The public has until Sunday 15 August 2021 to <\/span>submit written comments on the proposed phase extensions, which carry from Marlboro through Sandton, Randburg, Cosmo City and Little Falls.<\/p>\n The following is a broad description of the route:<\/p>\n The proposed route starts at the proposed location of the Little Falls Station which is located to the east of Hendrik Potgieter Road in Willowbrook. From the proposed Little Falls Station, <\/em>the route runs in a northeasterly direction towards Zandspruit where the route will pass to the west of Jackal Creek Golf Estate.<\/em><\/p>\n The route then changes in a southeasterly direction towards Cosmo City and a newly proposed Cosmo Station. From the Cosmo Station, the route will continue in a southeasterly direction towards the newly proposed Randburg Station, passing through North Riding, Olivedale, Bryanston, and Ferndale. <\/em><\/p>\n The route will continue in a southeasterly direction through Randburg, Bordeaux, and Hurlingham. Once it has reached Sandhurst the route will change direction towards the existing Sandton Station where an upgraded station is proposed. <\/em><\/p>\n From Sandton the route will run in a northeasterly direction through Sandton, Sandown, Marlboro, and Alexandra towards the existing Marlboro Station that will be upgraded to accommodate the new alignment.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In its submission, the AA highlights several key factors which it believes negate the extension of Gautrain – among them, the fact that the current demand of the system is low, and that economic viability cannot be established within reasonable risk parameters.<\/p>\n \u201cSimply put, the Gautrain doesn\u2019t carry enough passengers currently – certainly not as many as it had projected when it started. Spending valuable financial resources now to continue with a system that doesn\u2019t have a demand, at the expense of better, more efficient, and more affordable transport does not make any sense.<\/p>\n “We are in favour of alternatives that provide solutions to vehicle usage, and which reduce pollution and congestion – but the Gautrain is not that solution,\u201d said the AA.<\/p>\n It said that low usage of the Gautrain puts additional pressure on the province\u2019s Transport Budget which effectively means other transport options are not properly funded, again disadvantaging the mass market which needs it most.<\/p>\n \u201cThe so-called Patronage Guarantee is a mechanism whereby Bombela \u2013 the concessionaire which operates Gautrain \u2013 is compensated for sub-par ridership levels of their trains. This means they can rely on the Gauteng Provincial Government as a funder of last resort regardless of how well or badly their business fares.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s a disgraceful and outrageous agreement which has cost taxpayers close on R12 billion since 2012 just because not enough people see value in using the Gautrain,\u201d the AA said.<\/p>\n The association noted that because of the Patronage Guarantee – which is, effectively, built-in insurance for poor performance – less money is available for more effective methods of mass transit which can convey many more people in a more flexible way and at a lower cost.<\/p>\n Instead, the AA urged the Gauteng Provincial Government to invest heavily in the creation of a provincial-scale bus system as the most appropriate solution to mass transit in Gauteng.<\/p>\n The provision of safe cycle lanes and solutions for those who walk the \u2018last mile\u2019 to work and home must also be considered. This, the AA said, has inexpensive infrastructure requirements, and will integrate with all other modes of transport.<\/p>\n It will also encourage non-motorised transport, and bring cost-effective travel within reach of all citizens.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Gautrain-1.jpg\")
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