Gautrain bringing major expansion changes

The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) has made an announcement that it is currently in the “advanced stages” of finalising a massive expansion project for the Gautrain, which will see the rail network almost triple in size.

The revelation came at a community engagement initiative which celebrated October Transport Month (OTM), while profiling Gauteng’s approach to making rail the backbone of public transport and making highlights to the contributions by Gautrain towards socio-economic development in the province.

Gautrain is an 80-kilometre express commuter rail system which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kempton Park and O.R. Tambo International Airport at the moment.

William Dachs, who is the CEO for the agency, said: “The current Gautrain project was in phase one, with 80km of rail network linking key economic areas in the province. The agency is planning to expand by another 150km of rail network, which will link the outlying areas.” What this means is that the rail would come up to a total of 230km – almost triple its current size.

The agency completed a route proclamation that included areas such as Randburg, Little Falls, and Cosmo City last year, and Dachs also noted that this was a critical stage in the process of securing and obtaining land rights.

He also mentioned that there are already works for Phase 2 of the proclamation routes towards Roodepoort and Soweto. The upgrade is expected to kick off in 2026 when the Gauteng Provincial Government is set to assume ownership of the express commuter rail system after the current concession expires.

Head of Department (HoD), Thulani Mdadane for the agency noted that Gautrain is a strategic asset which to be handed over to the province at the end of this current concession. “The Gauteng Provincial Government will own a R45 billion asset which has contributed significantly to the issues of the provincial economy, infrastructural spinoffs and employment opportunities,” – he added.

He also mentioned that the agency has made possible the creation of over 61,000 indirect job opportunities, with a further 10,000 direct jobs created; which is a contribution of over R61 billion to the country’s GDP.

He further added the main objective is to build, operate and maintain a sustainable rail system for the benefit of all.

The below graphic shows how the new route will fit into the existing Gautrain model.