Gautrain

About Gautrain

The Gautrain has made a major impact on those needing to travel across Johannesburg and between the City of Gold and Pretoria. The Gautrain is defined as a mass rapid transit railway system, and was constructed in an effort to address the heavy traffic problem in and around Johannesburg and Pretoria in Gauteng.

Did you know? Gautrain is an 80-kilometre mass rapid transit railway system which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Ekhuruleni and OR Tambo International Airport. It was built to relieve the traffic congestion in the Johannesburg–Pretoria traffic corridor and offer commuters a viable alternative to road transport.

Since it was completed in 2012, the Gautrain has not only alleviated these daily battles, but has also served as a convenient alternative to other public transport options, both for local commuters and for tourists.

At present, there are 24 Electrostar Sets in this luxury railway fleet, and these run from 10 stations through Jo'burg and Pretoria. The main stations are Johannesburg Park Station, OR Tambo International Airport, and Pretoria Station. The other stations that enjoy the benefit of the Gautrain are Centurion, Hatfield, Marlboro, Midrand, Rhodesfield, Rosebank, and Sandton. These have been strategically placed throughout the busiest parts of the metropolis, so that passengers can enjoy maximum access to the commercial, retail and entertainment hubs.

The railway line is 80 kilometres (or 50 miles) long, and makes regular trips throughout the day. During peak times, a train passes through the stations every 12 minutes. In off-peak times, this stretches to a train every 20 minutes. The Gautrain travels at an impressive speed of 160 kilometres an hour (almost 100 miles per hour), which means that commuters can reach their destination faster and with improved safety (as opposed to travelling on the roads). In fact, it takes only 35 minutes to travel from Johannesburg to Pretoria on the Gautrain; a trip that usually averages at least an hour on the roads, when the traffic is not too heavy.

However, the Gautrain is linked to other public transport providers. So, it has 125 busses in its own fleet (which move within a 15 kilometre radius of the station), but is also complemented by taxis and the Metrorail public train system to enable commuters to reach their specific destination with ease.

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. This really gives one the distinctive feeling of travelling in style.

Cars can be left at the Gautrain stations, within secure, access-controlled parking lots. Access to the train and the Gautrain busses is via a personalised electronic card, which is available from the train stations themselves. There are discounts applied for weekly and monthly passes, as well as for those who only make use of the train during off-peak times.