Project Gautrain
Gauteng is seen as the country’s economic hub, and is experiencing major traffic congestion on its major routes, especially between Pretoria and Johannesburg. The current transport facilities and services between these two cities are mainly road based. The land required for a rapid rail system is far less than that of a road system.
Apart from alleviating the severe traffic congestion, economic development is currently stimulated by the Gautrain’s rapid rail system and it has a distinct environmental advantage over other forms of transport.
The N1 Freeway currently carries some of the highest traffic volumes in South Africa with more than 157 000 vehicles travelling on it per day and a traffic growth rate of 7% per year. There is currently 300 000 cars per week day in the Pretoria-Johannesburg traffic corridor. It is estimated that approximately one-fifth of Pretoria-Johannesburg commuters will make the switch from travelling by road to travelling by rail. Gautrain should initially transport more than 100 000 passengers per day.
Benefits of Gautrain to Sustainable Development as evident from the research done by the UITP in its Bringing Quality to Life:
- Limit greenhouse gas emissions to minimise the negative impact on the climate;
- Reduce road traffic congestion and the resulting congestion costs;
- Significantly reduce the number of road accidents, fatalities and injuries;
- Improve mobility levels of the entire community, which also will narrow the division between the mobility levels in our society;
- Improve accessibility to primary services of health, education and employment for the entire community; and
- Reduce conventional emissions and transport related noise so that Gautrain does not constitute a significant concern to public health.
In conclusion Gautrain is a sustainable transport system, which increases mobility in Gauteng, the engine room of the South African economy. It minimises consumption of non-renewable resources and optimises the use of land. It improves improved access individuals and societies to core areas such as employment areas and areas where there are goods, jobs, education and leisure. It further enhances a vibrant economy by creating more job opportunities, improving worker productivity and integrating various sectors which ultimately leads to community development and upliftment.
In short, Gautrain facilitates sustainable growth and liveable cities.
Gautrain, at the end of the Concession period, will be a fully paid off asset of the Gauteng Provincial Government in an established high density corridor around which the Province will shape itself for the benefit of our children.
To get more information on what the Gautrain can offer you, have a look at their website at: http://www.gautrain.co.za/
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