It couldn’t be done. They’ll never finish it in time.

But the gleaming, sleek train waiting for the first passengers on Tuesday morning proved them wrong.

With over 1000 passengers in the first  hour of service, and hundreds every hour on the hour, the Gautrain appears to have overcome its first hurdle.

Bombela chief executive officer Jerome Govender thanked the people of Gauteng for supporting the project, “From 4.30am that morning, even before the service started, people were queuing up to be the first ones on the train. There were even people carrying luggage, trusting a service they’ve never used to get them to their flights on time. It really was something.”

The first phase of the Gautrain service includes the airport service to Sandton and the commuter service linking Sandton, Marlboro, and Rhodesfield stations. The second phase will only be finished in 2011.

What you need to know:

The service operates from Monday to Sunday between 5.30am to 8.30pm with trains and buses will run every 12 minutes during peak times and every 20 minutes during off-peak times. The bus stops will be approximately 500m apart, along seven bus routes initially, within a 15km radius of Gautrain stations. There will also be a park-and-ride facility in place within the station precinct.

The Gautrain train, bus and parking fares will be payable via the re-usable Gautrain Gold Card, onto which customers can load single trip or monthly tickets and other services.  Cards are available at a once-off cost of R10 from ticket offices and ticket vending machines at all stations as well as at selected retailers.

• Airport passengers can board at any station and will pay R100 for a single train trip to the airport. All trains to the airport will go via Sandton station.

• A single train trip from Sandton to Marlboro will cost R16.50, from Sandton to Rhodesfield R21.00; and from Marlboro to Rhodesfield R18.50. Special weekly and monthly packages are also available for regular users.
• Integrated single train plus single bus trips will cost R22.50 from Sandton to Marlboro, R27.00 from Sandton to Rhodesfield; and R24.50 from Marlboro to Rhodesfield.
• Parking at any station will cost R9.50 for the first 24hrs or part thereof as long as you also use the train.

Details: www.gautrain.co.za
*kateh@caxton.co.za

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The character of Sandton is slowly changing and its traditional residential component may be affected in some way.

This is according to Sandton Central Management District marketing manager Cara Reilly and local councillor Vincent Earp, in the wake of development initiatives that have divided the community. These include the helium balloon at Hyundai Park at Mushroom Farm Park and the proposed helipad at Sandown High school.

Reilly said there was no doubt that Sandton was planned with future growth and change in mind. “And with change come many pros and cons,” said Reilly.

“The balance between them is going to be critical. But Sandton has not been a suburb for many years and, like other development nodes, high density and bulk bring phenomenal change to the landscape and other elements.

The convenience of living next to or in the richest square mile in Africa comes loaded with inconveniences.”

Reilly said it would be ideal to retain some of the traditional residential component, but wasn’t sure how practical this would be given property prices and demand for land.

Meanwhile, Earp said Sandton had fast become the financial and business district in Gauteng. “No city remains static and Sandton is no exception.

“What is important is that all role players need to be consulted, and careful guidance will be necessary to ensure we have peaceful co-existence between the residential and business components.”

The councillor said Sandton central business district already had mixed use developments. However, he added the traditional residential component would remain an important player in the development of Sandton.

“There is a need for more residential space and this will need to be carefully monitored and controlled,” he added.

luciaw@caxton.co.za