Gautrain celebrates 14-year milestone
Gautrain is celebrating 14 years of its existence since the first trip by the Gauteng speed train was made just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The first Gautrain ride with commuters left the Sandton Station for O.R. Tambo International Airport on8 June 2010.
Gautrain's network includes 10 stations that connect commuters in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and O.R. Tambo International Airport.
To date, the Gautrain project comprises of an 80-kilometre route and as completed approximately 192.8 million passenger trips.
Gautrain boasts 96 rail cars (24 x4 Electric Multiple Units), a fleet of 125 heavy haul busses, and 29 minibuses.
The project, which is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Gauteng government and Bombela Concession Company, comes to end in 2026.
Gautrain spokesperson Albi Modise the entity has manged to create 1 500 jobs over the years.
"A new dawn beckons for the Gautrain. The current concession agreement between the Gauteng Provincial Government and the Bombela Concession Company comes to an end in 2026.
"The Gautrain Management Agency has already gone to market to invite bids for the next concessionaire. The new delivery partner will operate, maintain, modernise, innovate, and upgrade the current Gautrain system so that it continues to provide a safe and efficient public transport service.
"It is estimated that R46 million total GDP impact has been added to the Gauteng Provincial Government economy and a total of 245 000 jobs have been created due to property development induced by the Gautrain."
Recently, Gautrain has been marred by power failures and technical glitches that saw commuters experiencing peak time delays.
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