Gautrain Construction

Gautrain

Route Development

After the initial planning and pre-feasibility investigations were undertaken for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Gauteng Provincial Government decided to develop a rapid rail system based on a north-south spine between Tshwane and Johannesburg, and an east-west spine between OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton.

Sound progress has since been made in developing a route alignment for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link. A feasibility study was completed 2001, and a Reference Route was published in early 2002 which was then subjected to public scrutiny via an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and an associated Public Participation Process.

The EIA included a series of solution-orientated public and focus group meetings, and a comprehensive set of specialist environmental investigations.  The EIA process enabled a route to be recommended which had optimum public acceptance and the least ecological and socio-economic impact, whilst allowing the project to remain technically and financially feasible.  In fact, the original proposed route alignment was substantially amended due to the public input during the EIA process.

Alternative route alignments were investigated during the feasibility studies and the EIA, but some of these proved not to be viable due to a number of factors. These factors included poor financial feasibility linked to potentially lower levels of users, technical factors (e.g. gradient), environmental impacts, infrastructure and operating costs.

The 80-kilometre rail system will ultimately link Johannesburg, Tshwane and the OR Tambo International Airport.  Station locations were evaluated in terms of a set of criteria such as existing land use and residential density, current and future growth potential, environmental acceptability, accessibility and road capacity, amongst other criteria. Ten nodes were decided upon for station locations for the Gautrain project:

    * Johannesburg Park Station
    * Rosebank
    * Sandton
    * Marlboro
    * Midrand
    * Centurion
    * Pretoria
    * Hatfield
    * Rhodesfield
    * OR Tambo International Airport

It is at station locations where the demand for travel is served and, therefore, the rail route corridor was largely dictated by the proposed station locations. The Gauteng Provincial Government is committed to a route that takes into consideration the vital role the project will play in stimulating economic growth and job creation in the Province, addressing transport needs and traffic congestion problems, whilst taking account of environmental impacts and the socio-economic dynamics of communities.

On 15 April 2005, the Gauteng Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works (GDPTRW) published a notice for the route determination of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link in the Gauteng Provincial Gazette. Through this notice, the GDPTRW’s MEC Ignatius Jacobs gave notice that he proposes to determine the route for the Gautrain in terms of section 6 of the Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act, 2001 (Act No. 8 of 2001) subject to written comments from interested and affected parties.

On 09 March 2006, the preliminary design for Gautrain along all sections of the route that have not been subject to variant alignments proposed by the preferred bidder has been agreed to by GDPTRW’s MEC Jacobs. This marked the official start of the Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act process that includes:

    * Route determination
    * Preliminary design
    * Proclamation and expropriation

Construction commenced in September 2006. Passengers will be able to experience the completed rail system towards 2011.

