Gautrain will alleviate congestion for freight traffic

At least 20% of the traffic currently moving on the Tshwane- Johannesburg route is expected to move to rail with the launch of the Gautrain in 2011. “Gautrain will definitely impact on the road volumes in and around Gauteng, but one must keep in mind that it will only be a passenger train and not carry freight,” says Dr Barbara Jensen, Gautrain communications and marketing director. With an estimated 140 000 passengers using the train from the get go on a daily basis, there is no denying that the multi-billion high speed rail system will alleviate some of the congestion currently being felt, especially on the N1 highway between Tshwane and Johannesburg. But other highways such as the N12 to the airport as well as the old Krugersdorp highway should also see a significant drop in their traffic volumes thanks to the train. Currently more than 300 000 vehicles use the highways in the province daily. “We have always said it is not a question of road versus rail or that it should just be rail or just road. It definitely should be both. Transport in Gauteng must be approached in a holistic manner.” Dr Jensen said worldwide the trend was to return to rail and that it would definitely manifest in South Africa too. “There is no doubt that we should be investing in the infrastructure and that projects such as Gautrain are necessary.” But, said Dr Jensen, this project was just one part of upgrading the entire public transport system in the province along with the infrastructure investment of the freeway system. “It is about road and rail working together to provide the best possible transport system.”