Pretoria - The Gautrain's operators will have to satisfy the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) that rigorous safety testing and trial runs have been successfully completed, and that all the required safety measures are in place, before a Safety Permit is granted for the Johannesburg to Pretoria route.
This was a message from RSR to the Mombela Concession Company as it prepares to open the awaited Pretoria route of the rapid train.
Last year, Transport Deputy Minister Jeremy Cronin handed a Safety Permit to the company, for the OR Tambo Airport route, on behalf of the Regulator with the RSR emphasising on Friday similar safety requirements will have to be met for the Johannesburg - Pretoria route.
"The RSR has been working closely with the Bombela Concession Company since 2007 to ensure the safe completion and operation of the Gautrain Rapid Rail project," said the regulator in a statement.
It said to this end the officials had engaged the Gautrain Rapid Rail Project in the phases of design, construction and testing and commissioning by conducting safety reviews, assessments and inspections on all safety aspects.
In addition the RSR has issued Safety Permits for the operation of construction trains, as well as for the testing and commissioning phases.
"All these efforts are aimed at ensuring the rapid rail project operates safely once introduced for commercial operation".
As major construction activities on the Johannesburg - Pretoria - Hatfield portion approached completion in January and February this year, the intensive Testing and Commissioning phase commenced. The system was handed over by the Turnkey Contractor to the Bombela Operating Company in March and the RSR issued a Trial Running Permit to BOC for the next phase of the testing.
The RSR was pleased that the operator had taken a very responsible approach to its safety obligations, and has cooperated fully with the RSR during this phase.
"We are in the final phase of assessing all the last outstanding details, and provided that the current system stability tests are successful, we should be in a position to consider the issuing of the final Operating Permit in the course of July, read the statement.
