Gautrain expects to appointed a consultant soon to conduct a feasibility study into proposed rail-expansion plans, Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) CEO Jack van der Merwe said on Tuesday.

The GMA was investigating the feasibility of extending the Gautrain by 200 km and a bid evaluation committee was finalising the process of selecting a consultant to undertake the study. A bid adjudication committee would then meet to appoint the successful bidder, possibly before the end of the month.

The routes currently under investigation for expansion include a link from the existing Gautrain Park station, underneath the city, to Westgate; a link from the existing Gautrain Rhodesfield station to Boksburg; a link from the existing Gautrain Sandton station to Randburg and Honeydew; and a link from Naledi, in Soweto, to Mamelodi, through either the proposed Gautrain Samrand station or the existing Gautrain Midrand station.

Van der Merwe told Engineering News Online that the feasibility study was expected to take about two years, followed by an environmental-impact assessment that was expected to take another year.

Once these have been completed, funding would be arranged, after which the project would be developed in a phased approach, depending on the availability of funds.

While Van der Merwe could not give exact project timelines, he said construction on the expanded routes was expected to start within the next five years.

He added that the GMA had not yet decided on which technology would be used on the expanded routes, but mentioned that the GMA might decide to make use of French multinational Alstom’s technology, which would require adapting the company’s rolling stock to run on a wider gauge. 

Van der Merwe further explained that the Gautrain expansion project formed part of the Gauteng provincial government’s new Integrated Transport Master Plan, aimed at meeting future public transport demand.

He noted that, according to estimates, the province’s population would, in 25 years’ time, reach 80.7-million people, including 8.6-million people who commute to and from work.

If trips by children to and from school and those of other persons for social reasons were added, it was estimated that Gauteng would see about 25-million passenger trips a day.

Therefore, it was crucial to expand and improve the province’s transport infrastructure.

Van der Merwe further pointed out that, of the 25-million passenger trips, it was envisaged that 10-million would be made by nonmotorised transport.

However, the average Gauteng resident lived about 42.5 km from the city centre, which made nonmotorised transport impossible and it was, therefore, necessary to reinforce the passenger rail network, to create a robust transport system and to improve travel demand management in terms of road transport.