October 14, 2005
By Lucille Davie
A DRAFT Preliminary Design Report for the high-speed Gautrain will be published today, and the public is invited to comment on the report within 30 days.
The preliminary design defines the exact route of the Gautrain and the effect of that route on affected property owners, service providers and municipalities. The report does not cover the train's whole route, but only certain sections of it.
Some 1 056 properties along the route will either be fully or partially affected by the construction of the Gautrain, which will link Johannesburg, Tshwane and the Johannesburg International Airport.
Almost 400 of these properties are residential, of which 120 will require full expropriation. The remaining 280 properties will require partial expropriation (a small portion of the property), or have a servitude registered over them (a tunnel excavated beneath them).
Two private valuators will be appointed for each property, to "ensure the trustworthiness of the value placed on every property as far as possible". In addition, geotechnical investigations will be conducted on properties.
Before the finalisation of these amended sections, environmental impact assessments have to be completed, taking into consideration feedback from interested and affected parties.
Approval of the preliminary design will be indicated by the publication in the Provincial Gazette of the final design and possible changes of Ignatius Jacobs, the MEC for public transport, roads and works.
Once the preliminary design has been accepted, another notice will be published in the Provincial Gazette and local newspapers, confirming the acceptance of the new measures.
The current report covers, with the exception of certain sections, the whole route. The sections that are excluded are (they require further investigation at a later stage):
- A changed alignment between Mushroom Farm Park in Sandton and the M1;
- An altered vertical alignment from the Marlboro tunnel portal across the Jukskei River valley and the N3;
- An altered vertical alignment in Centurion between the N1/John Vorster interchange and the Jean Avenue interchange with the Ben Schoeman Highway;
- A changed alignment on the approach to Pretoria Station in the area around Salvokop;
- A changed and refined alignment between the Pretoria and Hatfield stations; and
- An altered alignment for the Rhodesfield Station and the line into and station at the Johannesburg International Airport.
Once the preliminary design phase has been completed, the final phase of proclamation and expropriation can begin, in the run up to the commencement of construction.
Property owners who are to have their properties expropriated will receive advance notification. The Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act prescribes that market-related valuations will be made.
The Bombela Consortium was awarded the bid in July, with construction scheduled to start early in 2006. The train is to be built over the next four-and-a-half years, in a public-private partnership, to be completed in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
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.
Approval for the project has been obtained from the national Treasury, which will also approve the final budget, originally set at R7-billion.
The Preliminary Design Report may be viewed on the Gautrain website, or at the following venues between 8am and 4pm:
Gautrain Project Office
Ten Sixty Six, 12th Floor
35 Pritchard Street
Johannesburg
Tel: 011 298 4900
Ekurhuleni Civic Centre Library
Corner CR Swart and Pretoria roads
Kempton Park
Tel: 011 921 2173
Sandown Library
Corner Rivonia Road and West Street
Sandton
Tel: 011 881 6420
City of Tshwane
Eskia Mphahlele Community Library
Sammy Marks Building
Corner Vermeulen and Van der Walt streets
Pretoria
Tel: 012 358 8956
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