While reports vary about Gautrain running to the airport when World Cup proceedings begin in June (50% of those in the know say “Yes”, the other 50% say “No”), the Gauteng government is planning alternative bus service provision in case this proves necessary. “We have received 30 tenders [for six bus routes altogether], and are evaluating 22 of these,” Gautrain Management Agency CEO Jack van der Merwe told the press. There are to be six routes, three from O R Tambo to Westgate, Pretoria, and Sandton; two from Lanseria Airport to Sandton and Pretoria, and the sixth from Sandton to Pretoria. Should Gautrain be up and running, the O R Tambo-Sandton bus service will fall away.
The Gauteng government and the Bombela Concession Company, responsible for building and operating the Gautrain line, have been negotiating for several months over the feasibility of accelerating phase one of the project – the Sandton-OR Tambo branch. In terms of the originally agreed schedule, trains were only required to start operating at the end of June.
Should Gautrain’s phase one be operational for the World Cup, it will cost around R100 a ticket, van der Merwe says. Ticket prices are envisaged as being cheaper than running a car, but more expensive than existing public transport. The airport trains are to be more luxurious and spacious than those that will start running between Johannesburg and Pretoria in 2011.
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Original article [Railways Africa]