Pretoria – At places in the Gautrain tunnel there is four
times the water agreed to with the contractor.
This could shorten the life of the train system and kill off
plants in the environment.
The problem persists even after the opening of the tunnel
between Park Station and Rosebank was postponed for months for additional
waterproofing.
Jack van der Merwe, chief executive of the Gautrain
Management Agency, was upset after the Bombela concession group last week took
journalists on a train ride through the part of the tunnel involved and
indicated that it could open within days.
Throughout, Bombela has emphasised that the system has been
designed to drain water and the current amount of water is within the design
specification. The impression was created that regulatory approval for the
opening was merely a formality.
But Van der Merwe says the amount of water exceeds the 10
litres/minute/10 metres agreed to in the contract – in places there is four
times as much water.
“This tunnel was built to last 100 years, and Bombela has a
contract to manage the system for 15 years,” says Van der Merwe.
But excessive water exerts pressure on the pumps and this
can shorten their lives. It would furthermore be stupid to expose the train
system’s sophisticated electronic equipment unnecessarily to damp conditions,
says Van der Merwe.
What is more, there is an environmental risk. Van der Merwe
says if too much water drains into the Gautrain tunnel, the water table could
quickly drop, harming the vegetation above the tunnel. There are at least three
golf courses in the environment that could suffer, which would expose the
Gautrain Management Agency to claims.
Van der Merwe says that, depending on the soil formation,
which varies greatly, this could even lead to soil instability – for instance
where there is clay.
Bombela totally disagrees and on Thursday told Sake24 that
it reckoned it had done what it was contractually expected to do. It said there
was a difference in interpretation of the tunnel specifications.
Both parties agree that the water holds no threat for the
trains.
Van der Merwe says he asked Bombela to produce a plan to
combat the problem.
If the two parties cannot agree, they will probably take the
dispute to the court of arbitration.
In his view the work done to date has not been in vain. It
is simply incomplete. So far work has been done on the tunnel floor and
additional concrete added. Now they must proceed with the work on the walls.
This can be done after hours and the rest of the route can
then be opened, he says.
The opening will provide considerable relief to Bombela,
which has to repay its financiers but has so far been unable to derive revenue
from the entire route. Completion is also expected to make it easier to put the
complete bus system into operation.
The Gautrain Management Agency’s performance rating for
Bombela, in terms of which the concession holder is penalised if it cannot
maintain specific standards, could then also come into play.
Murray & Roberts shareholders, who have a big stake in
Bombela Civils Joint Venture, which has had to bear the cost of the additional
waterproofing, will be holding their breaths that the matter is resolved in the
company’s favour.
The Gautrain problems, including the additional cost of
waterproofing for the tunnel, have contributed to Murray & Roberts finding
itself in the red.
- Sake24
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