OVERVIEW OF THE DOLOMITIC GEOLOGY UNDERLYING CENTURION
Background Between Centurion and Pretoria, in the northern section of the Gautrain route, the rail alignment traverses about 16km of dolomitic ground, of which 5.8km will be on viaducts (elevated structures) with the remaining portion constructed at ground level. This band of dolomites is part of a broad swathe of dolomite bedrock which surrounds the Johannesburg Granite Dome. The dolomites are...
Read MoreTRACK LAYING COMMENCING IN GAUTRAIN TUNNELS
The first tracks are currently being installed in the tunnel section of Gautrain between Marlboro and Sandton. The track construction within the tunnels utilises a ‘state of the art’ trackform system, consisting of pre-cast concrete blocks, surrounded with a rubber boot cast into concrete. This is different to the non tunnel sections which uses a conventional ballasted track...
Read MoreRAISE BORING TECHNOLOGY USED ON GAUTRAIN
Traditional top-down (blind sink) shaft sinking methods involve making a hole in the ground which is progressively deepened and lined until the required shaft depth is reached. This technique has been employed on six of the seven Emergency Access Shafts in the underground section of the Gautrain Project. It requires quite a large working area on surface to establish the required equipment and...
Read MoreBALANCED CANTILEVER VIADUCTS
An innovative construction technique is being used for the construction of the Gautrain viaducts crossing over the busy N1 and N14 freeways on either side of Centurion. The so-called Balanced Cantilever construction method is used for building long-span bridges over areas where construction from the ground upwards is not possible. The method is therefore ideal for the viaducts being constructed...
Read MoreVIADUCT ERECTION THROUGH CENTURION
To date Gautrain viaduct construction has primarily focused on the Johannesburg, Midrand and Ekurhuleni areas, whilst construction in Centurion has focused mainly on ground improvement and foundation installation. Viaduct erection has however recently commenced on the longest Gautrain viaduct (Viaduct 5) which traverses through Centurion and has a total length of over 4km. Figure 1 : Aerial view...
Read MoreCONSTRUCTION OF SEGMENTAL VIADUCTS
Most of Gautrain’s sixteen viaduct structures are being constructed using pre-cast segments installed using the underslung girder technique. The advantage of this technique is that it enables the viaduct deck spans to be erected very rapidly on site with minimal disruption to traffic below. Viaducts are essentially multi-spanned bridges crossing over roads or rivers or valleys. On the Gautrain...
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Gautrain News
- Media Release – 9 May 2013 May 9, 2013The full Gautrain service has been operational for just under a year. Since the opening of Park Station in Johannesburg, there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for the Gautrain and its bus services. The Gautrain System is experiencing continuous growth as could be expected of a system which is at the beginning […]
- RAIL IS THE BACKBONE OF THE GAUTENG PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM March 18, 2013In the light of recent, reckless and heedless statements made in relation to passenger rail and Gautrain, the MEC for Roads and Transport, Ismail Vadi, cautions that “in a country where costly transport infrastructure development has taken centre stage in the National Development Plan, it will be absolutely absurd to threaten to destroy existing transport [. […]
- SA NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA TO PERFORM AT GAUTRAIN SANDTON STATION January 25, 2013Gautrain is proud to welcome the SA National Youth Orchestra who will entertain commuters with a free performance this coming Friday in Sandton. Members of the National Youth Orchestra will perform at the main entrance of the Gautrain’s Sandton Station on Friday, 25 January between 07:00 and 08:00. This performance will be a preview ahead […]
