Four buildings are imploded in the Joburg CBD to make way for a new 12 level parkade for the Gautrain:
Friday, July 31, 2009
Businesses around Centurion
Interested in advertising your business on a website with loads of info and photos on the Gautrain? Visit GautrainOnline and have a look at our advertising rates. There are still some limited spaces left for banner advertising. Both GautrainOnline and this blog will be geared to attract thousands of internet visitors every day as from the first of September 2009.
For now there are some free advertising up for grabs as well. Get in there early as only a limited amount of advertisers will enjoy this benefit.
For now there are some free advertising up for grabs as well. Get in there early as only a limited amount of advertisers will enjoy this benefit.
Property speculators bet on Gautrain
Areas located directly around future Gautrain stations are attracting great interest when it comes to property development, especially speculative offices, retail and mixed-use property developments.
Fran Teagle, Broll Property Group's Director of Commercial Broking for Gauteng, points out that the speculative development taking place in these locations shows confidence in Gauteng's future by the property sector and symbolises the important role that the Gautrain stations are expected to play in our society.
"As public transport hubs, these locations are ideal for staff intensive businesses and many property developers are creating buildings with large floor plates to accommodate cleverly designed open plan offices which provide working spaces at 10sqm to 15sqm per person," says Teagle. This is much more compact than the previous norm of about 20sqm per person.
Usually this would put pressure on the parking that building owners need to provide, but Teagle notes that as Gautrain stations will create public transport exchanges, the onerous need for extensive parking is alleviated.
In proximity to the new Rosebank Gautrain Station, The Firs is being redeveloped and expanded by Investec Property. Tiber's beautiful new AAA grade office tower set to be complete mid 2010, will also contribute to creating landmarks for the area as well a number of older properties which have been owned for years by Old Mutual.
There are a number of office blocks planned to go up around the site of the future Sandton Gautrain Station, with some already under construction. In addition, superbly located to the Gautrain station, Sandton City is forging ahead with its repositioning for which the first phase of the expansion and redevelopment is pegged at some R1,77 billion.
Furthermore, it seems that electricity constraints have been prioritised, with council having provided supply to a number of new developments in the area.
"This has been a constraint, especially in Midrand where a number of developments are earmarked around the new Gautrain station that will serve this area, but progress is finally being made," says Teagle.
East of Johannesburg in Ekhuruleni, which will feature both the Airport and Rhodesfield Gautrain Stations, development activity is already picking up in the established business nodes of Jet Park and Isando, as well as the emerging area of Pomona in Kempton Park. In addition to the Gautrain stations, these areas are superbly served with good highway access, as well as railway and shuttle services.
Around the OR Thambo Airport there is already 40,000sqm committed for development, both turnkey and speculative. Alongside the Rhodesfield Gautrain station site, development plans are afoot for 80 000m² of hotel, offices and retail which will link into the station and across to the airport.
In Tshwane, Centurion is also blossoming around the site of the future Gautrain station, with plenty of development activity already underway.
Teagle believes that those who are embracing the opportunities that the Gautrain stations promise, will be in the pound seats.
"Those who are taking the opportunity and developing now are not undertaking wild speculative development but rather taking a clever risk. The Gautrain is going to have a massive impact on how we live, work, shop and travel and, as with any new real opportunity, those developers who have taken the initiative first, stand the best chance of enjoying the benefits."
Nearly three years on, less than 12 months remain to ensure a 15-minute journey between Sandton and the airport
The Gautrain rapid rail project has already been under construction for close to three years, with 10 500 people working on around 50 sites dotted across Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.
Construction on the project started at the end of September 2006.
The 45-month first phase comprises the network between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton, and includes the stations at OR Tambo International Airport, Rhodesfield, Marlboro and Sandton, together with the depot and operations control centre located near Allandale road, in Midrand.
The second phase, which is being constructed concurrently, will be completed in 54 months, taking the project to 2011. It includes the remainder of the rail network and stations linking Sandton and Park station, in Johannesburg, and the route from Midrand to Hatfield, in Pretoria.
The rail project is being constructed by the Bombela consortium, which will also operate it for a 15-year concession period.
There remains only a little bit more than ten months of the contracted 45-month period to complete the first phase of the R25,4-billion project.
