The plan to greatly expand the Gautrain network will resume this year after the current concessionaire hands the asset over to the province.
This is according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who delivered his State of the Province address on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
He stated that the new service will cover Soweto, Mamelodi, Springs, Atteridgeville, Fourways, and parts of the West Rand.
“Later, we will want to expand it to Sedibeng in the Vaal,” he said.
The Premier noted that the public-private partnership that allowed the Gautrain to be built has created a R52 billion asset.
“Those who came before us in 2012 saw the need to go to the private market to secure funding for R27 billion so that we can build the Gautrain.”
“By the end of March this year, this private sector investment will now become due, and all the trains, the stock, the station, the system will be formally handed over to the people of Gauteng.”
He said that the investment had nearly doubled in value over the past 14 years and that it would now be owned by the people of Gauteng.
“We want to thank those who had the foresight to have this investment. But to maximise this investment, from this year, we’ll resume the process to expand Gautrain.”
Lesufi makes a promise to expand the Gautrain every year, but the plan to grow the express commuter rail service has been in the pipeline for years.
In 2022, the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) completed a route proclamation covering areas such as Randburg, Little Falls, and Cosmo City.
The former CEO of the GMA, William Dachs, previously stated that the proclamation was crucial to securing the necessary land rights for the expansion.
A year later, in October 2023, Dachs announced that the GMA was in the advanced stages of finalizing the ambitious expansion.
The current plan is to add another 150km of track, almost tripling the coverage of the original 80km lines.
The GMA said that work on the project was scheduled to begin in 2026 after the Gauteng Provincial Government assumes ownership of the Gautrain.
Lesufi has repeatedly talked about the Gautrain expansion in his previous State of the Province speeches, promising that it would represent a R120-billion investment.
“The Gautrain rail expansion will be a gateway to opportunity, creating more than 125,000 construction jobs while igniting growth in property, retail, and logistics along its path,” he said.
Not an effective use of taxpayer money
Not everyone is thrilled about the idea of investing billions of rands to expand the Gautrain network, as groups like the Automobile Association (AA) have labelled the service a white elephant in the past.
Ridership levels are still lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic, as it caused a significant shift in South African work culture, with many now choosing to work from home multiple days per week.
The Gautrain has still not managed to hit its original target of 130,000 daily passengers.
Even with its relatively high ticket prices, the provincial government still has to provide the train service with an annual subsidy, known as the patronage guarantee, which cost Gauteng R3.1 billion in the 2025 financial year.
This has been the case since the Gautrain was launched roughly 16 years ago, racking up an estimated R18 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Another common criticism is that the Gautrain does not serve the communities that need it the most, as it is too expensive and does not extend to areas that are heavily reliant on public transport.
To address the concerns about its high prices, the GMA introduced a new “KlevaMova” ticket in 2025, which offers a 50% discount for select groups, including students, the elderly, disabled, and households with a net income of less than R350,000 per annum.
While the AA said this was a move in the right direction, it also commented that the promotional price does not address the Gautrain’s core affordability issue.
“Gautrain fares remain prohibitively expensive for many South Africans, even with promotional offers or digital enhancements,” the AA said.
“Without a fundamental restructuring of fares or targeted subsidies for low-income commuters, products like KlevaMova will have limited impact on overall accessibility.”
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