Date for Gautrain's maiden voyage set

Gauteng's state-of-the-art Gautrain is set to carry its first passengers from OR Tambo International Airport to Sandton on June 8, three days before the World Cup kick-off.

Barbara Jensen, spokeswoman for the Gauteng province on the Gautrain, said four stations - OR Tambo, Rhodesfield in Kempton Park, Marlboro and Sandton - would be fully operational by Saturday, June 5, when the inauguration takes place.

Although Sandton will be fully operational, construction will still be in progress for the next few months on the second phase, from Sandton to Park station in central Joburg.

The first trip for members of the public is set to take place on Tuesday, June 8.

The fare schedule will be finalised by the end of this week, but trips from the airport to Sandton are expected to be about R100 to R120, one way.

From Sandton there will be feeder buses to stadiums and other locations. Passengers will disembark from the train underneath Sandton City.

The station and parking are 15 storeys underground.

It will take 12 minutes from OR Tambo to Sandton, with the train reaching speeds of 160km/h.

At the airport, passengers will be taken straight into the arrivals lounge.

People will be able to buy tickets at an automated ticketing system at the airport.