Centurion area Gautrain photos

GAUTRAIN COACH INTERIORS MADE IN WALES

Gautrain rolling stock incorporates material supplied by Precision Cast Components (PCC), a company based in Newport, Wales. In its factory, PCC has fabricated the interior panelling for all 96 coaches. The contract has meant expansion, which has been funded to the tune of £160,000 by the Corus group subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise.

Managing director of PCC Mark Isaac, pleased to have won such a prestigious contract, was quoted saying: “Bombardier has the contract for the whole railway, and we have worked closely with them for many years on projects around the world”.

PCC is now the biggest supplier of rail interiors in the UK. It has supplied the Kowloon and Canton Railway in Hong Kong, and in the UK the Southern Rail and Virgin companies have placed substantial orders with the firm.

Mr Isaac said: “Bombardier knows that we will provide high quality products, and that our manufacturing techniques are constantly being improved and updated. “They also know we will deliver on time, bearing in mind that Gautrain faces a tight timetable to be ready for the World Cup.”

The Welsh press reported excitedly: “Fans at next year’s World Cup in South Africa will be transported on ultra-modern trains built with the help of Precision Cast Components (PCC), a company based in Newport, Wales.”

[ In fact, Gautrain’s main-line to Pretoria will not be open until mid-2011 and even the line to the airport is not scheduled for completion until several weeks after the games start in early June 2010. - via

Gautrain making its way from Durban Port

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."

via

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:

Gautrain photos around Pretoria

Some Gautrain photos we took around Pretoria station :

Gautrain operator signs big feeder-route bus contract

Gautrain operator signs big feeder-route bus contract - from Engineering News

By: Irma Venter

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.

Photos: Around the Marlboro station

Video: Gautrain to cost R300m extra - Jack van Der Merwe

Loftus, seen from 'n hill close to fort Klapperkop

Photos around the Hatfield Gautrain station

Gautrain Rosebank News: R150m invested in Rosebank properties

The Rosebank in the region of the Gautrain station will be getting a major boost:

This from News24

R150m invested in Rosebank properties (from News24)
2009/07/14

A JSE retail property fund on Monday said that it had recently invested about R150m in the growth node of Rosebank to boost its existing retail asset in the area – the Mall of Rosebank.

Hyprop Investments (HYP) said it recently acquired two commercial properties in close proximity to the Mall on Bath and Cradock Avenues and this brings its total investment in Rosebank to date to over R1,3bn.

Completion of Rosebank's Gautrain and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations is expected to rejuvenate the node and revive the bustling commercial district.

Hyprop has purchased a 70% undivided share in the office park Nedbank Gardens on Bath Avenue directly opposite the Mall.

Intaprop (Pty) Limited holds the remaining 30% share.

The property comprises three office buildings together totalling 15,700sqm of gross lettable area (GLA) on a 14,000sqm site.

On the corner of Cradock and Tyrwhitt Avenues Hyprop has purchased Cradock Heights, a commercial property with a GLA of 4,745sqm.

Financial Director Laurence Cohen said the acquisitions were in line with Hyprop's strategy to invest in nodes with strong growth potential.

"As the area develops, Rosebank will most likely attract substantially more office tenants who would form a captive shopper base for the Mall," said Cohen.

"Through the two acquisitions Hyprop is consolidating its presence around the Mall to maximise densities and improve connectivity to the office precinct and Gautrain station," he added.

Hyprop said it was adding to its mixed-use presence in Rosebank which had existed for some time through the Mall (retail), the Mall offices (commercial) and The Grace Hotel (leisure).

Of future plans for the acquisitions, Cohen said: "The redevelopment programme for the Nedbank Gardens' site is intended to complement and enhance our existing shopping centre in the area. A rezoning application has been submitted to the council to increase the available bulk to approximately 35,000sqm."

"We now have the opportunity to unlock value in the Mall, the surrounding area and the precinct generally. Further, we are eager to improve the pedestrian links between the lower Rosebank office component and the Mall through the Nedbank Gardens site," he continued.

The development plans for the Mall are in addition to the R663m expansion programme currently under way at Hyprop's other centres including Hyde Park, The Glen and Canal Walk.

These developments are well on schedule for completion later this year.

"The current developments and our plans for the Mall are set to continually strengthen our portfolio of quality shopping centres with enhanced facilities, additional retail space, an improved tenant mix and increased parking," concluded Cohen. – I-Net Bridge

Gautrain construction photos by the John Vorster offramp II

Gautrain construction photos by the John Vorster offramp