Gautrain at 14: The project has surpassed expectations, says GMA

JOHANNESBURG - The high-speed rail network, Gautrain, marked 14 years since the first commuter ride left the Sandton Station for the OR Tambo International Airport, just in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Since then, the Gautrain project has successfully completed over 192 million passenger trips across 10 stations in parts of the province.

Spokesperson for the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA), Albi Modise, said that in the past 14 years, the project had surpassed expectations.

He said that it had been critical to the creation of jobs, new skills, mobility and boosting economic development around its stations.

"The idea of a high-speed rail network with an 80-kilometre route between the north, south, and east of the Gauteng province, sounded like a pipe dream to many when the provincial government announced it. Fourteen years later, 1,500 staff are employed across operations and administration of the Gautrain project and we have managed to maintain an average of more than 90% availability and punctuality across all Gautrain services."