The naming of the R900-million Gautrain rapid rail’s winning bidder by Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa remains on hold until further notice as the government’s three-way team continues to mull over the finer details, it emerged on Thursday.
The total cost of the project has been projected at R7-billion. While easing traffic in the province, thousands of jobs will be created during and after construction.
Gauteng finance and economic affairs spokesperson Percy Mthimkhulu said the winning bidder announcement will be made “very soon” but he could not indicate timelines. The trio — the provincial government, the national department of transport and the National Treasury — is presently dealing with complex aspects and issues around funding, he added.
In February 2005, Gauteng MEC for finance and economic affairs Paul Mashatile said Shilowa would in April name the winner, as the project team has already received final offer documents from the short-listed bidders — Bombela and Gauliwe consortia.
The April deadline was postponed to May, May’s deadline was then postponed to June and after failing to meet the June deadline, Mashatile told the provincial Parliament that a preferred bidder would be announced “soon”.
These delays are not new to the project and the commission is now expected in 2009 and not early in 2007, as scheduled two years ago — or the initial date of 2006 — which was set in 2001 at the investors’ conference.
The commencement of construction was due early last year. The awarding of the contract to either Bombela or Gauliwe has been postponed numerous times since 2003.
Bombela’s camp is made up of Canada’s Bombardier, Bouygues, local firm Murray & Roberts and empowerment entity Strategic Partners Group, among others.
The Gauliwe consortium includes LTA-Grinaker, Dragados of Spain, black-owned Tirisano and Metro de Madrid.
The government still expects the Gautrain, also known as the ‘Shilowa Express”, to be fully operational before the 2010 World Cup soccer event.
The intention is that the rapid rail project will link Africa’s economic hub, Johannesburg, with Pretoria in about half an hour’s journey time. – I-Net Bridge