Introducing The Gautrain Train Service. Climb on Board The Amazing Gautrain Now
As
far as I'm concerned by far the best way to travel is by train. Since my days as
a schoolboy in the UK when I used to catch the 8.02 platform 10 Wigan to Preston steam train
between 1956 and 1962 I have enjoyed train travel. Traveling by train is
relaxing, convenient, rapid and not normally subject to road works and similar
interruptions. That's not to say train or rail travel does not suffer from
delays and interruptions because it does. However even when train travel is
interrupted its remains a relaxing experience since responsibility for movement
lies in the hands of others... the train driver and signal attendants All we
have to do is sit back and relax for a while. There's none of that stop start,
hiccupping kind of movement experienced in traffic jams. And then there is
always the passing countryside or towns to admire as the train speeds by as well
as the potential to engage in interesting and informative chit chat with fellow
train passengers. For sure train travel is hard to beat. Almost forgot to
mention... train travel is not beset by potholes in the road. On the topic of
potholes my most recent encounter cost me me approx R10,000 to get the complete
front suspension of my car redone after hitting a pothole on a minor road in the
Eastern Cape. I wonder what the cost of potholes to the motorist is? It must be
an enormous burden.
The introduction of the Gautrain to South Africa will have a profound and lasting impact upon the way we travel in South Africa. I for one hope that the introduction of the Gautrain is the start of a revolution in the way we travel in our beautiful and scenic country. The long distances between major towns are best tackled by train. In my opinion the way to travel to Cape Town is not by tackling the long N1 freeway but to sit in the relaxing environment of the 24 hour rail journey. Ideally the Premier Classe train is the way to go but this can be a bit on the expensive side... we'll talk more about the Premier Classe in future pages.
The Gautrain.. A Guide to Travel on the Gautrain
The Gautrain offers the following main advantages over other types of work or leisure travel:
- Safe travel on a modern electric train, aptly named The Gautrain
- Quick travel on the ultra modern comfortable Gautrain without the massive frustrations of highway traffic jams... I wonder what the cost to the economy is of those frustrating and long delays we've all experienced for quite some years now.
- The Gautrain offers comfortable fast rail travel... relaxed hassle free travel environments in the company of other interesting people (or perhaps we take the opportunity to read to actually immerse ourselves in work on a laptop or similar device). So not only do we get a better more relaxed form of travel but we get the opportunity to increase our very own productivity. Ever tried working on a laptop in a car?
- Drop off and parking facilities at main Gautrain stations in Gauteng
- Dedicated Gautrain bus services allowing passengers to get to the Gautrain stations from main centres in major towns
- No highway toll fees to pay.. and my goodness how heavy these toll fees will be upon motorists.
This website will provide useful information to Gautrain users present and future.
Click here for more info... Gautrain Quick Guide
Where does the Gautrain Operate & What are Gautrain Routes?
There are 2 main Gautrain routes
- Route 1 "The Gautrain Airport Service": This Gautrain rail system operates between the modern O R Tambo international airport (ORTIA) and the Sandton CBD. This is known as the Gautrain Airport Service
- Route 2: This Gautrain route operates (when finalised) between
Johannesburg Park Station and Pretoria or more accurately Tshwane's Hatfield
Station. At present this link to Johannesburg Park Station is incomplete and
has been beset by engineering problems associated with the underground
tunneling operations. The Bombela consortium is the engineering company
responsible for the Gautrain engineering. As you might imagine the technical
complexities of tunneling between Sandton and Johannesburg are enormous. At
the time of writing (August 2011) the latest information on the Rosebank to
Johannesburg CBD was provided in the following press statement:
"Gautrain Rosebank to CBD route launched: For those who live in the north and work in the Joburg CBD, the Gautrain has made getting to work much more convenient.The train might not yet be in operation between Rosebank and the CBD, but from today (August 29th 2011) a bus service will get you there. The Gautrain announced this morning that it is launching a temporary Rosebank to Joburg bus route until the train for that area starts running. Errol Braithwaite, the technical executive of the Bombela Concession Company, said this service would continue for several months until the train between Rosebank and Park Station was operational. From Monday, the buses will run every 12 minutes during peak times (5.30 to 8.30am and 4 to 7pm), and every 20 minutes during off-peak times, Monday to Friday. The buses will travel between Rosebank station and the corner of Simmonds and Anderson streets in the CBD.
Other Gautrain info pages you can visit
Gautrain Train Service Guide. Gautrain Gold Card Rail Facility
Gautrain Train Service & Routes. Climb on Board The Amazing Gautrain Now
Gautrain Stations, Gautrain Route: Where to Catch and Change Gautrains at Gautrain Stations
Gautrain Fares & Prices, Gautrain Costs, Fees, Gautrain Rates & Gautrain Gold Card
Paying for The Gautrain Tickets, Gautrain Rates & Gautrain Gold Card
Gautrain Bus, Gautrain Bus Routes & Gautrain Bus Schedules & Gautrain Bus Fares & Fees