By 09h00 this morning, Gautrain announced it had already transported 7 000 passengers on the new route between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which opened today.  The long-awaited second phase of the Gautrain will enable jaded Gauteng commuters to jump on a train between Hatfield and Rosebank stations, and then travel via bus to their destination.

There’s hope that it will free up the roads a bit too for those unfortunate souls who must continue to drive between the cities. Experts have predicted that the Ben Schoeman highway between Jozi and Pretoria will soon become 20 per cent less congested as a result of the Gautrain.  That translates to around 30,000 cars. Or 12 minutes shaved off an hour long journey, presumably.

Naturally, the chances of living the holiday when you’re not battling traffic every morning are greatly improved.  At R1 633 for a 35 day trip, the Gautrain is not cheap – but compared with the price of petrol, and the cost of eventually losing your mind or having to ‘semigrate’ to Port Alfred or Kokstad because you can’t handle Joburg traffic anymore… Surely it’s worth supporting.

[Source: IOL]