Around 3 km of twin track has already been installed on the airport line, which features 11 bridges and three viaducts, or specialised train bridges.
This portion of the route is aimed largely at tourists and business travellers in need of public transport between Sandton and the airport.
The Gautrain, with a top speed of 160 km/h, will offer a 15-minute commute between these two stations.
The trains plying the airport link will feature two coaches for sitting airport passengers, with room for luggage, and two to six general passenger coaches for sitting and standing passengers.
These general commuter coaches on the airport link will not be accessible to airport passengers. Therefore, daily commuters using the general passenger service will be able to embark or disembark only at Rhodesfield, Marlboro or Sandton stations.
Airport passengers will be able to embark and disembark only at Sandton, or at the airport.
This means passengers travelling in the special airport cars will notice that doors will remain closed at the intermediate stations at Rhodesfield and Marlboro.
All stations, apart from the airport station – as the assumption is that it services flying customers – will have a dedicated Gautrain bus service ferrying commuters within a 15-km radius to and from stations.
Sandton Station
The first station along the airport route is Sandton station, located between West street and Fifth avenue.
This station will be 45 m underground, and work is continuing in three shifts, 24 hours a day, to complete this anchor station.
Underground station construction works are ongoing in the cavern section between the south and north shafts, as well as within the shafts themselves.
These works include the base slabs for the tracks, construction of the various platforms and the various technical rooms, and access ways that are located within the shafts.
Construction of the station’s three-level underground parkade continues.
The station will also feature a drop-off facility, as well as bicycle storage.
During peak hours, Gautrain-branded buses will ferry passengers to and from the station every 12 minutes.
There will be a train every five minutes during peak periods, and every 20 minutes during off-peak periods. On weekends and public holidays, there will be a train every 30 minutes.
The entire Gautrain system will feature 650 closed-circuit television cameras, with security guards to maintain a visible presence at stations and inside trains.
Rhodesfield Station
The Rhodesfield station is situated immed-iately to the south of the Kempton Park central business district, and close to the R21 freeway.
Station platforms are elevated and located around one-third along viaduct 15, which is directly above the existing Metrorail railway lines, running between Isando and Kempton Park.
The station entrance, concourse and parking area are located at ground level. There are 1 400 parking bays at the station, with provision made for bicycle storage as well.
A new Metrorail station is being constructed and linked to the Gautrain station at Rhodesfield, to extend the catchment area of the Gautrain.
While Sandton is already a high-density precinct, development of this kind is still in its infancy in Rhodesfield.
Several residential properties have already been sold to commercial developers.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has received several applications for com- mercial developments, including three hotels, in the Rhodesfield area.
The first hotel is already being built close to Rhodesfield station.
Another development is a R600-million mixed-use development proposed for the remaining residential erven next to the station.
Marlboro Station
Marlboro station is adjacent to the N3 Marlboro drive interchange.
It is located close to the Linbro Business Park, with a multibillion-rand mixed-use development called Frankenwald Estate planned, which will feature a dedicated pedestrian link to the station.
The Marlboro parking area will accom- modate 1 200 cars at a time, also offering bicycle storage and drop-off facilities.
Around 300 t of steel has been used in the construction of the station to date.
Around 100 people are working on site at the moment.
Tracklaying has already started.
OR Tambo International Airport Station
This elevated station has platforms situated on a viaduct. The station concourse is linked directly to the departures level of the adjacent new central terminal building, one level below.
This station is the first to feature fare gates and electronic ticket vending machines.
The Gautrain system is a closed one, with only people with a valid ticket able to get onto the platform.
Passengers will be able to buy preloaded smart-cards for train and/or bus trips at the self-help ticket vending machines, or at a manned ticket office.
Ticket products can be loaded onto the smart-card using cash, a debit card or a credit card.
Contactless technology means smart cards will be scanned electronically when they are swiped at the access readers on the fare gates.
All stations will have electronic display systems providing information on train arrival and departure times.
The OR Tambo International Airport station will not have a dedicated parking area, as it caters for airline passengers.
The Trains
Of the 96 rail cars, or 24 train sets, to be used in the system, six sets are already undergoing testing at the depot, says Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe.
The allocated 15 Electrostar cars to be delivered from Bombardier’s facility in Derby, in the UK, have already arrived in Gauteng, with the remainder to now flow from Union Carriage & Wagon Partnership, in Nigel.
