One of Africa’s largest transportation projects, Gautrain, is making good progress and will be completed by 2010 when the Soccer World Cup is hosted by South Africa, Gautrain spokesperson Dr Barbara Jensen said on Tuesday.
Gautrain will link South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, and Johannesburg — Africa’s hub — with the Johannesburg International airport (JIA) through Sandton, providing both urban airport and commuter-type services.
Construction for the project is expected to start in 2005 on the first phase of the operation — the Sandton-JIA and Sandton-Pretoria routes — while the remaining routes will be finished just in time for the soccer event.
Jensen said the second phase, linking Johannesburg and other destinations, will be delayed by the construction of a tunnel necessitated by landscape dynamics in the area.
The project will consist of 80km of railway lines and 10 stations, with about 104 000 passengers expected to use the service daily. There will be a train at least every 10 minutes during peak hours. About 250 new bus coaches will be used, while more than 9 000 new parking bays will be required.
About 48 000 jobs will be created during construction and once Gautrain is in operation it will bring 1 200 permanent jobs.
Two consortia have qualified to participate in the procurement phase of the project — Bombela Consortium, consisting of Murray & Roberts and black economic empowerment (BEE) participants; and Gauliwe Consortium, consisting of Grinaker-LTA and a BEE firm.
”We are working around this range and R7,9-billion is earmarked for the project,” Jensen said, adding, however, that the amount could change owing to other factors.
The transport sector accounts for about 10% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP). Gauteng makes up a huge portion of the country’s GDP pie and there is a corresponding dominance in transport. The project will play an important role in stimulating economic growth and job creation in Gauteng. — I-Net Bridge