The Gautrain will soon enter under new management following the conclusion of the nearly 20-year infrastructure agreement with the Bombela Concession Company (BCC).
The Gautrain has been operating as a Public-Private Partnership since its launch, and has now been officially transferred to the Gauteng Government.
The high-speed rail network is the only project to receive an A- rating by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, making it the only world-class infrastructure project in the country.
The Gautrain will continue operating under the PPP model in the future, which the Gautrain Management Agency said will ensure stability, continuity and sustained private-sector participation.
The Bombela Operating Company (BOC) will continue to manage the Gautrain under a contractual holdover arrangement for up to six months.
During these six months, final negotiations with the preferred bidder, who will run the Gautrain for the next 15 years, will be completed.
The approved bidder will need to operate, maintain, refurbish, upgrade, and modernise the Gautrain system for the next 15 years.
Passengers will not feel any disruption to services during the handover, according to the Gautrain Management Agency.
It said that the project has contributed R46 billion in economic value to Gauteng over the decade, with about 245,000 jobs created in property development around the stations.
It added that for every rand invested, R1.72 is returned to the province. 59% of major office developments in the province are now clustered around Gautrain station nodes.
“These are not coincidences of geography. They are the direct result of what reliable, high-frequency rail does to the value of land and the decisions of investors,” it said.
The next phase of concessions will focus on improving the passenger experience with new technology, transforming stations into integrated hubs for business and retail, and introducing dynamic pricing.
“The conclusion of the BCC concession marks the end of an era and a proud moment for Gautrain,” said Tshepo Kgobe, CEO of the Gautrain Management Agency.
“As we enter this transitional phase, our priority remains to deliver uninterrupted, world-class service while preparing for a seamless handover to the next concessionaire.”
Route expansion incoming
The change in management of the Gautrain comes amid the gazetting of new routes and stations for the service earlier this week.
The routes form part of the Gauteng Rapid Rail Integrated Network (GRRIN), the next major expansion of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link (GRRL) system, which is already in operation.
Several new stations for the expansion include:
- Jabulani Station
- Roodepoort Station
- Lanseria Station
- Cradle Station
- Smart City Station
- Samrand Station
- Fourways Station
- Sunninghill Station
- Olievenhoutbosch Station
As per the notice, the proposed route determination for the provincial rail line has been confirmed for the Soweto Extension and the Cosmo City Junction.
This is in addition to the GRRIN Phase 1 expansion, which includes plans to expand the GRRL route between Sandton and Little Falls, with Cosmo City and Randburg Stations along the way.
The notice puts into effect several regulatory measures that need to be considered, including future applications to establish townships or subdivisions of land needed to take the routes into account.
