Gautrain construction is 65% done

[John Ashworth]

Gautrain construction is 65% done - managers

July 02 2009 at 10:42AM
The Star

By Anna Cox

Sixty-five percent of construction of the Gautrain has been completed with R17,5-billion of the budgeted R25,1-billion spent.

This is according to Gautrain Management Authority chief executive officer Jack van der Merwe, who was speaking during a site visit in Marlboro on Thursday morning.

Van der Merwe said that 14km of the 15km of tunnelling has been completed and that 25 percent of the track-laying has been done.

The bulk of the civil works has been completed.

Van der Merwe said an announcement would be made next month on whether the OR Tambo to Sandton route would be complete two weeks before the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

"It should be remembered that the Gautrain was never a 2010 project, but we are working full out to have certain sections ready," he said.

Some 125 Gautrain buses can be made available for spectators.

Van der Merwe said the project was on budget except for an additional R300 000 which has to be paid in because the projected inflation rate budgeted for was 4,5 percent to 5 percent but it was now between 8 percent and 8,5 percent.

Two carriages a week are being delivered by Union Carriage in Nigel.

The trains are being tested on a seven kilometre track between Dale Road in Midrand and Linbro Park.