“They have already reached full production, assembling two cars a week,” says Van der Merwe.
Dynamic testing is being conducted on a 7-km test track between Dale road and Linbro Park. Each train has to run for 3 000 km before it can be certified to carry passengers.
Around 32 km of track has already been laid.
Now, Will It or Won’t It Be Ready for the World Cup?
The year 2010 is more than just another year on the South African calendar. It is the year in which the country will host the FIFA World Cup.
The question on nearly everybody’s lips is whether the project will be ready for the event, which kicks off on June 11. In a country which lacks predictable and safe public transport, such as is the norm in Europe and the US, the Gautrain has been proffered as the ideal solution for carrying the thousands of tourists expected to land at OR Tambo International Airport, heading for Sandton hotels in 2010.
However, Bombela is only contractually scheduled to complete the project at the end of June.
Van der Merwe notes that a decision will now have to be made on whether phase one of the project needs a cash injection to be finished in May – in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Van der Merwe says the two-phased rail project has, indeed, never been a 2010 project. The project was announced in 2000, with the FIFA World Cup awarded only in 2004.
However, he adds that there is a “need and desire” from government to finish phase one of the project in time for the global sports event.
“We are talking to the concessionaire to accelerate the project,” says Van der Merwe.
“Depending on negotiations and cost implications, we’ll have to see if we’ll pay to have it ready.”
He says that he has been hopeful to make an announcement on a possible fast-track of the project in July, but that he is now targeting August or, at the very least, the next three months.
via
Construction on the project started at the end of September 2006.
The 45-month first phase comprises the network between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton, and includes the stations at OR Tambo International Airport, Rhodesfield, Marlboro and Sandton, together with the depot and operations control centre located near Allandale road, in Midrand.
The second phase, which is being constructed concurrently, will be completed in 54 months, taking the project to 2011. It includes the remainder of the rail network and stations linking Sandton and Park station, in Johannesburg, and the route from Midrand to Hatfield, in Pretoria.
The rail project is being constructed by the Bombela consortium, which will also operate it for a 15-year concession period.
There remains only a little bit more than ten months of the contracted 45-month period to complete the first phase of the R25,4-billion project.
Around 3 km of twin track has already been installed on the airport line, which features 11 bridges and three viaducts, or specialised train bridges.
This portion of the route is aimed largely at tourists and business travellers in need of public transport between Sandton and the airport.
The Gautrain, with a top speed of 160 km/h, will offer a 15-minute commute between these two stations.
The trains plying the airport link will feature two coaches for sitting airport passengers, with room for luggage, and two to six general passenger coaches for sitting and standing passengers.
These general commuter coaches on the airport link will not be accessible to airport passengers. Therefore, daily commuters using the general passenger service will be able to embark or disembark only at Rhodesfield, Marlboro or Sandton stations.
Airport passengers will be able to embark and disembark only at Sandton, or at the airport.
This means passengers travelling in the special airport cars will notice that doors will remain closed at the intermediate stations at Rhodesfield and Marlboro.
All stations, apart from the airport station – as the assumption is that it services flying customers – will have a dedicated Gautrain bus service ferrying commuters within a 15-km radius to and from stations.
Sandton Station
The first station along the airport route is Sandton station, located between West street and Fifth avenue.
This station will be 45 m underground, and work is continuing in three shifts, 24 hours a day, to complete this anchor station.
Underground station construction works are ongoing in the cavern section between the south and north shafts, as well as within the shafts themselves.
These works include the base slabs for the tracks, construction of the various platforms and the various technical rooms, and access ways that are located within the shafts.
Construction of the station’s three-level underground parkade continues.
The station will also feature a drop-off facility, as well as bicycle storage.
During peak hours, Gautrain-branded buses will ferry passengers to and from the station every 12 minutes.
There will be a train every five minutes during peak periods, and every 20 minutes during off-peak periods. On weekends and public holidays, there will be a train every 30 minutes.
The entire Gautrain system will feature 650 closed-circuit television cameras, with security guards to maintain a visible presence at stations and inside trains.
Rhodesfield Station
The Rhodesfield station is situated immed-iately to the south of the Kempton Park central business district, and close to the R21 freeway.
