Name and Location
Gautrain rapid rail link, Gauteng, South Africa.

Client
The Gautrain has been structured as a public–private partnership (PPP) project.

The client is the Gauteng provincial government. The Bombela Concession Company (BCC) is the private-sector partner, with Bombardier Transportation (17%), Bouygues Travaux Publics (17%), Murray & Roberts (33%), J & J (8%) and the Strategic Partners Group (SPG) (25%) as shareholders.

Project Description
The Gautrain project comprises a state-of-the-art rail connection, linking Johannesburg, Sandton, Tshwane and OR Tambo International Airport. The network, which consists of about 80 km of railway line and which might be extended in the future, comprises two links – one between Tshwane and Johannesburg, and one between Sandton and OR Tambo International Airport.

Besides the three anchor stations at Johannesburg Park station, Pretoria and OR Tambo, there are seven other stations: Hatfield, Centurion, Midrand, Sandton, Rosebank, Rhodesfield and Marlboro.

The project is expected to generate numerous benefits for Gauteng, including economic development, job creation, a world-class transport system and environmental benefits.

Value
The rail project cost an estimated R27-billion, as inflationary pressures caused the cost of the Gautrain to escalate by R1-billion.

Duration
Construction started at the end of September 2006. The Gautrain was completed in two phases.

Phase 1 was initially planned to last 45 months; however, it was completed three weeks ahead of schedule. It included the network between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton; the OR Tambo, Rhodesfield, Marlboro and Sandton stations; the bus and train depots; as well as the operations control centre, located near Allandale road, in Midrand.

The mechanical and electrical installation work was completed in January 2010, excluding some automatic fare-collection equipment.

Complete area integration testing took place in February 2010, during which the main bus depot, a dedicated bus system that feeds into the train route, was also completed.

Military-grade thermal-imaging cameras were installed by the end of April 2010.

A trial running period of ten weeks for the Phase 1 section was completed in May 2010.

Trial running is a process that follows the completion of testing and commissioning activities, during which all systems and subsystems are commissioned and tested to demonstrate that they meet the required performance standards. This process is carried out under the control of an operator. It comprises numerous drills and exercises, familiarising staff with operating conditions and, during the latter stages, running the full system according to the service timetable.

On June 8, 2010, Phase 1 of the Gautrain rail system was opened for commercial service. Phase 1 operations included the airport train service between Sandton station and OR Tambo International Airport, a commuter service between Sandton and Rhodesfield – with an intermediate stop at Marlboro station – as well as dedicated feeder and distribution bus services to and from the Sandton and Rhodesfield stations.

The remaining sections of the Sandton station, required for Phase 2 operations, were completed in March 2011. These works included the podium slab over the station complex, the remaining parking facilities, the third platform to service the southbound line to the Rosebank and Park stations and an undercover taxi terminus. The reinstatement of Rivonia road, which also formed part of these works, was completed and the road reopened to traffic in its final two-way configuration during December 2010.

Phase 2, which was constructed concurrently, was initially expected to be completed in 54 months; however, it was later announced that it would be completed in 57 months, in June 2011. The Gauteng Management Agency (GMA) stated in that same month that the second phase of the Gautrain would be opened at the end of July 2011 or early August 2011. The Bombela Operating Company was granted access to the full rail alignment between Rosebank and Pretoria, which includes all stations along this section of the route, in early March 2011. Under the control of the operator, trial running between the Rosebank and Pretoria stations started on March 8, 2011, with trial running along the final links to the Park and Hatfield stations having started in May 2011.

On August 2, 2011, the Rosebank-to-Pretoria link of the Gautrain rail project was opened. The remaining link, between Rosebank and Park stations, in Johannesburg, began operations in June 2012.

Latest Developments
A request for proposals (RFP) will be released in September for the procurement of 12 additional train sets for the Gautrain rapid-rail operation, which is currently facing peak-period capacity constraints. The aim is to have the first new trains – which will be compatible with the network, but run independently of Bombardier Transportation's existing Electrostar trains – operational by March 2018.

GMA CEO Jack van der Merwe has confirmed that the acquisition could cost between R2.5-billion and R4-billion and will be coupled with a 20-year maintenance contract, which could necessitate the expansion of a depot already being operated by the BCC or the creation of an entirely new depot.

The BCC, which has the 20-year dispensation to operate the Gautrain PPP until 2026, will oversee the “open and competitive” tender process. Funding for the acquisition has been secured through the Gauteng provincial government and the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

Besides the key issue of pricing, the RFP evaluation criteria will deal with the technical capability of the train sets, comprising 48 cars in total, as well as life-cycle energy and operating efficiency, supply and maintenance costs, local content and socioeconomic development.

