'Immense progress' on Gautrain
2008-02-18 20:19
Johannesburg - Gauteng residents can expect an upgrade on roads, public transport, and there has been "immense progress" on the Gautrain, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said in his state of the province address on Monday.
"Immense progress has been achieved since construction started on Gautrain's 80km route featuring ten new stations...The project is helping to stimulate our province's economy, to promote empowerment and small business development," Shilowa said at the Gauteng provincial legislature in Johannesburg.
He said the Gautrain's contribution to black empowerment amounted to R590m in the current financial year, while small medium and micro enterprises (SMME's) received a total of R70m for services provided to the project.
In 2008/9 the project would contribute R710m to black empowerment, and R70m to SMME development.
"The project has also helped to bring back skills to the country. A number of construction professionals who left South Africa to work in the United Kingdom have returned home to work on Gautrain...With a range of strategic economic infrastructure projects concluded and underway, the priority remains the strengthening of Gauteng's integrated transport system."
By July this year the Gauteng Transport Management Authority (GTMA) would be up and running.
The GTMA would establish operating standards for all public transport operators and take further a vision of a single ticketing system for all modes of public transport across Gauteng.
This initiative will be piloted in 2009 and will include all subsidised public transport services - the municipal bus operators such as Metrobus and Pretoria City Transport, the proposed new Bus Rapid Transit Systems (BRT) for Johannesburg and Tshwane, Gautrain and its bus feeder systems and the Wits and Tshwane Metrorail services.
Improvement plan
"It is essential that we get this system right. It should make public transport more accessible, convenient and affordable and reduce travelling times as well as provide spin-offs that will lead to further investment in public transport."
In partnership with SANRAL, this year, the Gauteng freeway improvement plan would be initiated to upgrade provincial and township roads.
The following roads will be upgraded in the coming financial year: Leratong Road between Protea Township and Leratong Hospital, the K15 between Protea and Dobsonville in Soweto, the K29 from Cosmo City to the R28, Beyers Naude Drive from Honeydew Police Station to Sasol Garage in Zandspruit, and Main Road from Bryanston to Kyalami.
The R55 from Kyalami to Laudium and Zambezi Road to Cullinan will also be improved.
- SAPA