General Gautrain Facts

• The wider international standard gauge will be used for Gautrain in contrast to the narrower Cape gauge that is currently being used in the country.
• Trains used for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project will travel at a maximum speed of 160 – 180 kilometres an hour and thus fall in the “rapid speed” category.
• Benefits of the Gautrain project far outweigh costs – the projected increase in Gauteng’s Gross Geographical Product (GGP) is between 0.7% and 1%
• Gautrain will reduce travel, times and cost
• The Gautrain will promote tourism
• An International Investors Conference was held during September 2001
• One of the Gautrain stations is in Hatfield
• One of the Gautrain stations is in Midrand
• One of the Gautrain stations is in Marlboro
• A factor which influences the Gautrain proposed route and the distance between stations is the design constraints for the speed at which the train will travel
• 104 000 passengers per day are estimated to travel on Gautrain
• In preparing the site for construction more that 200 hectares of land will be cleared.
• 10 stations – three underground, three elevated on viaducts, four at street level.
• The Mushroom Farm Park access shaft will reach a depth of 31 metres.
• The call centre has answered 3 265 calls between June 2006 and April 2007.
• Gautrain stations will have ample park and ride facilities
• The Airports Company of South Africa is a role-player in the Gautrain project
• The Gautrain will promote Black Economic Empowerment
• A key objective of Gautrain is to meet the goals of Government
• A key objective of Gautrain is to contribute towards urban restructuring, shortening travel distances and improving city sustainability
• Gauteng Premier Shilowa announced the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project in February 2000
• In January 2002 the Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed Gautrain commenced
• On 30 September 2003, the two bidding consortia submit their tender proposal documents
• One of the Gautrain stations is in Hatfield
• One of the Gautrain stations is at the current Pretoria Station
• 10.5kms of viaducts
• 10 000 park and ride bays
• 11 trains on the track at any given time
• Black Equity participation at business level is prerequisite of the Concessionaire Agreement. The same with Black Economic Empowerment and Black Women shareholding.
• The Park Station tunnel portal reached a depth of 14 meters by April 2007.
• The route length of Gautrain is 80 kilometres with 10 stations along the way
• Benefits of the Gautrain project far outweigh costs – the number of jobs created and sustained during the operating and maintenance phase is almost two thousand per annum
• Gautrain is necessary because users of private vehicles must start using public transport and an acceptable alternative must be provide to them.
• The Gautrain will promote Black Economic Empowerment
• A key objective of Gautrain is to stimulate the renovation and upliftment of the Johannesburg and Tshwane central business districts
• An International Investors Conference was held during September 2001
• In December 2002 comments closed on the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report
• The Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs issued their Record of Decision (RoD) on the EIA on 29 September 2003One of the Gautrain stations is at the current Park Station
• Jack van der Merwe, previous Chief Executive for the Gauteng Department of Public Transport Roads and Works and current Head of the Provincial PPP-unit, is the Project Leader for the Gautrain project
• The two short listed consortia are Bombela and Gauliwe
• Approximately 78 new commuter rail coaches will be manufactured
• 15kms of tunnelling – 25 percent using tunnel-boring
• A fleet of 125 air-conditioned buses
• Bombela and its sub-contractors employed 2 002 people by March 2007. More than 80% of these people, i.e. 1 610 are local people.
• A key objective of Gautrain is to stimulate the renovation and upliftment of the Johannesburg and Tshwane central business districts
• Trains used for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project will travel at a maximum speed of 160 – 180 kilometres an hour and thus fall in the “rapid speed” category.
• The wider international standard gauge will be used for Gautrain in contrast to the narrower Cape gauge that is currently being used in the country.
• Nearly 200 vertical concrete pillars were installed at Rosebank Station by the end of April 2007.
• A key objective of Gautrain is to link the main economic nodes in Gauteng with OR Tambo International Airport
• The Gautrain will promote tourism
• 3,6 million train kilometres and 674 million passenger kilometres will be travelled per year
• A total of 554 out of 1 145 propertied affected were handed over for the total project by April 2007.
• Approximately 250 new bus coaches will be used
• Gauteng Premier Shilowa announced the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link project in February 2000
• A key objective of Gautrain is to contribute to economic growth, development and job creation
• The National Department of Finance (Treasury PPP unit) is a role-player in the Gautrain project
• One will be able to travel from Johannesburg to Tshwane in less than 40 minutes
• The Gauteng Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works is a role-player in the Gautrain project
• The new Gautrain service will run on a 1 435 mm gauge rail track which is wider than the current RSA gauge rail track of 1 065 mm. This wider gauge is the predominant gauge used world wide and will allow the Gautrain higher speeds at high levels of comfort and safety. It also allows access to modern state of the art technology at the lowest cost.

