Work on diverting hundreds of utility services is about to start at four Gautrain stations, the Bombela consortium said on Wednesday.
”We’re about to start utility diversions at Park Station,” said Bombela’s Chris Andrew after the Portfolio Committee on Transport was briefed on the Gautrain project in Johannesburg.
”We’re starting with Marlboro, Sandton, Rosebank and Park because they’re all linked to the tunnel,” said Andrew.
”We’ve been handed the land for those last week.”
Andrew said about 800 utility connections, including telephone lines, water and electricity connections, had to be moved at the four stations.
Work on diverting traffic has already started at Rosebank and Sandton sites and at Marlboro, work has started on excavating the tunnel portal.
Gautrain project leader Jack van der Merwe told the committee that the utilities to be moved were worth about R500-million.
Van der Merwe said work on this and three other Gautrain contracts was under way.
The other contracts are for the preliminary design, the detailed design, and the accommodation for traffic.
”These four contracts have been running … That’s money that we’ve already spent,” he said.
Andrew also briefed the committee on the plans for the Gautrain’s 10 stations.
He described the stations as having an ”African-style flavour” using the theme of an acacia tree, traditionally used as a meeting place.
Work on the OR Tambo International airport, the nearby Rhodesfield station, and the Marlboro, Sandton and Midrand stations in Johannesburg is scheduled to be completed by June 2010.
Marlboro and Midrand stations are above ground, Sandton is underground and the other two are elevated.
Park station is the southernmost station and links the Gautrain to the commuter trains from Soweto.
Committee chairperson Jeremy Cronin said good interconnectivity between the Gautrain and the commuter trains at Park Station was critical. – Sapa