The high-speed Gautrain

Proclamation The proclamation and expropriation of land for the Gautrain is under way. The proclamation of properties needed for the first phases of construction will be published in the Provincial Gazette on Friday, 5 May. The areas affected by this proclamation are: Johannesburg Park Station and tunnel portal Rosebank Station Sandton Station Marlboro tunnel portal Marlboro Station Maintenance Yard Gautrain survey AN April survey, conducted by Synovate, quizzed 246 taxi users and 207 motorists, and found that only 48 percent of drivers were "likely or extremely likely" to use the Gautrain. This means that one of the Gautrain's main objectives – alleviating traffic congestion between the two major cities – may not be achieved, says Synovate. Almost half the motorists – 48 percent – said they needed their cars for travel in either city. The survey indicated that 81 percent of taxi users travelling between Johannesburg and Tshwane were "likely or extremely likely" to use the Gautrain. Furthermore, 57 percent of motorists believed that their journey would be quicker on the Gautrain. Half of the motorists questioned said that the Gautrain would be a safer option than being on the road, while 70 percent of taxi users believed the Gautrain would be a safer option of travel. Regarding cost of the trip, 55 percent of motorists felt that the Gautrain would be a cheaper option of travelling between the cities, while 47 percent of taxi users felt the Gautrain would be cheaper. Some concern was expressed by motorists that ample and secure parking (67 percent) at the stations as well as an improved bus system (74 percent), be available. Gautrain Rapid Rail FOR more information on the Gautrain, click here RELATED LINKS: 'Minimal disruption' to JIA during Gautrain construction THE Bombela Consortium is working with the Airports Company to ensure that construction of the Gautrain will not affect operations at Joburg International Airport. Read more Gautrain environmental plan open for comment THE draft final Environmental Management Plan for the Gautrain, fine-tuned after public meetings and workshops in February, is available to the public for comment until the end of April. Read more Over 1 000 properties to go to Gautrain SOME 1 056 properties along the route of the Gautrain will either be fully or partially affected by the construction of the high-speed train. Read more Gauteng's bullet train gamble THE highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria is the busiest in the southern hemisphere, carrying 300 000 passengers each week day between the country's commercial heart and its administrative capital. Read more