Station platforms are elevated and located around one-third along viaduct 15, which is directly above the existing Metrorail railway lines, running between Isando and Kempton Park.
The station entrance, concourse and parking area are located at ground level. There are 1 400 parking bays at the station, with provision made for bicycle storage as well.
A new Metrorail station is being constructed and linked to the Gautrain station at Rhodesfield, to extend the catchment area of the Gautrain.
While Sandton is already a high-density precinct, development of this kind is still in its infancy in Rhodesfield.
Several residential properties have already been sold to commercial developers.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality has received several applications for com- mercial developments, including three hotels, in the Rhodesfield area.
The first hotel is already being built close to Rhodesfield station.
Another development is a R600-million mixed-use development proposed for the remaining residential erven next to the station.
Marlboro Station
Marlboro station is adjacent to the N3 Marlboro drive interchange.
It is located close to the Linbro Business Park, with a multibillion-rand mixed-use development called Frankenwald Estate planned, which will feature a dedicated pedestrian link to the station.
The Marlboro parking area will accom- modate 1 200 cars at a time, also offering bicycle storage and drop-off facilities.
Around 300 t of steel has been used in the construction of the station to date.
Around 100 people are working on site at the moment.
Tracklaying has already started.
OR Tambo International Airport Station
This elevated station has platforms situated on a viaduct. The station concourse is linked directly to the departures level of the adjacent new central terminal building, one level below.
This station is the first to feature fare gates and electronic ticket vending machines.
The Gautrain system is a closed one, with only people with a valid ticket able to get onto the platform.
Passengers will be able to buy preloaded smart-cards for train and/or bus trips at the self-help ticket vending machines, or at a manned ticket office.
Ticket products can be loaded onto the smart-card using cash, a debit card or a credit card.
Contactless technology means smart cards will be scanned electronically when they are swiped at the access readers on the fare gates.
All stations will have electronic display systems providing information on train arrival and departure times.
The OR Tambo International Airport station will not have a dedicated parking area, as it caters for airline passengers.
The Trains
Of the 96 rail cars, or 24 train sets, to be used in the system, six sets are already undergoing testing at the depot, says Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe.
The allocated 15 Electrostar cars to be delivered from Bombardier’s facility in Derby, in the UK, have already arrived in Gauteng, with the remainder to now flow from Union Carriage & Wagon Partnership, in Nigel.
“They have already reached full production, assembling two cars a week,” says Van der Merwe.
Dynamic testing is being conducted on a 7-km test track between Dale road and Linbro Park. Each train has to run for 3 000 km before it can be certified to carry passengers.
Around 32 km of track has already been laid.
Now, Will It or Won’t It Be Ready for the World Cup?
The year 2010 is more than just another year on the South African calendar. It is the year in which the country will host the FIFA World Cup.
The question on nearly everybody’s lips is whether the project will be ready for the event, which kicks off on June 11. In a country which lacks predictable and safe public transport, such as is the norm in Europe and the US, the Gautrain has been proffered as the ideal solution for carrying the thousands of tourists expected to land at OR Tambo International Airport, heading for Sandton hotels in 2010.
However, Bombela is only contractually scheduled to complete the project at the end of June.
Van der Merwe notes that a decision will now have to be made on whether phase one of the project needs a cash injection to be finished in May – in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Van der Merwe says the two-phased rail project has, indeed, never been a 2010 project. The project was announced in 2000, with the FIFA World Cup awarded only in 2004.
However, he adds that there is a “need and desire” from government to finish phase one of the project in time for the global sports event.
“We are talking to the concessionaire to accelerate the project,” says Van der Merwe.
“Depending on negotiations and cost implications, we’ll have to see if we’ll pay to have it ready.”
He says that he has been hopeful to make an announcement on a possible fast-track of the project in July, but that he is now targeting August or, at the very least, the next three months.
via
Monday, July 27, 2009
Developers in Rosebank should be encouraged to go residential
There's no obvious recession in Rosebank. The Johannesburg suburb is rapidly becoming the city's third high-rise business centre after Sandton and the original CBD, as SA's biggest developers prepare for the launch of Gautrain and the city's bus rapid transit system next year.
But the recession does have some effect. It is one of the reasons developers have either abandoned or avoided building the high-rise, high-density blocks of flats that would ensure Rosebank remains the most successful city environment in Gauteng.
