It was announced in 2000 by then Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa that plans were in motion to create a train service that ran from the OR Thambo International Airport in Johannesburg, through Johannesburg and up to Tshwane. This was and is a project, the scale of which has never been seen before in this country. Now, 8 years later, construction has been going on for some time, and soon Gauteng residents will have a highly efficient new form of transport. The train will have stops in Park Station, Rosebank, Sandton, OR Thambo, Rhodesfield, Sandton, Marlboro, Midrand, Centurion, Pretoria Station and Hatfield. Here are the details.

Are you looking for a boutique hotel with a conferencing centre and meeting-room that is in close proximity to the Gautrain's Rosebank Station? Then visit www.theparkwood.com

 

Gautrain - Rosebank Station Considerations

The Gautrain rail system has two major corridors: south-north and west-east. Rosebank Station is located on the north-south main spine and will be served by the commuter service between Park Station in Johannesburg CBD and Hatfield Station east of the Pretoria CBD.

1. LOCALITY

Rosebank Station is located underneath the road reserve of Oxford Road between Baker Street in the south and Tyrwhitt Avenue in the north as shown in the Rosebank Station Locality Plan.

The Gautrain rail system has two major corridors: south-north and west-east. Starting in the Park Station precinct in central Johannesburg the south-north route proceeds north underground for six kilometres beneath the Parktown ridge and Oxford Road to Rosebank Station that is situated underground. The site of the Rosebank Station is beneath Oxford Road adjacent to the Rosebank Mall between Baker Street and Tyrwhitt Avenue. It falls within the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.

Rosebank Station is located on the north-south main spine and will be served by the commuter service between Park Station in Johannesburg CBD and Hatfield Station east of the Pretoria CBD. Passengers can transfer at Sandton Station to the east-west commuter service to the Rhodesfield Station in Ekurhuleni or to the OR Tambo International Airport service.

The alignment is designed on the western side of Oxford Road to obtain a straight section through the station. An area of approximately 7 000m² is required for the rail operational area. According to the demand modelling undertaken it is anticipated that by 2020 approximately 25 000 commuters will pass through the station on a daily basis.

2. RAIL SERVICES AVAILABLE FROM ROSEBANK STATION

Passengers can board the Gautrain at Rosebank to all stations on the north-south service. North bound, passengers can disembark at Sandton, Marlboro, Midrand, Centurion, Pretoria or Hatfield stations. South bound, passengers can disembark only at Johannesburg Park Station.

Passengers to the Ekurhuleni area should transfer at Sandton Station to the east-west commuter service to the Rhodesfield Station in Kempton Park while passengers to the OR Tambo International Airport must transfer at Sandton to the non-stop airport service to the OR Tambo International Airport Station in the terminal building. Transfer to the commuter service can also take place at Marlboro Station.

3. VISION OF THE ROSEBANK STATION

The vision for Rosebank Station is to be fully integrated with the existing activities through the creation of appropriate linkages, achieving densification of the area. This is to be achieved by:

managing the retail core that it remains a sub-regional attraction for passengers;

sustaining the office component;

retaining the existing high density residential uses within the area;

promoting mixed use development to utilise land more effectively and achieve desirable densities;

ensuring residential densification on the periphery in order to strengthen the node and improve diversity which should improve ridership patterns; and

extending the pedestrian links beyond the retail zone to feed into the functional area where overall densification is envisaged. Thus, wider pedestrianisation is desirable for the entire area.

- Click here for an artist impression of Rosebank station.

4. ACCESS TO ROSEBANK STATION

The provision of effective and efficient access to Gautrain stations as part of a seamless ‘one-stop’ service will be achieved through:

integration with existing public transport services

operation of dedicated feeder and distribution services to and from stations; and

private vehicle parking at stations.

The density of the commercial developments in Rosebank is such that the bulk of passengers travelling to and from this station will be able to walk to their respective end destinations. However, two circular dedicated feeder and distribution services will be operated to this station.

The station should become an integral part of Rosebank. Consequently, pedestrian links and connections between the station and Rosebank itself are very important. Pedestrian access to the Rosebank Station will be provided via escalators or lifts from two points, viz. one in the vicinity of Tyrwhitt Avenue at the Zone and the other from the dedicated Gautrain parking area.

