GAUTRAIN JOHANNESBURG TO TSHWANE LAUNCH DATE CONFIRMED

Posted on Jul 28, 2011 in Featured, Media Releases

The Gauteng Provincial Government, the Gautrain Management Agency and the Bombela Concession Company are pleased to confirm that the next phase of the Gautrain will be opened for commercial service on 2 August 2011. The Independent Certifiers for the project, Arup, have confirmed that they will be in a position to issue the Operating Commencement Date Certificate for this phase of operations on Monday 1 August. This follows a rigorous evaluation of all the contractual and technical requirements for this phase.

The section to be opened will extend from Rosebank Station in Johannesburg to Hatfield Station in Tshwane and will include all stations on this section. The Gautrain’s bus services will also be fully functional along this route.

The final, southward leg from Rosebank Station to Park Station in the Johannesburg CBD will be opened at a later date to accommodate additional engineering works in that section of the route. This is a precautionary measure to ensure that the highest passenger safety standards are adhered to, while engineering works are in progress.

All the Gautrain Stations (with the exception of Park Station) will be opened to the public from Friday 29 July 2011 to enable prospective passengers to familiarize themselves with the train and bus services available and also to pre-purchase Gautrain tickets. Train and bus services will however only become operational from 2 August 2011. Commuters are encouraged to make use of this opportunity in order to avoid queuing when the system opens for service on Tuesday.

From 2 August 2011, train services will operate daily between approximately 05h30 and 20h30, including weekends. Trains will run at 12-minute intervals during peak periods on weekdays (05h30 – 08h30 and 16h00 – 19h00) and at 20-minute intervals during off-peak hours. The trains will run at 30-minute intervals during weekends.

Subject to road traffic conditions, the Gautrain bus timetable is integrated with the train timetable. There is no bus service on weekends and public holidays.

Commuters are referred to www.gautrain.co.za / www.gautrain.mobi / 0800 GAUTRAIN / 0800 4288 7246 as well as information guides available at all stations for more detailed user information.

The Gauteng Provincial Government, the Gautrain Management Agency and the Bombela Concession Company are pleased that the negotiations relating to the further engineering works, the cost implications thereof and the opening of the next phase of the Gautrain, have been satisfactorily resolved.

Gautrain is a Public Private Partnership where risk allocation is of paramount importance. The Gauteng Provincial Government and the Bombela Concession Company agreed in 2006 when the Concession Agreement was signed on specifications for the entire system and the allocation of risks. Water ingress in the Rosebank to Park Station tunnel is amaterial issue for the certification of the entire Gautrain system. First it had to be established whether the water ingress in the tunnel was more than the specifications that were agreed in the Concession Agreement. Once this had been established, Bombela was asked to submit a tunnel works plan for additional engineering works that will be implemented to reduce the volume of ground water seeping into this section of the tunnel.

It must be stated clearly that although the water ingress in the Rosebank to Park Station section is not within the contract specification, the entire system, including the tunnel section between Rosebank and Park Stations is completely safe. Hence the issuing, by the Railway Safety Regulator, of the Operating Permit on 11 July 2011. Although safety had not been compromised, the Gauteng Province and Bombela are concerned about the impact of water ingress, above the agreed upon levels, on the long-term viability and integrity of the infrastructure. Gautrain has been a huge investment for both parties and it is their responsibility to look after this investment.

The delayed opening of the tunnel section between Rosebank Station and Park Station will enable Bombela to address the water ingress problem in the shortest possible time with the least impact on the rest of the system. The cost of undertaking this additional engineering works will not be for the account of Province.

The engineering works will include drilling small diameter holes through the tunnel floor and injecting low viscosity grout into the surrounding rock. This will reduce the permeability of the rock mass and thus reduce the water which enters the tunnel drains. This is an iterative process and it is difficult to predict how long it will take to achieve the desired results; however it is envisaged that the section between Rosebank and Park Stations could be opened by the end of 2011. For those commuters who want to use this part of the Gautrain route, buses will be provided to transfer them between Rosebank and the Johannesburg CBD. The actual routes of these bus services will be communicated at a later stage.

The Gauteng Provincial Government, the Gautrain Management Agency and Bombela Concession Company wish to apologise to the public for any inconvenience caused with regards to the delay in operating the next phase of Gautrain. We would like to thank our prospective commuters for their patience and understanding. We look forward to them using the Gautrain next Tuesday.