The Gautrain

The Gautrain now has round-trip between Johannesburg and Pretoria. The Joburg to OR Tambo half of the Gautrain route was completed in time for last year’s World Cup and today patrons stepped on board for the full trip between Gauteng’s two vital cities. The key, as I see it, is that the Gautrain really is simply the first stage in what Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele has promised is a plan to make rail travel central to South African infrastructure and transportation agenda.

The criticisms of the Gautrain are obvious: because of the places it serves and its cost it runs the risk of primarily benefitting the middle classes. But if it is simply a first step in a much more comprehensive system of high-speed rail, well, it could mark yet another example of South Africa’s promise. Thus the Gautrain is less important on its own than in how it fits into a larger whole. The biggest question may be the financial viability of the larger train vision given that completing the Gautrain and its route and everything associated with it cost a whopping R30 billion. To place that amount in context, it is nearly as much as the government spent on hosting the World Cup.