Gautrain CEO looks at decongesting Gauteng’s roads

Gauteng’s population could balloon to 19 million people by the middle of the century with congestion on the roads becoming so acute “the average speed on our freeways will go down to 14 kilometres an hour”. That’s according to Jack van der Merwe, CEO of the Gautrain Management Authority (GMA). Forecast clogging of the

province’s highways and its wider impact on effective logistics in the face of escalating consumer demand is the reason why, he told FTW at last week’s Africa Rail expo in Sandton, he had helped draft an Integrated Transport Masterplan (ITM) that was currently with Parliament. And although Van der Merwe’s speciality as head of the GMA is commuter

traffic, he stressed “it would be ludicrous for us to do planning and not factor freight into the equation. Essentially the plan, which aims to manage Gauteng’s transport system for at least 25 years, highlighted several crucial developments that would be required to deal with future increases of cargo and commuter traffic. “We will have to shift as much motorised transport to non-motorised transport and we will have to shift as many people as possible from private car use to public transport. Most importantly, we have to shift as many people as possible from road to rail.” Van der Merwe added that holistic planning and sustainability was a major consideration of the plan that took a broad look at what it would take to enhance mobility across Gauteng, ensuring that goods were delivered to market on time. “We looked at long-distance freight on our roads and found that the N3 carries more trucks than cars every day. It’s simply unsustainable.” Speaking about an expanded railway system and how the transfer of cargo from road to rail could help alleviate congestion, Van der Merwe pointed out that “Transnet Freight Rail is only a fraction of the system. “Ultimately we have to keep in mind that manufacturers want door-to-door service so we also have to be realistic when we talk about moving freight from road to rail.”