August 11, 2005
By Lucille Davie
SOME 1 056 properties along the route of the Gautrain will either be fully or partially affected by the construction of the high-speed Gautrain.
Of this, almost 400 are residential properties, of which 120 will require full expropriation. The remainder, 280 homes, will require partial expropriation (a small portion of the property), or have a servitude registered over them (a tunnel excavated beneath them), according to a press statement from the Gauteng department of public transport, roads and works.
In 2002 it was originally estimated that 650 homes would be affected.
Compensation to home owners will be determined on the provisions of the Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act, which provides for a notice period, a negotiation period to decide on compensation, and time for home owners to buy and move to a new home.
This is part of the process of final approval of the Gautrain route, by the MEC for public transport, roads and works, Ignatius Jacobs. This was done on 1 August, after examining the Draft Route Determination Report, the Environmental Impact Assessment and comments received from interested and affected parties.
The long-awaited final bidder for the Gautrain was announced on 4 July, when the Bombela Consortium was awarded the bid, to be built over the next four-and-a-half years, in a public-private partnership.
The Gautrain consists of an 80km route linking Johannesburg, Tshwane and the Johannesburg International Airport. The project is expected to provide 148 000 jobs, promote public transport usage, alleviate the congested highway between Johannesburg and Tshwane, and stimulate Gauteng's economy.
It includes the construction of 10 stations, three of which are underground; 20km of tunnel section; 9km of viaducts and bridges; and 10 million cubic metres of earthworks.
Approval for the project has been obtained from the National Treasury, which will also approve the final budget, originally set at R7-billion.
The choice of Bombela was made on strict BEE criteria, which included the development of SMMEs, with particular emphasis on the employment of women. Bus feeder services to and from the stations will be provided by a newly formed BEE company.
Bombela Consortium is a partnership between Bombardier Transportation, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Murray & Roberts, the Loliwe companies and RATP Développement. It is 50 percent owned by its international partners and 50 percent by Murray & Roberts and the Loliwe companies of South Africa, the consortium's black economic empowerment component.
The expropriation of properties is just one step in a three-step process that will now be undertaken. The route determination and preliminary design phases have also been completed.
Route determination
After an invitation to comment on the draft route determination report, published in the Provincial Gazette and five Gauteng newspapers in April, 36 comments were received from the public.
These comments will be dealt with in the Preliminary Design and Environmental Management Plan process, during which further public consultation will take place.
Comments were also received from the three metropolitan authorities affected - the cities of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. General support was received from these authorities, but again, issues highlighted by them will be dealt with in the preliminary design plan.
Preliminary design
The Gautrain Project team and Bombela are finalising the draft preliminary design, which will outline the exact route the train will take.
Technical and environmental reports will be produced and published in the Provincial Gazette and local media, with a provision for comments from interested and affected parties.
Once the MEC has considered the comments, he will approve the preliminary design, with necessary changes, which will again be published in the Provincial Gazette.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2006 and will be completed in time for the Soccer World Cup in 2010.
The detailed plan of the route can be inspected on the Gautrain website, or during office hours (8am to 4pm) at the following venues:
Gautrain Project Office
Ten Sixty Six, 12th Floor
35 Pritchard Street
Johannesburg
Tel: 011 298 4900
Ekurhuleni Civic Centre Library
C/o CR Swart and Pretoria roads
Kempton Park
Tel: 011 921 2173
Sandown Library
C/o Rivonia Road and West Street
Sandton
Tel: 011 881 6420
City of Tshwane
Eskia Mphahlele Community Library
Sammy Marks Building
C/o Vermeulen and Van der Walt streets
Pretoria
Tel: 012 358 8956
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