Rosebank has the street life the Sandton CBD can never achieve, and the authentic urbanism of global cities that manufactured environments such as Melrose Arch and Cape Town's Century City will always lack. Several thousand high-rise flats would secure it as the region's most popular place to live, work and play and entrench the sustainability of Gautrain and its retail component.
Old Mutual is the most enthusiastic participant in the Gautrain project, with megadevelopments connected to stations at Rosebank, Sandton CBD and Midrand. Old Mutual Investments Group Property Investments (Omigpi) CEO Ben Kodisang has nailed his flag to the mixed-use urban mast, in his plan to become SA's biggest property asset manager with a R100bn portfolio.
WHAT IT MEANS |
Yet Omigpi has canned its proposed residential development connected to the Zone at the corner of Tyrwhitt and Cradock avenues. "We can't do it profitably in the recession," says regional development manager Debbie Caplin. "We could if we were allowed to build a 30-storey high rise, but we can't."
Omigpi says it is unable to because the local civic Rosebank Action Group (Rag) is opposing large-scale high-rise development. Rag's Judith Briggs says it is opposed to "monolithic slabs" of buildings creating a "canyon" - but it doesn't oppose properly staggered high-rise development. Elsewhere in the world, planners have encouraged the densest and highest development to make sure mass transit systems are sustainable.
A third reason for the lack of residential construction is that Old Mutual and other major developers Investec, Standard Bank and Tiber are mainly commercial developers, with little interest or feel for residential.
Listed property fund Hyprop and developer Intaprop recently bought Nedbank Gardens in Bath Avenue from Old Mutual. It's an office park that is ideal for residential conversion.
Exclusive business - Buildings near the Gautrain station are likely to be reserved for commercial purposes only
Intaprop's Tim Middleton says it hasn't excluded residential. "But it's not a good idea to have a residential development that is isolated from other residential developments, which would be the case at Nedbank Gardens."
Hyprop would be interested only in a hotel. It wants to support the prime Rosebank property, the mall over the road from Nedbank Gardens. So it's probable that tenant parking and other non retail activities would be moved to the new purchase, so Hyprop can expand its retail space in the mall.
Hyprop has also bought Cradock Heights, a 5 000 m² office building north of Rosebank Mall on Cradock and Tyrwhitt avenues. It was designed by the son of the noted Johannesburg architect Harold le Roith. Probably the most beautiful commercial one in the suburb, it could be converted for residential use. However, there's a good chance that Hyprop will eventually demolish it to expand the mall.
"It's a pity that Rosebank's revival is taking place in the middle of a recession," says Kagiso Urban Management's Anne Steffny, who runs the Rosebank management district (RMD) that ensures the safety and operation of the node's public spaces. "Developers just can't make residential work at the moment."
Which highlights the biggest flaw in the suburb's regeneration. As usual, developers are narrowly concentrated on their own properties and their immediate returns. City planning authorities with foresight would have known this would happen, and planned for it through a detailed, integrated development plan that ensure d the right mix, size and density of uses. It would have crossed private property boundaries and have factored in the long-term future.
By building residential now, the municipality and owners could have ensured the long-term sustainability of the mass transit system and surrounding commercial activity. It would also have made Rosebank an even more satisfying place to visit, do business in or live in.
The authorities can make that happen with incentives for the big developers, like extra height and commercial space if they include residential units in their development.
Or they could punish them by reducing height and space if they don't.
One developer who wants to be anonymous has bought 20 Tyrwhitt Avenue to build residential accommodation. He would like to build more than he is allowed to by the city planning scheme. "Rosebank needs 3 000 or 4 000 residential units in Tyrwhitt Avenue, and 1 000 more elsewhere if it is to reach its full potential," he says.
"But we don't have a development plan that will make that happen."
Steffny says the council, the RMD and the property owners have agreed to do an integrated plan "with a strong residential component, and the big property developers support that".
But it seems they will support that being done by other developers in lower Rosebank near Jan Smuts Avenue, while their prime properties close to the Gautrain station remain purely commercial.
By Ian Fife via
Friday, July 24, 2009
GAUTRAIN FARES & TICKETING
Posted on 24 July 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Gautrain has adopted a balanced approach in its fare policy, aimed at making the service attractive and affordable. In principle, Gautrain fares will be lower than the cost of using a private car for the same journey but more expensive than those of existing taxi and rail fares. Fare levels will be finalised just before the opening of the system in 2010 and periodically adjusted thereafter.
