Big Gautrain expansion plans

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi confirmed the provincial government’s plans to expand the current Gautrain network to new areas, including Soweto, Fourways, Mamelodi, and Lanseria.

Giving his State of the Province Address on Monday, 24 February 2025, Lesufi said the provincial government will invest R120 billion in the Gautrain’s expansion.

“The Gautrain rail expansion will be a gateway to opportunity, creating more than 125,000 construction jobs while igniting growth in property, retail, and logistics along its path,” the Premier said.

“Gauteng Government will invest R120 in the expansion of Gautrain to the following areas: Soweto via Fourways, Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Lanseria, and Springs.”

MyBroadband asked the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) about the timelines associated with each expansion phase, but it hadn’t responded by publication.

The Gauteng Transport Department, on Wednesday, 26 February 2025, published a notice of route determinations for the Soweto Extension and Cosmo City Junction in the Government Gazette.

A broad description of the proposed route is as follows:

• Little Falls Station to Jabulani Station (Soweto) through Roodepoort
• Costmo City Station to Samrand Station through Fourways Station, Sunninghill Station, and Olievenhoutbosch Station
• Cosmo City Station to Lanseria Station through Cradle Station and Smart City Station.

TopAuto previously reported that Lesufi said the project was expected to create more than 10.1 million jobs in the province over five years.

The expansion project will see Gautrain’s 80km network expanded to 230 km and add access to these new areas.

Presenting his State of the Province Address in August 2024, Lesufi said the government investment of R120 billion will happen within a period of “less than two years“.

“To uphold the position of Gauteng as an economic hub, we will accelerate our infrastructure investment,” he said.

GMA CEO Tshepo Kgobe said the scope of Gautrain’s expansion plans had grown significantly.

“We are now planning for a much wider network than the initial one that had been released,” said Kgobe.

In May 2024, Kgobe said the initial phase of the expansion process was progressing well, with the GMA having finalised the route determinations for the proposed extension from Marlboro Station to Little Falls.

“The extension project to add 150-kilometre of rail network to the existing 80-kilometre Gautrain system is taking shape,” he said.

Kgobe took over the GMA CEO position from William Dachs in February 2024. Dachs revealed in October 2023 that the GMA was in the advanced stages of finalising planning for the expansion.

Roughly 18 months earlier, the GMA had developed proclamation routes that would connect areas like Fourways, Randburg, Little Falls, and Cosmo City to the existing network.

According to Dachs, finalising the proclamation routes was key to obtaining land rights. The agency was also working on a second expansion phase that would add access to Roodepoort and Soweto.

The expansion project is expected to kick off in 2026 when the GMA’s concession ends, and it hands over the Gautrain to the Gauteng Provincial Government.

“The Gauteng Provincial Government will own a R45-billion asset which has contributed significantly to the issues of the provincial economy, infrastructural spinoffs and employment opportunities,” said Gauteng Transport head Thulani Mdadane.

He explained that the Gautrain is highly beneficial in South Africa, not just for commuters but also for job creation and improving the country’s economy.

Mdadane said that, since its inception, the Gautrain has created more than 61,000 indirect job opportunities and 10,000 direct jobs while contributing more than R61 billion to the country’s gross domestic product.

He added that the Gauteng government will prioritise building, operating, and maintaining a rail system that is sustainable, reliable, and will benefit the province’s residents and visitors.

Mdadana also said that the Gauteng Provincial Government will take a close look at the ticket price model when it takes control, to ensure that the Gautrain is accessible to low-income groups.