Nineteen new Gautrain stations are being planned, including a link to Lanseria Airport, according to Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi, as reported by BusinessTech.
The Gautrain’s current network is an 80 kilometre railway system in Gauteng, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Ekhuruleni and O. R. Tambo International Airport.
This is expected to be extended by 150km over the next 20 years, and will include routes to Fourways and Soweto.
One of the proposed new lines is a link from Mamelodi which branches off to Sandton, Randburg, Cosmo City, the Cradle of Human Kind, and Lanseria.
“A blue network will connect Samrand, Olievenhoutbosch, Sunninghill, Fourways, and Soweto,” stated the report.
Areas to be covered in the expansion of Gautrain include Mamelodi, Boksburg, Randburg-Lanseria, Mogale City and Syferfontein as well as Roodepoort and Jabulani.
“This expansion will primarily be done on a public-private partnership basis, in phases that will take a period of two decades (20 years) to complete,” Makhura said.
The feasibility study on the extension of the Gautrain rail network has been submitted to Provincial and National Treasuries and to major stakeholders that were consulted during the feasibility process.
“The feasibility study concludes that the extension of the Gautrain rail network will provide significant economic and transport related benefits to the province and the country at large; that it offers value for money, and appropriate risk transfer if procured as a Public-Private Partnership.
“Demand modelling was done to determine transport needs for Gauteng in 2025 and 2037. Through the modelling process it became clear that the ‘cost of doing nothing’ in the province will lead to major road congestion in 2037, at which stage cars will travel at an average of 15 kilometres an hour due to doubling of car growth,” MEC Vadi said.
The feasibility study identified the following main links and stations of the Gautrain rail network extensions:
- On the link between Jabulani via Cosmo City and Samrand to Mamelodi, stations include Roodepoort, Little Falls, Fourways, Sunninghill, Olievenhoutsbosch, Irene, Tshwane East and Hazeldean.
- The link between Sandton and Cosmo City has a station at Randburg.
- On the link between Rhodesfield and Boksburg there will be a station at East Rand Mall and possible link-up with the OR Tambo International Airport Midfield terminal development.
- A future link from Cosmo City to Lanseria Airport.