Gautrain is an higher-speed express commuter rail system in Gauteng, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kempton Park and O. R. Tambo International Airport. It takes 15 minutes to travel from Sandton to O. R. Tambo International Airport on the Gautrain and 35 minutes from Pretoria station to Park Station in Johannesburg. The Gautrain has 10 stations.
Buses, shuttles and midibus services are available for passengers travelling to and from all stations except the O. R. Tambo International Airport Station.
Background The Gautrain is implemented as a public–private partnership (PPP) in terms of Treasury Regulation 16 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) is the public partner and the primary promoter of the project. The concessionaire is the Bombela Concession Company (Pty) Ltd, which holds a 19½-year concession for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the Gautrain.
BCC is responsible in terms of the Concession Agreement (CA) for the design, build and part-finance of the Gautrain. The concession also includes the operations of the Gautrain. It is a private, ring-fenced company with three shareholders:
Murray & Roberts is a construction company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, which operates in Southern Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australasia and North and South America; SPG Concessions is a broad-based Black Economic Empowerment company represented in all of the concessionaire sub-contracts; J&J Group is a South African broad-based investment holding and management company.
Lines in operation Rail The Gautrain system officially features three lines in operation. In practice, two of the three lines represent the same infrastructure and vehicles: on the East/West line, while travelling in the direction of O. R. Tambo International Airport, the commuter and airport passenger flows are separated in different cars. At Rhodesfield station, doors of airport labelled cars are inaccessible, while commuter cars are not accessible at the airport station. The Gautrain has, in the past, experienced periodical suspensions and reduced services during periods of national electricity load shedding, relying on backup power systems to maintain limited operations.
Line Terminals Commencement Newest Extension Length (km) Stations North/South Commuter Service Hatfield Park 26 August 2011 7 June 20128 East/West Commuter Service Rhodesfield Sandton 8 June 2010 —3 Airport Service O. R. Tambo International Airport Sandton 8 June 2010 — 3Total8010
Bus
The Gautrain system features an extensive network of feeder buses. Some routes are served by regular full-sized buses while others are served by so-called midibuses which are van-like vehicles. There are a total of 6 routes serving Centurion station, 4 routes serving Midrand station, 3 routes serving Rhodesfield station, 4 routes serving Sandton station, 5 routes serving Hatfield station, 6 routes serving Marlboro station, 2 routes serving Park station, 2 routes serving Pretoria station, and 4 routes serving Rosebank station.
History The project was announced in 2000 before South Africa won the rights to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Gauteng Department of Transport obtained environmental authorisation and conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for this purpose. The authorisation was granted on 25 April 2004. On 7 December 2005, the South African government gave the go-ahead for the project, expected to cost more than .
In February 2006, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced the allocation of from the National Fiscus for Gautrain. On 16 February 2006 then Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa announced that the Gauteng Province had reached commercial close with the Bombela Consortium, the preferred bidder and that negotiations to reach financial close commenced.
In 2006 the Province signed a 20‑year PPP contract with the Bombela Concession Company, which included Murray & Roberts, empowerment organisation Strategic Partners Group, Bombardier Transportation, Bouygues, and various minority shareholders.Gautrain Project Preferred Bidder Announced International Railway Journal August 2005 page 3
Construction started on 28 September 2006, and investors, developers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs are starting new ventures such as office blocks, shopping malls, entertainment, and residential developments along Gautrain's network. The demand for land as well as property prices in these areas increased dramatically.
Construction The rail system was built by Bombela Concession Company, a partnership between Bombardier, Bouygues, Murray & Roberts, the Strategic Partners Group and RATP Group, the J&J Group, and Absa Bank.
Initial civil works for the Gautrain started in May 2006 and construction commenced after the signing of the Concession Agreement between the GPG and the Bombela Concession Company on 28 September 2006. The main civil contractor was Murray & Roberts.
The project was constructed simultaneously in two phases. The first phase involved the section between O. R. Tambo International Airport, Sandton and Midrand, and the second was the remainder. The construction of the first phase was scheduled to take 45 months, and the second was for 54 months, with completion in 2010 and 2011.
Construction technology By the end of May 2008, nearly a third of the tunnelling was completed, and the excavation of the tunnels was completed on 11 September 2009.
A mixed-face Earth Pressure Balance Shield Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) was designed and built in Germany by Herrenknecht specifically to cope with complex underground conditions and was the first such machine employed in South Africa. The TBM, named Imbokodo (meaning "rock"), installs pre-cast concrete tunnel lining segments behind it as it moves forward. It leaves behind a watertight and smooth lining to the diameter tunnel.
