The Gautrain

Johannesburgs pride and joy. A cheap affordable,efficient way of travelling aroung Johannesburg in high speed luxury.

 Most people were very sceptical about the whole Gautrain project, our ability to pull it off and it becoming a “white elephant” ( like many of the stadiums built for the 2010 world cup). However after its inception in 2010 it has grown from strength to strength and is slowly growing its customer base by offering fast reliable trips to Johannesburgs main business and residential area’s. This service is supplemented by the vast regimen of buses and that are similar to those in London. When your actually on the train it is very much like the overland trains in England. No eating or drinking is allowed and it is patrolled by friendly but efficient security guards. The seats are comfy, the view is wonderful, the stations are clean and the signs and maps are extremely informative. Advertisers have jumped at the chance to advertise in the stations so there is no shortage of things to look at.

 Here are some interesting facts about the Gautrain

• Its logo is “for people on the move”.
• It runs at more than 160 km (99 mph) an hour.
• The Sandton gautrain station is one of the deepest stations in the world. The platform being 148 feet below the surface .
• 125 buses supplement the main service.
• It is expected to cut the number of cars on the N1 high way by 20% WITH 100,000 daily passenger trips.
• It takes just 15 mins from OR Tambo In Airport to Sandton.

As hard it is I cannot find a single bad thing about the train and or the service. Except for the fact that it does not go EVERYWHERE. But that will come in time. The Gautrain is simply a world class transport system set to change Johannesburgs already bright future