Gauteng SDI Rail Link - Gautrain

iiiStudy AreaThe Study Area comprises the triangular geographic area between Pretoria,Johannesburg and Johannesburg International Airport (JIA), and includes importantnodes such as Sandton, Alexandra, Kempton Park, Midrand, Tembisa andCenturion. Soweto and the FNB-Stadium, which will be very important if the 2006World Soccer Cup takes place in South Africa, will be functionally linked, as well asother areas such as the East Rand, the fast developing Sunninghill Area and theMenlyn area in Pretoria.Market FocusMarket segmentation considerations will be applied to determine who will or shoulduse the proposed service. The setting of fare levels to maximise the income will beaddressed. The following departure points are important:• Collector and distributor systems at stations to ensure the accessibility of largercatchment areas.• The unique needs of different parts of the network (such as the JIA – Sandtonlink).• A service cannot be provided to suit everybody. Fares would be higher than onthe existing rail system. Users will decide whether they can use it, want to use itand can afford to use it. .They have a choice.• The project is essentially aimed at economic development. The system, theservice and the passengers must promote economic activity.• The type of service, including its cost and travel time, must be such that the caruser would be willing to consider changing to rail.• The bias seems to be towards commercial users who can afford the trip andwould be willing to pay for a good service.• Provision should be made for tourists and for airline passengers.• The market research will focus on the different trip purposes.Relationship with Existing SystemsCurrently the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC), falling under theNational Minister of Transport, is the owner/regulator and Metrorail the operator.Metrorail is a division of Transnet, falling under the National Minister of PublicEnterprises. With the future concessioning of commuter rail services in the country,the SARCC-related institutional framework will undergo further changes. Alternativeinstitutional structures for the Gauteng SDI Rail Link will be developed and evaluatedin this study, including its relationship with the above structures. The currentintention is that the Gauteng Provincial Government will, at least initially, own the railinfrastructure and that the rail services will be provided by the private sector.Some of the designs on the existing railway systems and the average rolling stockare already more than 30 years old. No new rail lines have been built in the past 20years. The broad approach is that the current initiative should be co-ordinated withthe existing rail system. Investigations will be done whether to use the existingSouth African gauge or the standard international gauge. Although the possibility ofgood second hand rolling stock will be investigated, possible future maintenance andGauteng SDI Rail Link – Inception Report, 15 June 2000