Johannesburg Metropolitan Bus Service operates services along Oxford Road that will pass the Gautrain station in this area. Similarly, minibus-taxi services are also operated in the vicinity of the Rosebank Station. Limited loading and off-loading bays for buses and taxis in close proximity to the entrance/s of the Rosebank Station are thus needed.

The planned dedicated feeder and distribution services consist of the following circular services, as shown in the Rosebank Station feeder and distribution map.

These services are as follows:

a service linking the Rosebank Station with Melrose Arch, Illovo, the commercial developments in Corlett Drive and Oxford Road to the north of Rosebank,

a service linking the Rosebank Station with Killarney and the office developments in Central Street, Houghton; and

a service linking Rosebank Station with Cresta, Linden and Parkhurst.

The planned parking facilities in the vicinity of the station should be sufficient to accommodate most of the parking related to the Gautrain rail system. Various options are being investigated to provide alternative parking bays at the Rosebank Station.

5. ATTRACTIONS IN THE ROSEBANK STATION AREA

Despite the functional demarcation of Rosebank Station it does not exist in isolation, but links to several important places. The following attractions and destinations are important places in an around Rosebank Station:

The Rosebank commercial and office development including Rosebank Mall

Melrose Arch

Killarney Mall

Link to the N1 freeway via Glenhove Road

Regional links to Sandton, Parkwood, etc.

Wanderers cricket stadium and golf course

Johannesburg Zoo and Zoo Lake

Museum of Military History

- Click here to view these attractions and destinations.

6. LAND USE IN ROSEBANK

The core area around Rosebank Station is a well-established node consisting of a mix of mainly retail and office uses. It is proposed that the retail core be managed to remain a sub-regional node attracting passengers and that the office component be sustained. The area needs to be strengthened through residential densification. This trend should be extended in the areas opposite Oxford Road and Jellicoe Avenue to give additional support to the core area. Thus, intervention by the Gautrain should be the densification of the existing residential uses on both sides of Oxford Road.

7. POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE GAUTRAIN ON ROSEBANK

The Gautrain route is very deep below ground level in the Rosebank area. No significant impacts are thus envisaged for the Gautrain Station in Rosebank.

No significant noise and vibration impacts are predicted at the surface when the line is in tunnel. The noise and vibration limits set for the Gautrain will not be exceeded along this section of the rail corridor. Since the train is underground, no significant impacts occur in terms of the biophysical environment. Attempts should be made, however, to retain any old established trees in the area around the Rosebank Station This station needs to be designed to blend in with the existing urban fabric.

A summary of these impacts on Rosebank can be viewed here.

Heritage Impact Assessment

In terms of the National Heritage Resources Act of 1999, the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) focused on the heritage resources which could be affected by the recommended route alignment for Gautrain. The cultural significance of a heritage resources had to be determined and the HIA thus focussed on heritage resources with aesthetic, architectural, historical, scientific, social, spiritual linguistic or technological value or significance. The assessment included aspects such as buildings, structures and associated equipment, townscapes, landscapes, natural features, archaeological and palaeontological sites, graves and burial grounds.

The Gautrain recommended route alignment in the area of Johannesburg and the intermediate areas such as, for example, Rosebank is underground. It was thus unnecessary to conduct a detailed identification and mapping of existing heritage resource in this area.

However, after consulting with the Gautrain Technical Team on the depth of the underground tunnels and after considering the proposed route alignment in this area, the HIA team is of the opinion that there will be no impacts on heritage resources along this section of the alignment. Heritage buildings on the Parktown and Westcliff ridge, for example, will not be impacted by the tunnelled route, which will be at considerable depth at this point.

More can be read about Gautrain’s heritage impact on Rosebank in section 6.2 of the HIA Final Report.

Traffic Impact Assessment

The estimated traffic volumes travelling to and from the Gautrain Rosebank Station are described in the Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA). The assessment is done based on the impact that expected traffic to and from the station will have on the normal traffic in the immediate area of the station. Aspects considered included accessibility to stations, peak hour traffic, and the volume of traffic from different modalities and the potential upgrade of the road network.

Projected Gautrain traffic is expected to add to traffic demand on the road network around the Rosebank Station. Although the intersections on the arterial routes are generally well developed, these intersections have limited scope for further upgrading. There is, however, scope to optimise traffic signal settings to improve traffic network operation. More can be read about the traffic impact in the Proposed Rosebank Traffic Impact Assessment document.

Courtesy of: http://www.gautrain.co.za/index.php?pid=646&ct=1&fid=3&click=3