The Gautrain: 15 Interesting Facts You Might Not Know

The Gautrain officially started operations on the 8th of June 2010 (3 days before the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicked off at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg).

This rail network was expected to reduce the amount of traffic on the N1 Ben Schoeman highway between Johannesburg and Pretoria by 20% (which means +/- 80,000 cars less on the road daily).

Here are 15 facts you might not have known about The Gautrain

1. The complete network consists of 80 km (50 miles) of track and 10 train stations.

2. Trains have a top speed of 160 km/h (99 miles per hour).

3. It takes only 15 minutes to travel between OR Tambo International Airport Station and Sandton Station. This section opened on the 8th of June 2010.

4. It takes 42 minutes to travel from Johannesburg Park Station to Hatfield Station.

5. Trains run every 10 minutes during peak periods and every 20 minutes during off-peak periods.

6. There’s tight security on trains and stations that are part of the network. There’s access control, electronic surveillance (over 650 CCTV cameras) and visible policing.

7. Bus feeder and distributor services exist up 10 km from stations for passengers. Bus and train schedules are synchronized.

8. Park-and-ride facilities exist. More than 10,000 parking bays are located at stations.

9. The network operates with an electronic ticketing system. Passengers need to buy a smart card to use the Gautrain. Only one smart card to make use of the trains, buses and parking.

10. Gautrain passengers are easily able to transfer between the network and other forms of transport (like the Bus Rapid Transport servies, planes, taxis, Metrorail trains and cars).

11. Within 100 days of opening the first phase of the system for the public, 1 million passengers had used the Gautrain network.

12. By February 2013 more than 40,000 passengers were making use of the network. By 2019 the network was being used by 55,000 people per day.

13. Gautrain transport services were shut down on the 26th of March 2020 to stop spread of the Covid-19. The service resumed (with limited capacity) on the 4th of May 2020.

13. Covid-19 had a huge impact on passenger numbers. Around 13,000 people were using the network (according to June 2021 figures). That figure has increased since then though.

14. There are plans to expand the network by a another 150 km of track.

15. The trains are air-conditioned, carpeted, well maintained and constantly manned by trained, friendly security personnel. These ones keep a vigilant eye on all of the passengers, even ensuring that they do not eat or drink on the train to make sure that it is kept clean and tidy.

Hopefully you know more about the Gautrain now. I’ve made use of this train network tons of times and I recommend that you do the same (if you ever find yourself in Gauteng).

Watch this space for regular updates in the Facts category on Interesting Facts.

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