAD, Design for Manufacturing & Lifecycle
Large vehicle assemblies in CAD with live client interaction, manufacturing drawings and weld maps, driveline and HMI design, plus configuration control, BOM creation and strategic procurement.
Electrical, Electronic & Software
Locomotive electrical systems design, integration and testing; schematics, wiring and component selection; large power-electronics testing; and embedded software for vehicle control and monitoring.
Strategic & Advisory Services
Rolling-stock strategy and fleet renewal, technical due diligence and market valuation of locomotives and wagons, facility due diligence, and strategic sourcing and procurement to client requirements.
Testing, Fleet Services & Compliance
Static and dynamic testing of locomotives and wagons, regulatory approval and safety-regulator submission support, telematics and monitoring, and fleet and asset lifecycle management.
From A Single Component
To A Full Corridor
Specialist capability in decarbonisation — dual-fuel, hydrogen and battery rolling stock — where most consultancies have to subcontract.
Discuss a brief
Tools & platforms
A leading simulation suite, deployed in the cloud.
Through our own licences and partnerships we run engineering and simulation software on cloud infrastructure — for speed, parallel processing and remote collaboration, with clients given live access to results.
Ansys— Maxwell · RMxprt · Motor-CAD
MSC— Nastran · Marc · Adams
Onshape— Enterprise CAD
SimScale— Cloud multi-physics
VI-Rail & Vampire— Rail dynamics
Project experience
Representative work across rolling stock, advisory and new corridors.
Spanning locomotive repowering and decarbonisation, fleet due diligence and procurement, and freight-corridor feasibility and development.
| Project | Discipline |
|---|---|
| Locomotive upgrade & repowering with dual-fuel engine | Rolling stock |
| Locomotive upgrade with regenerative energy recuperation | Rolling stock |
| Locomotive underframe design for battery locomotive | Rolling stock |
| Tender wagon specification & design management | Rolling stock |
| Technical due diligence & advisory — 10 locomotives, 147 wagons | Advisory |
| Technical due diligence & advisory — 13 locomotives (international) | Advisory |
| Locomotive fleet procurement, upgrade & delivery management | Procurement |
| Wagon fleet procurement, upgrade & delivery management | Procurement |
| Train freight service development — Namibia | Infrastructure & logistics |
| New railway development & demand modelling — Namibia | Infrastructure & logistics |
Why Entra
Engineering judgement you can act on.
End-To-End Rail Expertise
From a single bracket to a full corridor study, we cover concept, design, simulation, procurement, testing and fleet support under one roof.
Transport Meets Energy
Specialist capability in decarbonisation — dual-fuel, hydrogen and battery rolling stock — where most consultancies have to subcontract.
Cloud-Native Delivery
Web-based CAD and simulation give clients live access to designs and results, with faster turnaround and parallel processing.
Honest, Structured Advice
We quantify uncertainty, set out clear frameworks, and give clients deliverables they can act on with confidence.
Leadership team
Professional engineers with decades of combined experience.
Led by a team with deep, hands-on experience in locomotive and wagon design, simulation, electrical systems and project delivery.
Our core leadership is supported by a full-time team of mechanical, electrical, electronic and software engineers, part-time specialists, and a standing network of retired railway engineers who contribute deep institutional knowledge to our projects.
Konrad Boshoff
Managing Director
Mechanical Engineer · Pr. Eng, M.Eng, GCC, CEM, CEA, REP
Locomotive design and development, wagon specification and weight distribution, design management; CAE in SimScale, Ansys and Onshape.
Wynand Malan
Operations Director
Mechanical Engineer · MBA
Design management of complex road and rail vehicle projects; CAE in Ansys, MSC and Onshape.
Niël Burger
Director
Electrical & Electronic Engineer
Locomotive electrical systems design and testing; large power-electronics systems testing.
Pieter Hugo
Lead Engineer · Simulation Lead
Mechanical Engineer · Pr. Eng
Wagon, lightweight frame and bogie design; simulation across SimScale, Onshape, Ansys, MSC and NX.
Gideon Retief
Lead Engineer
Electrical Engineer · Pr. Eng
Electrical systems design and integration; schematics, wiring and component selection for rail vehicles.
Jonathan Gevers
Lead Engineer
Electronic & Software Engineer
Embedded software and control systems for vehicle monitoring, instrumentation and on-board systems.
Contact us
Bring us the brief.
Whether it is a full vehicle programme or a single component, tell us where you are in the lifecycle and we will tell you how we would take it forward.
Office342 The Rand Street, Lynnwood, Pretoria, 0081, South Africa · Operating internationally
Emailinfo@entra.co.za
EntityEntra Engineering (Pty) Ltd · Reg No. 2022/205142/07