Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, has determined the route for Phase 1 of the proposed Gauteng Rapid Rail Integrated Network (GRRIN) project.
The extension to the route was announced in the Gauteng Provincial Gazette on Wednesday after a route for a provincial railway was developed, informed by the Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act (GTIA).
“The determination of this route followed a consultative process whereby all stakeholders, as well as interested and affected parties, were provided with an opportunity to make submissions in regard to the possible route options. After consideration of all submissions received from the stakeholders, the final recommended alignment has been identified,” Gautrain Management Agency said in a statement.
Route determination is the first step in the process of defining a rail reserve for a future railway line in Gauteng.
“It establishes a corridor of 200 metres on either side of the centreline of the determined route that becomes part of all spatial planning processes for the local authorities. This means that the MEC must be allowed to comment on all applications that are received by the City of Johannesburg for any land-use changes that fall within the determined route,” the GMA said.
The next step in the process will be to undertake a preliminary design for Phase 1 of the proposed GRRIN Extensions and will include a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), as well as further consultation with all interested and affected parties.
“It is important to note that route determination is an important milestone in the province’s rail planning process and that we are still in the early stages of the process of defining the future rail reserve that will be undertaken with consultation with all interested and affected parties and stakeholders,” Mamabolo said.
The published route for Phase 1 of the GRRIN Extensions begins at the proposed location of a new station at Little Falls, located to the east of Hendrik Potgieter Road in Willowbrook. From the proposed Little Falls Station, the route runs in a north-easterly direction towards Zandspruit where the route will pass to the west of Jackal Creek Golf Estate.
The route then changes in a south-easterly direction towards Cosmo City and a newly proposed Cosmo City Station. From the Cosmo City Station, it will continue in a south-easterly direction towards the newly proposed Randburg Station, passing through North Riding, Olivedale, Bryanston, and Ferndale.
The route will continue in a south-easterly direction through Randburg, Bordeaux, and Hurlingham. Once it has reached Sandhurst it will change direction towards the existing Sandton Station where an upgraded station is proposed. From Sandton it will run in a north-easterly direction through Sandton, Sandown, Marlboro, and Alexandra towards the existing Marlboro Station where the existing station will be upgraded to accommodate the new alignment.
The process of route determination will be undertaken for each phase of the proposed GRRIN Extensions.
In 2014, the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) commissioned the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) to develop a comprehensive strategy to improve mobility in the province. This strategy included the undertaking of a feasibility study to investigate possible extensions to the rapid rail network. The GRRIN project extensions are part of the GPG strategies for developing a modernised and integrated transport system that also enables increased mobility and development in the future.
