Name and Location
Gautrain extension project, Gauteng, South Africa.

Client
Gauteng Management Agency (GMA).

Project Description
The extension of the Gautrain will include a link from the existing Gautrain Park station to Westgate; a link from the existing Gautrain Rhodesfield station to Boksburg; a link from the existing Gautrain Sandton station to Randburg and Honeydew; and a link from Naledi, in Soweto, to Mamelodi, through either the proposed Gautrain Samrand station, or the existing Gautrain Midrand station.

This extension will include stations at Blue Hills, Sunninghill, Fourways, Cosmo City and Ruimsig. Ultimately, the plan is to have four Gautrain lines, adding to the Pretoria–Johannesburg and Sandton–OR Tambo International Airport links.

Value
Not stated.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The request for proposals (RFP) for the preliminary design of four possible expansion routes to the 80 km Gautrain system closed on June 6.

The RFP included technical, legal and financial aspects, and should provide the GMA with guidance on the feasibility of the project.

The routes currently under investigation include a link from the existing Gautrain Park station, underneath the city, to Westgate; a link from the existing Gautrain Rhodesfield station to Boksburg; a link from the existing Gautrain Sandton station to Randburg and Honeydew, and a link from Naledi, in Soweto, to Mamelodi, via either the proposed Gautrain Samrand station, or the existing Gautrain Midrand station.

GMA CEO Jack van der Merwe says that the agency will only really know what the project entails three or four years from now, at which point it will start looking at methods of funding the expansions.

“This means government’s medium-term budget will reflect only planning costs, and not any construction costs,” he says.

The expansion forms part of the Gauteng government’s new Integrated Transport Master Plan, and is not being implemented as a freestanding project, emphasises Van der Merwe.

He says participation on the expansion project is open to any interested party, including Gautrain concessionaire Bombela, which operates the current 80 km system in a public-private partnership.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
GMA, tel +27 11 086 3500 or fax +27 11 580 0604.