Gautrain Construction Facts

• The Tunnel Boring Machine will excavate a tunnel of 6.8m diameter with a ground cover of 30m at some places.
• Bombela Consortium Tunnel Boring Machine expert partner Bouygues Travaux Publics is responsible for the construction and use of the borer.
• Viaduct Segments are cast in sections of about 2,5m in length can weigh up to 55 tons and assembled by means of a launching girder between piers. They are produced at the pre cast yard.
• Viaducts are 10,1m wide to accommodate two rail lines for trains travelling in both directions.
• Concrete produced at the pre cast yard will vary in strength up to 50MPa.
• High School girls from the Umqhele School in Ivory Park had the opportunity to spend a day in the life of Gautrain’s top female engineers. This was part of Take a Girl Child on Site Day, an outreach initiative by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) in association with Gautrain. It was held on 24 May 2007.
• To contain noise generated by construction activities, screen hoardings to lessen noise were installed along the boundary of the Rosebank Station site in June 2007. These noise hoardings are 5m high in places.
• Excavation of Sandton Station’s underground station and parking area started in June 2007.
• Regular Community Liaison Forums are held which gives affected communities the opportunity to raise questions and obtain information from Gautrain officials. Issues such as expropriation, rail alignments, designs of viaducts and environmental management are discussed.
• Train Depot offices and maintenance workshops reached completion by May 2008.
• Tunnelling from Rosebank Station towards Emergency Shaft E5 reached 192 metres after two years of construction.
• Centralised traffic control equipment for signalling was delivered to the project April 2008.
• More than R1 060 million has been spent on procurement from, and subcontracting to, more than 190 BEEs by February 2008, compared with an obligation of R465 million.
• More than R480 million has been spent on procurement from, and subcontracting to, more than 60 new BEEs by February 2008, compared with an obligation of R178 million.
• Gautrain has become an integral part of transport planning at the municipal level, having already been incorporated into integrated transport plans and spatial frameworks as well as being taken into account in approved development schemes by 2008.
• Tunnel boring through a Tunnel Boring Machine is a physically safe and an environmentally sound method of tunneling, especially in built-up areas. This method does not disturb surrounding soil and it produces a smooth tunnel wall that is cost-effective.
• The Tunnel Boring Machine is ideal for the poor rock conditions, especially in Rosebank. This stretch comprises soft rock and waterlogged soil that is not suitable for drilling and blasting.
• The Tunnel Boring Machine will excavate a tunnel of 6.8m diameter with a ground cover of 30m at some places.
• When the Pre-cast Yard has completed its function, it will be demolished to make way for the storage area of Gautrain’s fleet of air-conditioned buses. These buses form part of the 36 feeder and distribution services, serving all stations within a radius of 15km.
• Excavation of rock involves “Drilling and Blasting”, or D&B for short in construction terms. It involves the drilling of holes in the rock and charging up with special dynamite for blasting the rock. Most of Gautrain’s tunnels are excavated in this manner.
• Vertical shaft excavation reached a depth of 13.5m below surface in the northern section of the Rosebank station construction site in June 2007.
• To contain noise generated by construction activities, screen hoardings to lessen noise were installed along the boundary of the Rosebank Station site in June 2007. These noise hoardings are 5m high in places.
• Gautrain’s 15km tunnel section starts in Park Station and surfaces again at the Marlboro Portal. It includes Rosebank Station and Sandton Station. The tunnel will feature seven emergency access shafts for use by emergency workers. To further enhance safety, emergency rescue chambers with independent ventilation, systems will be built at approximately every kilometre of tunnel length, each with enough space for 950 people..
• The ultimate depth of Emergency Shaft E5 will be 62m below surface. E5 was 54.5m deep in June 2007. Once the bottom of the shaft is reached, construction of the rescue chambers will start.
• Excavation of Sandton Station’s underground station and parking area started in June 2007.
• The Marlboro Portal tunnel was 275m from the portal opening in June 2007.
• Construction of the N3 underpass involves a technique called cut and cover tunnel construction. This involves drilling, blasting and excavating underneath the highway to excavate an area of nearly 70m in length. While the rock underneath the highway is being excavated, lateral support pillars are be put in place in order to stabilise the highway. Traffic flow therefore continues undisturbed on the temporary deviations, while excavation is continuing. Once the underpass has been completed, the surface will be reinstated or covered up. This process is a significant engineering challenge.
• Regular Community Liaison Forums are held which gives affected communities the opportunity to raise questions and obtain information from Gautrain officials. Issues such as expropriation, rail alignments, designs of viaducts and environmental management are discussed.
• The TBM started boring in January 2008 from Rosebank Station, below Oxford Road. Already 40 % of the tunnel have been bored, complete with tunnel lining segments, by May 2008
• Some of depot equipment for train maintenance work was delivered by April 2008.
• The Tunnel Boring Machine arrives from Germany in South Africa in October. Transported via sea and road.
• Gautrain’s custom-made Tunnel Boring Machine is assembled by Herrenknecht, in Germany.
• The Tunnel Boring Machine will excavate three kilometers of the tunnel between Gautrain’s Johannesburg Station and the Marlboro Portal
• The Tunnel Boring Machine is ideal for the poor rock conditions, especially in Rosebank. This stretch comprises soft rock and waterlogged soil that is not suitable for drilling and blasting.
• Viaducts are 10,1m wide to accommodate two rail lines for trains travelling in both directions.
• The Gautrain website, Kids Station, was a category winner the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) Youth Project award. It won the category called ‘Promoting Public Transport to the Youth’.
• High School girls from the Umqhele School in Ivory Park had the opportunity to spend a day in the life of Gautrain’s top female engineers. This was part of Take a Girl Child on Site Day, an outreach initiative by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) in association with Gautrain. It was held on 24 May 2007.
• Facilities for the washing of truck wheels to remove mud and soil, were installed for the construction vehicles and tipper trucks removing spoil and other excavated material from the Rosebank Station site in June 2007. This will lessen the spreading of mud on public road surfaces. Haulage roads on the construction site are also surfaced to contain mud and dust.
• The ultimate depth of Emergency Shaft E5 will be 62m below surface. E5 was 54.5m deep in June 2007. Once the bottom of the shaft is reached, construction of the rescue chambers will start.
• Excavation of Sandton Station’s underground station and parking area started in June 2007.
• Construction of the N3 underpass involves a technique called cut and cover tunnel construction. This involves drilling, blasting and excavating underneath the highway to excavate an area of nearly 70m in length. While the rock underneath the highway is being excavated, lateral support pillars are be put in place in order to stabilise the highway. Traffic flow therefore continues undisturbed on the temporary deviations, while excavation is continuing. Once the underpass has been completed, the surface will be reinstated or covered up. This process is a significant engineering challenge.
• Viaduct 3 over Allandale Road was completed using a launching girder by May 2008
• Viaduct 5 will stretch over the John Vorster Interchange crossing the N1 in the south and then continue through Centurion to the Jean Avenue Interchange crossing the Ben Schoeman highway in the north
• Rails for trackwork have been shipped to the Depot where track laying of rail sidings started early 2008.
• More than R480 million has been spent on procurement from, and subcontracting to, more than 60 new BEEs by February 2008, compared with an obligation of R178 million.