On the 8 June 2010 at 05:24, the Gautrain took its first journey from its Sandton Station to the OR Tambo International Airport station. Even though that was the first commercial Gautrain service, many of the passengers on board knew that they will reach their destination on time. There was much excitement, South Africa’s first rapid rail airport service had been delivered and the face of public transport had been changed. After ten years of operation and close to 125 million train passenger trips and 38 million bus passenger trips, the Gautrain continues to offer a safe, reliable and convenient public transport service.
Since its inception, the Gautrain has changed the lives of many people in Gauteng through job creation and social investment, influencing their transport choices, reinforcing developmental notes, integrating regions and communities, and changing perceptions and attracting investment.
Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) CEO, William Dachs said “Gautrain is more than just a train, it is an economic infrastructure project that has contributed to Gauteng’s economy. For every R1 spent on Gautrain, R1.72 had been added to the Gauteng economy.”
The recent independent Hatch impact study concluded that, the Gautrain has continued to deliver jobs and investment in Gauteng. The commencement of operations in June 2010, saw Gautrain delivering:
- 10,900 direct jobs and around 61,000 through supply chain and wage spend
- R59million was spent on training by the Concessionaire to date
- 5,800 direct jobs for young people
- 93% of jobs are mid-level roles (NFQ 2-4) 7% are at the higher level (NFQ 4+)
- R20.4bn contribution to GDP over first 6 years.
“I would like to thank Gautrain’s staff who work tirelessly every day to ensure that we deliver excellence. Thank you to our stakeholders who are the focus of what we do and most importantly our passengers who have ensured that Gautrain is part of our African pride” Dachs continued.>
“Follow Gautrain’s social media platforms and join us as we take you down memory lane and reintroduce you to some of the heroes and highlights of our African pride” Dachs concluded.
Customer Care
Our Customer Care team remains available to assist with passenger queries. Our LiveChat platform, as well as social media pages also remain active and will be attended to by our Customer Care team.
We wish our passengers and all citizens of the world good health and strength over these challenging times.
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