Gautrain airport station almost done

Construction of the Gautrain airport station is well advanced, and it's most likely that the airport route will be ready to receive and shuttle 2010 fans to Sandton come June next year. "Construction of the external shell of the OR Tambo International Airport Station concourse is substantially complete and is visible above the elevated drop-off road," reads the latest Gautrain progress report.

Barbara Jensen, the spokesperson for the Gautrain, said the construction team would be able to tell by July this year whether it was on track to complete this route by June 2010.

"We will ascertain by June or July this year whether it will be ready. If not, we will then have to decide whether to accelerate work, and whether we can afford to accelerate construction."

Within the airport concourse, finishing touches are being made to the station structure, with the installation of the technical equipment having begun. The Gautrain airport station is directly linked to the departures level of the airport's new central terminal building, but is one level below it.

The largest viaduct or bridge on the Gautrain route is the one leading into the concourse, at 1,5 kilometres. This viaduct carries the double track line over the R21 and R24 road networks to the airport.

Two phases

Construction of the 80km Gautrain, running between the airport and Johannesburg and Pretoria, began in September 2006, and will be completed in two phases.

The first phase is expected to take 45 months to complete, and will hopefully be done in time for the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in early June. This includes the track linking the airport to Sandton, via stations at Rhodesfield and Marlboro, as well as the depot and operations control centre near Allendale Road in Midrand.

The second phase, also under construction, is expected to be completed in 54 months, in 2011, and includes the remainder of the network, with the station in the Joburg CBD linking through to Hatfield Station in Pretoria, via Midrand.

In all there are 11 bridges along the airport link, and construction of these is "substantially complete".

The last station before the airport is Rhodesfield, which is elevated above the existing Metrorail lines running between Isando and Kempton Park. The station entrance, concourse and parking area will be at ground level, and passengers will take a lift up to the platform.

Sandton and Marlboro stations

- The steel framework of the Rhodesfield Station

The station is Sandton is 10 storeys underground, and excavation of the three-level underground parkade is complete. "Piling, foundations, column construction and casting of the suspended slabs of the parkade structure are ongoing," indicates the report.

The tunnel going south from Sandton towards Rosebank is over a kilometre in length already. The tunnel that links Sandton to the next station to the north, Marlboro, was completed in October 2008.

The two-storey concrete platform of the Marlboro Station is complete; this station is the point at which the Gautrain will exit the underground tunnel from Park Station in the CBD.

Bus and train depot

Construction of the depot facilities in Midrand is substantially complete, while the installation of the control centre is almost complete.

"This centre will be the heartbeat of the Gautrain from where signalling, telecommunications, automatic fare collection, traction power and overhead distribution CCTV cameras and maintenance will be managed."

The train maintenance workshops, including the washing bay and a sand-filling facility, are also complete. The trains contain a sand dispensing mechanism that deposits sand on to the tracks to improve traction between the wheels and the track.

The Gautrain's 24 train sets - comprising 96 rail cars - and 125 luxury shuttle buses will be housed at the depot.

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