The Gautrain service between the Park and Rosebank stations has been suspended following illegal borehole drilling that penetrated the railway tunnel.
According to the rail service, illegal drilling on a private property above the Gautrain tunnel resulted in water and soil seeping into the space and affecting train operations.
The 7km route to Park and Rosebank stations has temporarily been suspended while repairs are underway.
For commuters who are affected by the outage, the Gautrain has organised a bus service that will operate at 15-minute intervals between Park and Rosebank stations from 05h30 until 20h00.
All other Gautrain routes remain fully operational, however, the company did have to remove buses from other routes to service the afflicted one.
Top side of illegal Gautrain tunnel drilling. Source: Koena Mashale
Repairs fast-tracked
Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, Gauteng Transport MEC, has confirmed that the damage assessment and repairs to the Gautrain tunnel will be fast-tracked so as to minimise disruptions for rail users.
“Unfortunately for us, we cannot operate the service further than where the damage is,” said Diale-Tlabela.
“So, we really apologise. It’s an inconvenience but we trust that they will come up with a solution quickly and as soon as possible, the trains will operate fully to their destinations.”
In addition, Gautrain Management Agency CEO Tshepo Kgobe told SABC News that the entity has already embarked on legal action against the perpetrators for multiple contraventions of by-laws.
“The processes of legal action have already started. There are contraventions of by-laws. There are contraventions of the Gauteng Transport Infrastructure Act,” he said.
He also emphasised that citizens need permission to develop within a protected servitude.
“We hope this general lawlessness stops. If you’re going to build a house, even just a single-story house, you have to submit the plans to the municipality for them to approve those plans,” said Kgobe.
“Us damaging the Gautrain tunnel, us damaging traffic lights and removing them, it is a criminal act. Those criminal acts must be prosecuted.”
Kgobe confirmed that the initial assessments on the tunnel began on Sunday, 16 February 2025.
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