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Pretoria – An important decision will be taken this week regarding the effects of underground water on the opening of the Gautrain rail link between Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The Bombela Consortium, the builder of the Gautrain, is currently working flat out on a plan to contain underground water in the tunnel between the Rosebank and Park stations in Johannesburg.
The water does not affect the train’s operation and is not a safety risk, but needs to be contained to prevent long-term damage to the infrastructure, Jack van der Merwe, CEO of the Gautrain management company, said in response to a query.
Bombela is busy with final tests and finishing off the rail link between Johannesburg and Pretoria, with a view to becoming operational this month. The link was previously expected to open in June.
Any further delay with the opening would mean that Bombela – which has the concession to operate the train for 15 years – will lose revenue that it can never make up. This could put great pressure on the group in terms of repaying its funders.
In April Van der Merwe told Engineering News that it would be possible to open the line between Hatfield in Pretoria and Rosebank in Johannesburg even if the water problem on the remainder of the route to Park Station were not resolved by June 27.
Last week he said that he was waiting for Bombela to say how it could improve the waterproofing.
He said the tunnel had been built to last for 50 years, and in the long run the abundance of water coud damage the infrastructure. “I am the steward of taxpayers’ money,” he said.
As to the possible effect that it would have on Bombela’s funds if the opening of the affected section were postponed, Van der Merwe had little to say.
“Let’s take it step by step. I’m waiting for their plan,” he said. “We will find a solution. It's in everyone’s interest for Bombela to be financially sustainable,” he said.
As the client, he did not wish to comment on the implications of accepting the rail line and opening it before all work had been completed.
Carvel Webb, technical adviser to the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), said his body was aware of the water problem, but it held no immediate danger to rail safety.
He said there would always be water in a tunnel, but its influx was above the contractually agreed limit.
The regulator is currently working with Bombela to issue a permit for the entire route.
He said information on how Bombela would go about replacing the waterproofing had not yet been presented to the regulator. If a decision is taken to do the work later, Bombela will have to approach the regulator again. A new safety analysis will then be conducted.
Most of the tests required before the regulator issues the permit to open the rail link have been completed, according to Webb. Work related to the handling of exceptional circumstances is currently under way.
Bombela spokesperson Errol Braithwaite said that the excess underground water was simply a contractual issue that would have no impact on the train’s operation.
The possibility of opening the affected section later was discussed some time ago, but it was no longer at issue.
All that was necessary was to pump in additional grout behind the tunnel walls. This could be done over the next few months at times when the train was not running, he said.
The Bombela Consortium, the builder of the Gautrain, is currently working flat out on a plan to contain underground water in the tunnel between the Rosebank and Park stations in Johannesburg.
The water does not affect the train’s operation and is not a safety risk, but needs to be contained to prevent long-term damage to the infrastructure, Jack van der Merwe, CEO of the Gautrain management company, said in response to a query.
Bombela is busy with final tests and finishing off the rail link between Johannesburg and Pretoria, with a view to becoming operational this month. The link was previously expected to open in June.
Any further delay with the opening would mean that Bombela – which has the concession to operate the train for 15 years – will lose revenue that it can never make up. This could put great pressure on the group in terms of repaying its funders.
In April Van der Merwe told Engineering News that it would be possible to open the line between Hatfield in Pretoria and Rosebank in Johannesburg even if the water problem on the remainder of the route to Park Station were not resolved by June 27.
Last week he said that he was waiting for Bombela to say how it could improve the waterproofing.
He said the tunnel had been built to last for 50 years, and in the long run the abundance of water coud damage the infrastructure. “I am the steward of taxpayers’ money,” he said.
As to the possible effect that it would have on Bombela’s funds if the opening of the affected section were postponed, Van der Merwe had little to say.
“Let’s take it step by step. I’m waiting for their plan,” he said. “We will find a solution. It's in everyone’s interest for Bombela to be financially sustainable,” he said.
As the client, he did not wish to comment on the implications of accepting the rail line and opening it before all work had been completed.
Carvel Webb, technical adviser to the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR), said his body was aware of the water problem, but it held no immediate danger to rail safety.
He said there would always be water in a tunnel, but its influx was above the contractually agreed limit.
The regulator is currently working with Bombela to issue a permit for the entire route.
He said information on how Bombela would go about replacing the waterproofing had not yet been presented to the regulator. If a decision is taken to do the work later, Bombela will have to approach the regulator again. A new safety analysis will then be conducted.
Most of the tests required before the regulator issues the permit to open the rail link have been completed, according to Webb. Work related to the handling of exceptional circumstances is currently under way.
Bombela spokesperson Errol Braithwaite said that the excess underground water was simply a contractual issue that would have no impact on the train’s operation.
The possibility of opening the affected section later was discussed some time ago, but it was no longer at issue.
All that was necessary was to pump in additional grout behind the tunnel walls. This could be done over the next few months at times when the train was not running, he said.
