The Gautrain experienced a technical fault on the North-South line at about 17:00 on June 25, leading to a train being evacuated as a precautionary safety measure and resulting in delays to passenger journeys.

Full train services resumed according to schedule at about 19:20 on the same day.

The Gautrain Management Agency’s (GMA’s) teams are investigating the root cause of the incident and are implementing appropriate corrective measures to prevent recurrence, GMA communication and marketing senior executive manager Albi Modise said in statement to Engineering News.

“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers, who expect and are accustomed to a safe, reliable and efficient service. Passenger safety remains our highest priority and precautionary evacuations, while disruptive, are undertaken only when necessary to ensure this standard is maintained,” he emphasised.  

“We acknowledge that such incidents can be disruptive and we apologise to all affected passengers. Gautrain staff on the ground provided assistance where possible to support passengers during the disruption and to ensure they were guided safely and efficiently,” he added.

Modise stressed that the Gautrain system was continuously monitored and maintained to ensure reliability, with the GMA remaining committed to delivering a high-quality passenger experience.

Responding to queries from the publication, Modise assured that the concessionaire transition period had not affected operations and wais not expected to do so. 

“As with any large-scale rail system globally, occasional operational disruptions can occur despite robust preventative measures. This incident is unrelated to the ongoing concessionaire transition, which continues to be managed in a manner that ensures service continuity and operational stability,” Modise pointed out.

The GMA activated a contractual holdover arrangement on March 28, which enabled the operator, Bombela Operating Company, to continue operating the Gautrain system during ongoing negotiations with the preferred bidder. This arrangement ensured uninterrupted service to passengers, Modise explained.

The Gautrain system will continue to operate under a public-private partnership model as it advances into the next phase of its operational lifecycle.

The process of appointing a new private partner to operate, maintain, refurbish, upgrade and modernise the Gautrain system for the next 15 years was at an advanced stage of negotiation, Modise informed.