French construction giant Bouygues said the train's first segment, linking OR Tambo International Airport and the posh Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, will open in time for the June 11 kick-off of Africa's first World Cup.
The segment "will be handed over on June 8, three weeks ahead of our original schedule," said Christian Gazaignes, Bouygues' executive director.
[Gauteng Department of Transport Director Sipho] Mbele said rail was going to be the backbone of the mass public transport, with eight dedicated trains for Tshwane and 10 for Johannesburg to be added to normal operational services.
He said that 50 days before the start of the tournament, the department's transport operations were ready and were being rolled out for 19 of the 32 teams which would have their camps in Gauteng.
Trackworks and associated railway infrastructure are complete and this section of the Gautrain route is now operational. Ticket vending machines and fare gates have been installed and testing of the system is in progress.
At Sandton station, construction work on the multi-level parkade and erection of structural steelwork canopies that will form the entrance structure on the corner of Rivonia Road and West Street is under way.
"We are confident that in the next few months, traffic on our roads will flow without the congestion and the inconvenience that is currently being encountered," [Premier Nomvula Mokonyane] said in her speech to the Foreign Correspondents' Association.
"We have been given a guarantee by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) that key parts of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project will be completed by end of April 2010."
The R21 highway joining the OR Tambo International Airport and the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane would be completed by the end of April, with three lanes opened in both directions, she assured the foreign media.
Sedibeng, which incorporates Sharpeville, was rocked by service delivery protests this week, with a councillor's house burned down, cars stoned and at least 13 people arrested.
Matshikiza said the police would react severely if infrastructure, including the BRT, was threatened.
The province's geographical position at high altitude and abundance of amenities, including world-class hotels, training facilities and stadiums, have ensured that at least 16 of the 32 countries will be based in the province.
Some of the top countries who have decided to set up camp in Gauteng are Holland, Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Germany.
There will be an unusual concentration of World Cup matches in Gauteng [Greater Johannesburg], the economic heartland of South Africa and part of the highest-altitude area, where most teams are also expected to establish their training camps in order to acclimatise.
This is also the area with the worst record of violent crime in South Africa, one of the biggest concerns of tournament organisers.
[W]ith just one press of the button the blast would take down the hewn wall and open up the 15,5km tunnel between Park station and Sandton, making one continuous conduit that has taken three years to construct.
The tunnels came from opposite directions - one was en route from the Shaft E2 site in Rosebank, while the other came from the Park station site.
Premier Mokonyane said the city authorities will not bow to the threats. "We want to assure the people of Gauteng that we are determined to protect them. Law enforcement authorities will stand ready to deal with any disruptions that may occur," Ms Mokonyane said, while addressing reporters at one of the BRT stations in Ellis Park.
"No permission has been sought for the strike and any public gathering that seeks to undermine the process (BRT launch) will be dealt with," Premier Mokonyane added. She said the City of Johannesburg will also oppose any legal action by taxi operators to block the launch of the BRT.
The alliance acknowledged the right of citizens to protest peacefully but called on the taxi industry to respect the rights of citizens who support the BRT system.
"We also call on the government to ensure that law enforcement agencies protect ordinary citizens on the day of the strike," said David Makhura, African National Congress secretary in Gauteng.
The first phase is still scheduled to be up and running by the end of June next year, although it may be accelerated to wrap in May, in time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The decision on this is still pending.
The initial phase encompasses the rail network between the OR Tambo International Airport and Sandton, and includes the stations at OR Tambo, Rhodesfield, Marlboro and Sandton, together with the depot and operations control centre located near Allandale road, in Midrand.
The second phase, being constructed concurrently, will be completed in 54 months, towards 2011.
Durban motorists frustrated by the number of trucks on the city's roads are set for some relief, with Transnet promising that fuel tanker traffic will decrease by 60 percent.
The decrease will be felt after the completion of a R12,7-billion multi-fuel pipeline between Durban and Heidelberg in Gauteng.
However, farming communities in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly at KwaMakhuta and Umbumbulu, could have their crops damaged or be prevented from planting to accommodate construction of the 555km pipeline. Homes will not be affected and no community will be relocated.
This is according to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the project. The report states that all people affected during construction, which is expected to be completed by December 2011, will be compensated.
Braam de Jong, Putco's senior operations executive, said while government was of the view that the BRT system needed to be put in place to allow South Africa to break down outdated barriers, taxi operators would hold the country for ransom if was put in place.
"Protests, strikes, disruptions, violence, war and bloodshed... would bring the economy to its knees.
"Taxi operators have warned if BRT is implemented... It will cast a shadow over 2010 [the Fifa soccer world cup being hosted in SA 2008)."
...BRT in Gauteng was set to operate to Orange Farm, Sebokeng, the Johannesburg CBD, Soweto, Lenasia, the OR Tambo International Airport, the West Rand, Sandton, Sunninghill and Fourways.
South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) GFIP project manager Alex van Niekerk says the biggest portion of GFIP construction tenders had already been awarded by May last year. These seven works packages are to be progressively completed from May 2010 up to 2011.
...Subsequent to the first tranch of seven contracts awarded by May last year, the contract for the R21 upgrade from Pretoria to the Pomona off-ramp, near Benoni, was awarded later in 2008.
However, this project will already be completed before the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in June, says Van Niekerk.
Orlando Silva, the Brazilian minister of sport, said the 2014 World Cup will offer his country many opportunities to improve their infrastructure, adding that they also hope to learn a lot from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
“The 2014 World Cup will also help us fast-track community developments. We will also be able to develop the business part of football,” Silva said.
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Gauteng will host the next three editions of the Soccerex forum, from 2010 to 2013.
In November this year, Gauteng will also host the last of its three Soccerex conferences, which are usually attended by the top brass from Fifa, including president Sepp Blatter.
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From next year until 2013, the Soccerex conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil .