Dawn of a new R18.4-billion era for the Gautrain

The Gauteng Provincial Government has appointed a new Gautrain concessionaire that will operate, maintain, upgrade, and modernise the system for the next 15 years.

The provincial government appointed Sihamba Sonke Mobility for this purpose and said the contract has been signed and that the deal has reached financial close.

It said the appointment would strengthen operational reliability, improve the passenger experience, and support the system’s future expansion.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said the Gautrain’s next phase is the most valuable public-private partnership project in South Africa’s pipeline.

Known as the “Post-2026 Gautrain” project, it was valued at R18.4 billion, which represented the estimated project cost for procuring the new concessionaire.

MyBroadband reported that the Gauteng Provincial Government appointed Sihamba Sonke Mobility as the new Gautrain concessionaire in October 2026.

It is a consortium comprising African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), Motseng Investment Holdings, the French group RATP Dev, Alstom, and GIBB-Crede.

Other members include AIH Connect and the broad-based black ownership vehicle SSM InvestCo.

Sihamba Sonke Mobility was appointed after the 19½-year concession agreement with the Bombela Concession Company (BCC) concluded in March 2026.

The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) said the deal’s conclusion marked the end of a critical chapter for the Gautrain system.

It added that the Gautrain system represented one of South Africa’s largest and most successful public-private partnership projects.

The GMA said the Gautrain would continue to operate under the public-private partnership model, ensuring stability and continuity.

The Gautrain entered a new operational phase on 28 March under a contractual holdover arrangement up to 6 months.

Under this arrangement, the Gautrain system was managed by the Bombela Operating Company until Sihamba Sonke Mobility’s appointment.

According to the GMA, the Gautrain system has contributed approximately R46 billion in economic value to Gauteng since its inception in 2010.

“For every rand invested, R1.72 is returned to the province. Some 245,000 jobs have been created through property development alone around its stations,” it said.

GMA CEO Tshepo Kgobe said the end of the initial concession agreement was a proud moment for the Gautrain.

Major expansion coming

The next chapter for the Gautrain is expected to see significant expansion. The Gauteng Provincial Government has gazetted new routes and stations to expand the network.

A critical part of the planned expansion will be the building of a 17.4km link to the Lanseria Airport.

The Gauteng Provincial Government said the new line would feature elevated viaducts, or bridge-like structures made of a series of arches or columns.

It will also feature a Gautrain station north of Lanseria Airport’s parking area. Aside from the Lanseria line, several new stations are planned.

These include stations in Soweto, Mamelodi, Atteridgeville, Springs, Fourways, and parts of the West Rand. New Gautrain stations will include:

• Roodepoort Station
• Lanseria Station
• Cradle Station
• Smart City Station
• Samrand Station
• Fourways Station
• Sunninghill Station
• Olievenhoutbosch Station
• Jabulani Station

The provincial government said the new route determination for the Soweto Extension and Cosmo City Junction had been finalised.

It will see Little Falls connected to Soweto via a major 19.9km underground section. The Cosmo City Junction will serve as a central connector in the expanded network.

It will link Centurion, Soweto, and Sandton more effectively, and, from Sandton, connect these routes to existing Gautrain lines.

The new Little Falls Station to Jabulani Station line will run through a proposed new station in Roodepoort.

It will run underground for 19.9km through tunnels beneath Roodepoort and Soweto, while the stations will be above ground.

Jabulani Station will also be above ground and feature a design similar to that of Roodepoort Station.

Cosmo City will run to Samrand, passing stations in Fourways, Sunninghill, and Olievenhoutbosch along the route.

From Cosmo City to Jabulani, Gauteng said it planned to add 72km of new rail infrastructure.

The new line will start at the end of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Integrated Network (GRRIN) Phase 1 route, located roughly 1.6km south of the proposed Little Falls Station.