Most people were very skeptical about the whole Gautrain project, our ability to pull it off and it becoming a "white elephant" (like many of the stadiums built for the 2010 world cup). It was planned to be built for the 2010 World Cup for spectators to travel around Johannesburg's but in actual fact it was only ready at the beginning of 2011. However, after its inception in 2010, it has grown from strength to strength and is slowly growing its customer base by offering fast reliable trips to Johannesburg's main business and residential area's. This service is supplemented by the vast regimen of buses and that are similar to those in London. The buses run at regular intervals and are for the most part generally empty. It is cheap to use the bus service provided you have used the Gautrain service in the hour before your bus trip.
When you're actually on the train it is very much like the overland trains in England. No eating or drinking is allowed and both the train and the platform is patrolled by friendly but efficient security guards. The seats are comfy, the view is wonderful, the stations are clean and the signs and maps are extremely informative. Most of the trips to all stops are overland making sure your trip is not coring.Advertisers have jumped at the chance to advertise in the stations so there is no shortage of things to look at and at a large scale too.
Here are some interesting facts about the Gautrain and it's stations.
-It's logo is "For people on the move".
- It runs at more than 160 km (99 mph) an hour.
- The Sandton Gautrain station is one of the deepest stations in the world. The platform is located 148 feet below the surface.
- 125 buses supplement the main train service.
-It is expected to cut the number of cars on the N1 high way by 20% with an estimated 100 000 daily passengers.
-It takes just 12 minutes from OR Tambo International Airport to Sandton.
As hard as it is, I cannot find a single bad thing about the train and or the service. Except for the fact that it does not go EVERYWHERE. But that will come in time and with efficient management. The Gautrain is simply a world class transport system set to change Johannesburg's already bright future.
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