Opening to passenger traffic
The first public passenger trip was made on 3 February 2009 by 150 people on a test track at the depot.
The first part of the System, between Sandton and O. R Tambo International Airport, opened to the public on 8 June 2010, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The route from Rosebank to Pretoria and Hatfield commenced operations on 2 August 2011, while the remaining section from Rosebank south to Johannesburg Park Station opened on 7 June 2012, due to higher than anticipated underground water ingress into the railway tunnel.
For the first time since its opening to the public in 2010, the Gautrain system had been put to a halt on 27 March 2020 as part of the lockdown measures taken by the South African government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Passenger services started to progressively resume on 4 May 2020.
Reconcessioning Anticipating the initial PPP concession expiring in March 2026, the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) launched a competitive procurement process in November 2023, aiming to select a new "delivery partner" to "operate, maintain, modernise, innovate, and upgrade the current Gautrain system" for a further 15 years. The construction of new network sections are not part of the procurement. The procurement process was still under way as of November 2025, due to extensive regulatory and governance reviews, both at national and provincial government levels. In October 2024, the GMA announced having received bids from the following entities: The Jubane consortium, including amongst others Netherlands-based Intertoll Europe, Strategic Partners Group, Sound Plans Trading, Keolis, and the Crowie Holdings Group through its subsidiary Enza Construction The Sihamba Sonke Mobility consortium, including amongst others African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), Alstom, AIH, GIBB-Crede, Motseng Investment Holdings, Nozala, RATP Dev, and Unitrans WRIC Concession Company
Given the additional time required to finalise the procurement process for the reconcessioning of the Gautrain system, the GMA appointed Bombela Operating Company (BOC) to continue operating and maintaining the system under a direct six-month holdover arrangement after the end of the original concession period in March 2026, while negotiations with the preferred bidder progressed.
In September 2026, the GMA announced it appointed the Sihamba Sonke Mobility consortium as the winning bidder to manage the Gautrain for the next 15 years through 2041.
As part of the consortium, day-to-day delivery of rail, bus and midibus services will be provided by RATP Dev, while Alstom will provide for eight new locally-manufactured four-car electric multiple units, expanding the total fleet from 24 to 32 trains, as well as the deployment of a new signalling system. Both RATP Dev and Alstom were key partners in the original Gautrain concession as well.
Infrastructure Total route length – (including underground) Off-peak frequency – 1 train per 20 min Peak frequency – 1 train per 10 min
Network The rail network is long and is connected to other forms of public transport like taxis, buses and the Metrorail public train system. Commuters can also use several Gautrain buses and midibuses to destinations within a radius.
Fares on the Johannesburg/Pretoria route vary according to the peak, shoulder peak and off-peak times, depending on the distance. The fare on the Gautrain Bus Link for a rail user varies from R9 during peak and R2 during off-peak times; for the midibuses, the fare is a standard R10 per trip. The method of payment on Gautrain buses uses the same personalized electronic ticket as for train travel, requiring a minimum balance of R20.00 for boarding a bus. To board the midibuses, tickets are bought at the midibus counter at the station. Special discounts apply on the purchase of weekly and monthly passes as well as the use of the train during off-peak periods. Tickets can only be purchased at stations and selected retail outlets and not on any bus. Commuters can now use contactless bank cards to tag in and out of the Gautrain Stations.
Tracks
Although the national railway network in South Africa uses the , Gautrain is built with the wider international standard gauge of . According to the Gautrain planning and implementation study, this is done for several reasons, including that a broader gauge is safer and more comfortable for passengers. The rolling stock is also easier, quicker and less expensive to obtain than Cape gauge rolling stock, and is also less expensive to maintain, as it is more tolerant of track imperfections than Cape Gauge. The allows for travel at Gautrain's required speed of . The overhead line voltage is as is standard in many countries.
Stations Security cameras are operational and security guards patrol all the stations and parking areas. Only passengers who have an electronic ticket have access to Gautrain's stations and the parking areas. Motorists can travel to the stations and leave their cars at the safe parking bays that are next to the train stations. Parking at the stations costs R24 a day for a rail user, however, if a passenger does not remove their vehicle within an hour after arriving at the station, they will be charged R100. Car rental offices are also planned at the stations.
Ten stations are in operation:
Hatfield (at grade) Pretoria (at grade) Centurion (elevated) Midrand (at grade) Marlboro (at grade) Sandton (underground) Rosebank (underground) Park Station (underground) Rhodesfield (elevated) O. R. Tambo International Airport (elevated)