Modutec Office Furnishers, the site of the Rosebank Station in Oxford Road

The location of the Sandton Station, corner of Rivonia and West roads

Gautrain to dig deep hole in Sandton Work on the Gautrain flagship station, in Sandton, is due to start within a month. For starters, a vast hole, about 10 storeys deep, will be excavated. April 26, 2006 By Lucille Davie WITHIN a month Sandton residents will see the beginnings of a vast hole some 10 storeys deep being excavated in their suburb, as the construction of the Gautrain station gets off the ground. The station will be located on the City-owned site of the present municipal offices, parking spaces and the taxi rank, on Rivonia Road between West Road and Fifth Street. The hole will be 40m deep, 30m wide and 200m long. The high-speed Gautrain, construction of which is expected to begin in May once the final paper work is signed, will consist of 10 stations between Park Station in the Johannesburg CBD and Hatfield Station in Tshwane, with a link eastward to Johannesburg International Airport (JIA), a total distance of 80 kilometres. The train will travel at speeds of between 160 kilometres an hour and 180 kilometres an hour. The present Sandton taxi rank The Gautrain, first proposed by Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa in 2002, is the province's solution to the growing volume of traffic between Johannesburg and Tshwane. "Traffic volumes have been growing at 7 percent per annum for more than a decade," said Nick Ras, the Bombela Gautrain technical leader, at a presentation last week to the Sandton business and hospitality community, organised by the Sandton Central Management District. Bombela Consortium won the bid to build the Gautrain. In addition, the off-peak traffic volumes between the two cities had grown: it was now two-thirds of the peak levels, Ras said. If an incident like an accident or breakdown, or an afternoon storm disrupts the flow, traffic will back up for kilometres on the N1. Around 300 000 cars travel the route each day. Sandton Station There will be three platforms on the lower levels of Sandton Station, with some 4 000 parking bays created above the platforms. In all there will be 10 000 parking bays created across the 10 stations. The Sandton Station, which is to be the flagship station, will take about three years to build and is expected to provide for the travel needs of commuters for the next 30 years. A temporary construction shaft will be built in the north-western corner of Mushroom Farm Park, on the corner of Rivonia Road and Pretoria Avenue. This shaft means that the northbound portion of Rivonia Road can remain open during construction. The park will be fully re-instated after construction. During construction two blocks will be affected but two northbound traffic lanes will remain open along Rivonia Road between West Road and Sandton Drive. The southbound traffic will be diverted from West Road into Katherine Street, joining Rivonia Road again at Sandton Drive. The station will consist of a site of more than 40 000mē, with the ground level accommodating a pavilion and public transport facilities, three levels of parking and finally, some 40 metres below ground, the station with three platforms. The parking will consist of about 4 000 parking bays, 1 700 of which will be reserved for Gautrain users; the rest will be for shoppers and office workers. Like at an airport terminal, there will be parking for a range of purposes: 24 bays for short-term parking – those waiting to pick up passengers; 12 bays for kiss-and-ride parking – those dropping off passengers; 20 bays for car hire facilities; and six loading bays for buses. Airport link The link to the airport will run from Sandton Station, via Marlboro, then east for 15 kilometres to a station in Rhodesfield in Kempton Park. From there it will pass underneath the R24 and head for a station built underneath the airport terminal buildings. Construction of the airport-Sandton Station-Pretoria Station link is expected to take four years. There will be different trains for commuters and air passengers, and the fare for the 20km trip from Sandton to the JIA will be R70. The trip is expected to take 15 minutes. The other fares will be R10 for the 6km trip between Sandton and Rosebank stations; R13 for the 12km trip between Sandton and Park stations; and R20 for the 45km trip between Sandton and Pretoria stations. It is expected that there will be some 120 000 passenger trips each day. The trains will run from 5.30am to 8.30pm, at between 10- and 30-minute intervals. Commuters will be able to buy a smart card for multiple uses of the parking, the train and the bus feeder trips. There will be a 650km feeder bus system, running at times that coincide with the train timetable, transporting people to and from the stations. Also planned are 15 kilometres of tunnels between Park Station and Marlboro, where the train surfaces, and 55 kilometres of bridges and viaducts. A viaduct is a long, continuous bridge. Traffic and blasts In answer to questions regarding traffic flow, including construction vehicles, Ras said that investigations had been extensive, and the Johannesburg Roads Agency would review traffic on an ongoing basis during construction. The existing road network, particularly Katherine Avenue, will be upgraded. "Sufficient capacity will be provided in terms of the contract. We will keep the existing traffic flow at existing levels." Ras confirmed too that the volume of construction vehicles would be relatively low and that these vehicles would be kept off the roads at peak times. To concerns that the Sandton CBD could simply grind to a halt, Ras said the City would play a role in investigating the construction should it become unworkable, but that there was "no ultimate guarantee". Chris Andrew, a member of Bombela's technical team, said that underground blasts would be designed in such a way as to ensure they did not cause any damage. Prior to blasting operations, an inventory of all surrounding buildings will be taken and buildings will be monitored during the blasting. Andrew said Bombela had taken out "extensive insurance" on the Gautrain project. A tunnel-boring machine will be used, with a drill and blast technique used for hard rock. One of the consortium members, Bouygues, was the second largest train engineering company in the world, Andrew explained, indicating the group had the expertise to deal with all problems. There were to be two blasts each day, "outside sleeping hours"; these would resemble "a dull rumble". Work in the tunnels will continue day and night. Bombela will have its site office at Mushroom Farm and its construction office in Linbro Office Park. The consortium says it has to obey statutory reporting requirements on the progress of construction. It will set up a toll-free hotline and produce a regular newsletter. It will also have access control and security fences at the Sandton site. "Safety and security is prime in our minds." In all, 1 056 properties along the route would either be fully or partially affected by the construction of the train. More than half of these – 579 properties – were in Joburg, said Barbara Jensen, the spokesperson for the Gautrain. Relocation of Sandton taxi rank The taxi rank, on the corner of Fifth Street and Rivonia Road, is right in the path of the tunnels. A new location has been found around the corner, opposite Stella Street in West Road. This site had been approved by the taxi industry, said Chris Britz, a member of the Bombela technical team. As the site was to be in use for about four years, it would have facilities for ablutions, seating, shelters and informal trade. There will be 107 bays for the bigger 35-seater taxis and 12 drop-off bays, as well as 18 stalls for hawkers. Once the Gautrain is complete, the taxi rank will relocated within the Sandton Station precinct. Rosebank Station The site of the Rosebank Station will be cleared by the end of April. Modutec Office Furniture at 130 Oxford Road, now on the site, is busy packing up shop and will vacate the building in a week. During construction three or four blocks of Oxford Road, possibly between Baker Street and Jellicoe Avenue, will be closed. The present proposal is that northbound traffic in Rosebank will be diverted into Baker Street, around Sturdee Avenue, into Jellicoe Avenue and back to Oxford Road. Southbound traffic will possibly be diverted down Tyrwhitt Avenue, along Bath Avenue and up Baker Street back into Oxford Road. The diversions will be done in phases, with the first phase likely to be the upgrading of Sturdee Avenue. The paperwork is in the final stages of approval. The draft final Environmental Management Plan is still available for public viewing and comment at a number of venues. Once final approval has been given by the Gauteng department of agriculture, conservation and environment, the first spade will be plunged into the Sandton earth. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za