More Funds Injected Into Gautrain Project

By Isabel Goncalves Posted 07 June 2006 @ 06:56 pm EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

Johannesburg (IBTimes.com) - Government has injected additional funds to ensure nothing derails the implementation of the Gautrain rapid link project. Delivering his budget vote speech today, Gauteng MEC for Transport, Roads and Works, Ignatius Jacobs said the national government had provided an additional R3.2 billion for the implementation of the Gautrain.

This, he said, was in addition to the R1.4 billion contributed by the provincial government. MEC Jacobs further dispelled fears that the Gautrain would become a white elephant - benefiting only a few.

"There has been much debate and criticism on this issue, more since we announced the winning bidder in the past financial year. "I want to take this opportunity to allay these fears and concerns raised by our people, and reiterate that our vision of Gautrain is that it is one of the elements of the inter-modal public transport system," he explained.

In addition, the MEC announced that provincial government had begun with the alignment of public transport and developed models to serve as feeders to and from Gautrain stations. "Gautrain will be will be part of the integrated ticketing, systems, inter-model facilities, satiations and centralized passenger information that are important components of the public transport systems," he said.

In addition to job creation and downstream economic development opportunities, the Gautrain is likely to relieve the province's congested N1 freeway which services traffic of about 157 000 vehicles per day.

"The envisaged efficiency and speed of the Gautrain will greatly contribute to reducing the time and cost of traveling for many of the province's residents that use the train as part of an inter-modal systems to get them to work or for recreational purposes," the MEC said.

With only four years left until the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the MEC said this financial year would see the implementation of the world cup's transport legacy strategy that was developed last year.

"Our activities regarding 2010 include the construction of roads that will allow improved access to the Johannesburg International and Lanseria airports.

"Also, we are introducing integrated ticketing, passenger information systems, call centres and the implementation of the park-ride sites close to the identified world cup stadiums." In other developments, last month Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation Gert Oosthuizen reaffirmed government's commitment to host a successful tournament.

He said government had budgeted R242 million for stadia to be either built or refurbished ahead of the lucrative soccer tournament. "We are convinced we have the capacity and the skills to deliver on this," he said.

Last week the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) stated that South Africa was ready to host the sporting spectacle with South Africa having secured 75 percent of all FIFA contracts for this event.