The characteristics of the Gautrain automatic fare collection (AFC) system are as follows:
- It provides convenient access for all to railway, feeder-bus and parking services;
- It facilitates revenue collection by means of the fare media;
- It protects revenue by means of its security resources;
- It promotes the use of public transport in place of private cars through discounted fares for park-and-ride customers;
- It facilitates control of business performance through product management and management information reporting;
- It provides many opportunities for expanding, extending and developing the business, including the support of a variety of alternatives for interoperability with other transit systems.
Special consideration has been given to the needs of people with disabilities, to minimise queuing and make ticket purchase and car parking access and payment as simple as possible. Wide-entry gates are provided at all stations for use by anybody requiring extra space such as wheelchair users, those with baggage and adults accompanied by small children in pushchairs.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Scenes around central Pretoria station
Pretoria Central Station close-up
Track bridge from Muckleneuk area to central Pretoria
Gautrain bridge pillar close to Nelson Mandela Drive, Pretoria
The Telkom tower and Pretoria City seen from Fort Klapperkop
The Blue Train has a station at Pretoria Central Station
Track bridge from Muckleneuk area to central Pretoria
Gautrain bridge pillar close to Nelson Mandela Drive, Pretoria
The Telkom tower and Pretoria City seen from Fort Klapperkop
The Blue Train has a station at Pretoria Central Station
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
More images around Sandton
More photos taken around Sandton on a nice Sunday afternoon:
Sandton City:
A peak into the Sandton Library:
Nelson Mandela statue:
Nelson Mandela Square:
Sandton Gautrain construction:
Sandton City:
A peak into the Sandton Library:
Nelson Mandela statue:
Nelson Mandela Square:
Sandton Gautrain construction:
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Gautrain operator signs big feeder-route bus contract
16th July 2009
Bombela, the company building the Gautrain rapid-rail link, and the company which will operate it for 15 years, has signed a deal with Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) for the supply of 125 buses which will service the project’s feeder and distribution routes.
The luxury buses, all with Euro III engines, will be used to ferry commuters to and from the Gautrain stations, up to a radius of 15 km, says Bombela Concession Company CEO Jerome Govender.
“The intention is, if the local councils agree, to have bus stops roughly every 500 m along the route.”
Of the 125 buses, 118 will be 35-seater to 42-seater buses, of which 59 will be 35-seater buses with wheelchair access, and the remaining 59, standard 42-seater buses. All these buses will offer room for 17 standing passengers, explains Govender. The last seven buses rounding off the 125-strong fleet will be articulated buses, offering standing room, 46 seats and wheelchair access.
“These articulated buses will be used on what we anticipate will be high-volume routes in the Pretoria central business district,” says Govender.
“The general principle is that the Gautrain-branded buses must offer the same level of comfort and luxury – such as air conditioning – as the Gautrain,” he adds.
Govender says MBSA will supply the bus chassis from the company’s East London plant, with the bus bodies (shell and interior) then provided by Busmark 2000/Caio, located in Randfontein.
“All the buses will be locally assembled, so they will feature a strong local component,” notes Govender.
The bus depot will be located next to the train depot, in Midrand, with the bus operations centre next door.
Passengers will pay for the bus and train trips making use of a smart card. They will be able to load different values onto this card for various travel products.
The Gautrain bus system will be operated by a subcontractor to the Bombela Concession Company. This subcontractor is led by Unitrans, with SPG, a 25% empowerment shareholder in Bombela, also owning a portion of the company. The South African National Taxi Council forms parts of SPG. Govender says this means the bus system has participation from the taxi industry.
However, he adds that the Gautrain bus system is a dedicated system designed around the rail network, emphasising that it does not compete with the taxi operators, as has been the perception around the proposed bus rapid- transit systems to be rolled out in several big South African cities in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
MBSA will deliver the first buses by the end of January next year, for the purpose of training drivers, of which there will about 250 in total.
The first phase of the Gautrain, stretching from OR Tambo International Airport to Sandton, is to be operational in 2010, with the Johannesburg–Pretoria link to be completed in 2011.
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