A localisation threshold of 65% has been set for the rolling stock, but the local-content stipulation also covers life-cycle maintenance and specified components, including the depot and signalling equipment.

The acquisition programme is being pursued ahead of the completion of a feasibility study on the expansion of the 80 km rail, ten-station system to one comprising 200 km of rail and 18 stations. The expansion study is advancing and the intention is to share the PPP plan with the market in 2016.

Various options are being considered, including adding medium- or slow-rail aspects to the rapid-rail system. This will facilitate the integration, into certain routes, of train sets similar to those being acquired by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa from the Gibela Consortium for R51-billion.

Through the expansion across the Gauteng city region, it is possible that four services could eventually emerge, including the current Pretoria-to-Johannesburg passenger service and the airport service from Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport. The other services under review are a link from Mamelodi to Naledi, through Fourways, and a connection from Boksburg to Honeydew, via Randburg.

Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi has said that government’s support for the expansion has been strengthened by recent research showing positive socioeconomic spin-offs from the investment. A KPMG study has indicated that the R27-billion project has released value in the province of about R47-billion. It has also played a powerful role in changing perceptions about public transport.

The feasibility study should be completed in 2016, however, various options are being investigated to assess the form it should take and how it can support the aspiration for making rail transportation the “backbone” of public transport in the province.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Bohlweki Environmental (environmental-impact assessment and biophysical and socioeconomic evaluation); Standard Bank and Rand Merchant Bank (lead arrangers, underwriters and sole lenders to the Gautrain project); Nedbank (agent bank to the lender to manage the financial transactions and the bank issuing project bonds to contractors); Arup SA (independent certifier); Tractionel Enterprise (supply and installation of the overhead contact distribution); Thales Transportation Systems and Sims (automatic fare-collection system); Bouygues Travaux Publics (tunnel-boring machine [TBM] operation); West Rand Engineering (valves, fittings and other consumables); Infrasors (aggregate and crusher sand); SPGIO (transportation of material excavated during construction); SA French (passenger hoists); Chryso South Africa (concrete admixture); SPC (concrete segments); Herrenknecht Engineers (TBM design and manufacture); Sarens (mobile-crane hire); Afri-Sam (supply of aggregate and 200 000 t of cement to the rail link's south section); C3 Shared Services, or C3SS (thermal-imaging equipment); ITT Water & Wastewater (drainage pumps); Railway Safety Regulator, or RSR (safety permit); Taemane Consulting (electrical engineers); and Atkins Global (detailed designs for 15 km of underground tunnels, three underground stations, seven emergency shafts, designs for the permanent way, alignment for the entire route and a cooling system).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Afri-Sam, tel +27 11 670 5500 or fax +27 11 670 5793.
Arup SA, tel +27 11 218 7600 or email johannesburg@arup.com.
Atkins Global, tel +44 13 7275 2350.
Bohlweki Environmental, tel +27 11 798 6001, fax +27 11 798 6010 or email info@bohlweki.co.za.
Bombadier Transportation media relations, tel +44 1332 266 470 or fax +44 1332 266 472.
Bombela, tel +27 11 997 8222, fax +27 11 997 8011, cell +27 83 229 2243.
Bouygues Travaux Publics, tel +33 1 3060 3300, fax +33 1 3060 4861 or email communication@bouygues-construction.com.
C3SS, tel 0861 2377 00, fax +27 86 500 9925 or email marketing@c3ss.co.za.
Chryso South Africa, tel +27 11 395 9700 or fax +27 11 397 6644.
Herrenknecht Engineers, tel +49 7824 3020, fax +49 7824 3403 or email info@herrenknecht.de.
Infrasors, tel +27 11 234 0109, fax +27 11 807 2468 or email Contact@infrasors.co.za.
RSR, tel +27 11 417 0000, fax +27 11 417 0010 or email helpdesk@rsr.org.za.
SA French, tel +27 11 822 8782, fax +27 11 822 8922 or email info@safrench.co.za.
Sarens, tel +27 11 861 3800, fax +27 11 861 3899 or email info@sarenssa.co.za.
Sims, tel +27 12 665 4446 or fax +27 12 665 4337.
Taemane Consulting, tel +27 11 608 5000, fax +27 11 608 3333 or email gauteng@taemane.co.za.
Thales Transportation Systems investor relations, tel +33 1 57 77 89 02 or email ir@thalesgroup.com.
Tractionel Enterprise, tel +27 11 768 7373, fax +27 11 768 7376 or email info@traction.co.za.
West Rand Engineering, tel +27 11 952 9800, fax +27 11 660 3206 or email wreng@wre.co.za.