Gautrain

The Gautrain ( portmanteau composed of the words Gauteng and train, train for English ) is a regional railway system in Gauteng province in South Africa. The Gautrain network links Johannesburg, Pretoria and the OR Tambo International Airport and includes three route branches with a total length of about 80 kilometers.

A first section between the center of Johannesburg ( Sandton ) and the airport was opened on 8 June 2010, a few days before the start of the Football World Cup 2010. The rest of the route was on August 2, 2011 and June 7, 2012, the last about six kilometers long section between the stations Rosebank and Park was handed over to station in the area of ​​Johannesburg for public use. , After with additional work prevents that water seeps into the tunnel route.

The Gautrain is the backbone of public transport in the Gauteng region, particularly through the construction of many Park & ​​Ride facilities and the establishment of a special bus network, which acts as a regional feeder.

The development of the project

Mid-2000 announced Mbhazima Shilowa, Premier of Gauteng province, on the implementation of the project. The province, which includes, among other things, the two cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, while at the same time gave the train its name. The new rail link is used primarily to improve the transport infrastructure between the two major cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria. The central reason for the realization of the project presented the Football World Cup 2010 dar.

After the budget of the year 2002 seven billion rand for the project have been made available, the two consortia Bombela and Gauliwe applied for the construction. After several trials, the Bombela consortium apparent as favorite. This practiced in early October of 2004, pressure on the government by threatened to withdraw from the application process, if the budget framework for the project would not increase. The final cost was ultimately to 23 billion rand.

The Bombela consortium that won the contract, is made up of four companies, each with a share of 25 percent. The French company Bouygues Travaux Publics is responsible for tunnel work. Bombardier, a Canadian company that supplies cars and locomotives. Furthermore, the two South African companies Murray & Roberts, a construction company, and Strategic Partners Group ( Black Economic Empowerment ) are part of the consortium. The tunnel boring machines are designed and manufactured by the German company Herrenknecht.

Technical information

The maximum speed of the trains is 160 km / h so that the travel time from Johannesburg Park Station to Hatfield, the terminus at Pretoria, 42 minutes. To drive from Sandton station to the International Airport, it takes 14 minutes. As the 1435 mm gauge ( standard gauge ) is selected, the majority of the South African rail network ( Cape gauge ) is, however, built in 1067 mm.

A total of 24 trains are available, each consisting of four ( at rush hour eight) car. Currently, 12 sets have been delivered. At rush hour the trains run every twelve minutes outside every 18 minutes, weekends every half hour.

Fare

A ticket for the route from Pretoria to Johannesburg park costs 49 Rand for the easy route. A ticket for the route from Sandton to OR Tambo International airport costs 115 Rand for the easy route and is therefore in the price range of alternative transport options.

Criticism

One criticism is that the rich inhabitants townships of South Africa ( Soweto in Johannesburg and Mamelodi in Pretoria ) are not included in the lines. Another difficulty is the integration of the Gautrain into the existing transport system, because it has a different gauge. It is planned to employ around 150 buses that run according to a fixed schedule in a radius of 15 km around the stations.