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Engineering News reports that the proposed Gautrain expansion project was harshly criticised as a vanity project, a white elephant and a waste of government finances by members of the Gauteng Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Roads and Transport, which convened on Tuesday to discuss its viability.
The committee conducted a Focus Intervention Study (FIS) to investigate how the proposed expansion would address Gauteng’s public transport needs and challenges. The first phase of the Gautrain extension is proposed to cover the area from Little Falls to Cosmo City, through Randburg and Sandton, ending in Malboro. This phase was initiated in October 2018. Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) CEO William Dachs highlighted to the committee members the urgent need to address rapidly growing congestion on Gauteng’s road network by expanding the Gautrain network. However, numerous committee members argued that the existing Gautrain had failed to prove its value in decongesting the roads over the past decade, with some calling it a “failed project”. The reasons for this “failure” were attributed to several factors, among them ill-conceived placement of Gautrain stations, inadequate supporting public transport infrastructure and services and the perception that the service was not inclusive enough and that it failed to cater to lower-income groups. The most egregious criticism levelled against the Gautrain and any proposed expansion thereof was the issue of its high fare prices, compounded by additional costs incurred by consumers such as parking fees and supplementary public transport fees – such as taxi or bus fares.
- Read the full original of the informative report in the above regard at Engineering News
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