gautrain moving along
12 March 2008
A drive along the N1 between Johannesburg and Pretoria will reveal the latest activity emerging from the Gautrain Project in the form of a 700m rail bridge that stretches over Allandale Road in Midrand. The specially designed viaduct / bridge is one of nine that is being built segment by segment at Africa's largest precast facility.
Situated in Midrand at what will eventually become the Gautrain's Head Office and Depot, the precast yard is a hub of heavy-duty activity employing 500 people and running on a 24 hour schedule.
The process involves the daily on site production of 2400 cubic metres of cement to be used in the construction of 45 viaduct segments produced every day. The segments are then transported to the various sites where there will be assembled to form the viaducts which will ultimately make up 8.5km of the Gautrain's 80km route.
The precast yard is also home to the manufacturing of the tunnel and station walkways and the site where the first 500 tons of specialised hardened high-speed rails for the railway track are being assembled. During 2008, the test track will be laid in the vicinity of the Midrand depot reaching a length of about 6km. A further 18 500 tons of rail will follow over the next 12 months.
Meanwhile in Derby in the United Kingdom, construction is underway on the train itself. The 320-seater four-car train will be tested in the UK in the middle of 2008 before the first shipment of components leaves for South Africa later in the year.
In terms of the project’s schedule, Bombela Consortium’s Chris Andrew said; “The project is running ahead in some places while lagging in others.” But the Consortium is confident that they will meet their deadline.
The first phase of the Gautrain, which includes the network between the OR Tambo Internaional airport and Sandton as well as the Depot and Operations Control Centre is expected to be completed by 2010. The second phase which includes the remainder of the rail network to Hatfield, Pretoria will be completed towards 2011.