Gautrain – Gauteng, South Africa

Project background

The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link is a state-of-the-art rapid rail network planned in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The rail connection comprises two links – one between Tshwane (Pretoria) and Johannesburg and one between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton.

Separate to the three anchor stations on these two links, seven other stations will be linked by approximately 80 kilometres of rail along the proposed route.

The three anchor stations will be located at:

• OR Tambo International Airport
• Tshwane
• Johannesburg

The seven other stations will be located at:

• Rosebank
• Sandton
• Marlboro
• Midrand
• Centurion
• Hatfield
• Rhodesfield (Kempton Park)

This modern train will offer international standards of public transport with high levels of safety, reliability, predictability and comfort. Travelling at maximum speeds of 160 to 180 kilometres per hour, it will reach Tshwane from Johannesburg in less than 40 minutes.

The minimum frequency between Johannesburg and Tshwane will initially be six trains per hour per direction and it will operate approximately 18 hours per day. This public transport service will include dedicated, exclusive bus services to transport passengers to and from stations.

In addition to the commuter service, air passengers will have a dedicated service between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton. This purpose-designed service brings Gauteng in line with global practice which links cities by rail to international airports. Designed with facilities suited to their specific needs, airport passengers will be able to check in their luggage at Sandton station. The trip between the airport and Sandton station will take less than 15 minutes.

Safety and security of Gautrain passengers and other affected parties is of the utmost importance. The safety and security features are extended to other facilities of the services, such as the station precinct and vehicle parking areas.

The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project offers a cost-effective, efficient, environmentally-friendly and safe solution to some of the worst transport problems in the most densely developed area in Gauteng, and indeed South Africa. It also supports many other government objectives.

The Project is now managed as part of the Gauteng Department of Finance and Economic Affairs Public Private Partnership Unit. Gautrain was initiated as one of eleven Blue IQ projects of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG).

Blue IQ is a multibillion-rand initiative of the GPG to develop economic infrastructure for specific major projects in smart industries, high value-added manufacturing and tourism. It works in partnership with business and government departments as a catalyst to promote strategic private sector investment in key growth sectors of the Gauteng economy.

The Gautrain project is, therefore, primarily aimed at enhancing and supporting economic growth in the Gauteng Province and generating employment. This project is part of a longer-term vision, which will include a commitment towards creating and sustaining a new culture of public transport usage.

KV3 Engineers’ involvement

The Gautrain rail system has two major corridors: South-North and West-East.

The South-North route starts in the Park Station precinct in central Johannesburg and proceeds north underground for six kilometres beneath the Parktown Ridge and Oxford Road to Rosebank Station. From there the line continues underground for a further five kilometres beneath Dunkeld, Hyde Park, Inanda Ext 1 and Rivonia Road to a station within the Sandton business district. After Sandton Station the route remains underground beneath Sandown, Strathavon, the M1 and Marlboro Drive before appearing on the surface at Marlboro, approximately four kilometres from Sandton.

KV3 Engineers (in association with WA Atkins International from the United Kingdom) was appointed by the Bombela Civil Joint Venture (BCJV) (main contractor) for the preliminary as well as the detail design of the South-North section.

Project estimates

Total value: +/- R25 billion (4 billion US$)
Construction period: 4 years

Location: