Evaluation of the planned Gautrain feeder and distribution system

Abstract

The Gautrain rapid rail link is seen as a flagship public transport project of national importance to act as a catalyst to promote public transport in a holistic fashion in South Africa. The success of the Gautrain will largely depend on the quality of the feeder and distribution services and on the integration with other existing transport services. This paper analyses the proposed feeder and distribution system, focusing on specific issues such as the placement of transport nodes and the associated infrastructure, the use of public transport modes on the chosen routes and corridors, the integrated ticketing system, the option of using non-motorised transport (walking or biking) to and from stations, and will also look at the effect that the system will have on private car usage and traffic congestion. The dedicated and auxiliary feeder and distribution services has a very important role to play in attracting users to the Gautrain and planning, design and implementation of these services are very important to ensure sufficient levels of ridership and achieved and maximum conversion is obtained from private transport