The Gautrain network was built to try and reduce cars on roads (Image: Getty)
is home to many impressive projects, some still being constructed and others finished years ago.
One of which is a huge £3billion line connecting two huge cities.
It spans approximately 80 kilometres, linking Johannesburg, the capital of Gauteng province, with the nation’s capital .
The project has been around for a while now, having been first announced in 2000 and completed around 2012.
It included the construction of a 9.6-mile-long underground tunnel, which is the continent’s longest.
The Gautrain as a whole was designed in order to reduce road congestion, and provide a more modern and efficient rapid rail system.
It connects to Sandton, and other hubs, as well as OR Tambo International Airport.
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The network was finished in 2012 (Image: Getty)
According to the (PPIAF), between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014, an average of 42,456 passengers used the route between Pretoria and Johannesburg on business days.
This didn’t include the airport link.
As a result, the Gautrain effectively removed 24,200 motorists from the Pretoria Johannesburg corridor every business day over this period.
So, based on the assumption that around 300,000 cars used the Pretoria Johannesburg corridor every business day, the network reduced the traffic congestion on this stretch of road by 7.5% during the week over this period.
The project’s trains are actually from the UK.
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Trains travel between Johannesburg and Pretoria (Image: Getty)
The Bombardier Electrostar, produced in Derby, was chosen.
Fifteen cars were manufactured and assembled by the firm’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works, with the remaining cars assembled by the Union Carriage and Wagon in South Africa.
This was done using structural components made in England.
In 2016, various feasibility studies for network extensions were completed, and the results were submitted to South Africa’s treasury the following year.
However, as of 2024, approvals are still pending and no further progress has been made in relation to these.
It is reported that the the preferred first extension would be the first part of a link between Marlboro and Soweto.
This would include stations in Cosmo City, Little Falls, Randburg, and Sandton.