The Gauteng government has officially gazetted the long-awaited new routes for the expansion of the Gautrain network.
Image: Chris Collingridge / Independent Media
The Gauteng government has officially gazetted the long-awaited new routes for the expansion of the Gautrain network.
The expansion forms part of the province’s plan to improve access to faster, safer and more reliable public transport, while connecting more communities to economic hubs and opportunities.
More than R120 billion has been set aside for the project, which aims to extend the rail network to underserved areas and reduce long travel times for commuters.
According to the notice, the new routes will include a largely underground line linking Little Falls, Roodepoort and Jabulani in Soweto, while another route will run from Cosmo City to Lanseria Airport.
The Gauteng government has officially gazetted the long-awaited new routes for the expansion of the Gautrain network.
Image: Supplied
The proposed route runs about 20km underground from near Little Falls, passing beneath Helderkruin, Horizon View, Roodepoort and parts of Soweto. It includes underground platforms at Roodepoort and Jabulani, with station buildings planned above ground, and is designed to avoid dolomite and previously mined areas.
The proposed route runs for about 17.4km, mostly above ground with around 7km on elevated viaducts. It will pass through Cradle Station and continue towards Lanseria Airport, crossing major roads including the R114, N14 and R552.
The route also "North-East underneath the suburbs of Waterfall, Kyalami Hills and Carlswald, passing under the R55 (Woodmead Drive), M39 (Allandale Road), and Walton Avenue/New Road to the proposed Olivenhoutbosch Station, where platforms are planned to be developed underground, and station buildings planned to be constructed above-ground.
The proposed 30.4km corridor runs mostly underground, with sections near Cosmo City and Samrand above ground. It will pass through Fourways, Sunninghill, Waterfall and Midrand areas, including Olivenhoutbosch, before linking to Samrand.
The route includes underground stations at Fourways, Sunninghill and Olivenhoutbosch, and crosses major roads and highways such as the R512, R55, N1 and R101, before connecting back to the existing Gautrain network near Samrand
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