News / National
Gauteng-Limpopo bullet train takes another giant step
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The planned "bullet train" between Gauteng and Limpopo has taken another step towards its eventual completion.
The project, which was first announced in 2023 and is titled the Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train Project, plans to connect Pretoria to Polokwane, Limpopo's capital, with roughly 500km of high-speed rail.
Since its announcement, the government has made gradual progress in preparing for construction, with the most recent update revealing that as of mid-2025, feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments are underway.
These studies and surveys will ensure the project meets safety, economic, and environmental standards.
The Gauteng and Limpopo provincial governments, alongside the national Department of Transport and private investors, are also working to secure the required funding for the project and finalise technical plans.
One of the concerns around the project that these studies could reveal is land acquisition, with the railway needing to negotiate with landowners and communities along the planned route.
Should these negotiations bear fruit and the project eventually be completed, the government has stated that the railway will massively boost economic integration and the quality of life for residents along the route.
The project's construction phase is slated to begin in late 2026, with the first trains operational by 2030.
The distance for the planned route is approximately 500km, which currently takes five to six hours to using a car.
Should the Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train be completed, this travel time will be drastically reduced to around only 90 minutes.
The route is also planned to extend beyond Polokwane and will have several other stops in key locations along its length.
These include Hammanskraal, Bela-Bela, Mokopane, Louis Trichardt and Musina.
Phase one of the project will focus on the stretch between Pretoria and Polokwane, with the second phase covering the expansion to the other stops.
Below is a rough illustration of the planned route of the Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train project.
This project will be executed alongside Gauteng's R120 billion investment in creating new tracks and adding six new areas to its rail network over the next five years.
When completed, this will almost triple the Gautrain's total length from 80km to 230km.
Barbara Creecy, South Africa's Minister of Transport, has also stated that the Department of Transport has set a series of goals for the transport sector, including rail, that will revitalise and modernise infrastructure.
This includes increasing the annual freight moved on Transnet's rail network from 149 million tonnes to 250 million tonnes and restoring PRASA's commuter network to reach 600 million passenger journeys annually by 2030.
However, most of these ambitious plans aren't close to completion, and Gauteng residents will have to wait and see if the government makes good on its word.
The project, which was first announced in 2023 and is titled the Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train Project, plans to connect Pretoria to Polokwane, Limpopo's capital, with roughly 500km of high-speed rail.
Since its announcement, the government has made gradual progress in preparing for construction, with the most recent update revealing that as of mid-2025, feasibility studies and environmental impact assessments are underway.
These studies and surveys will ensure the project meets safety, economic, and environmental standards.
The Gauteng and Limpopo provincial governments, alongside the national Department of Transport and private investors, are also working to secure the required funding for the project and finalise technical plans.
One of the concerns around the project that these studies could reveal is land acquisition, with the railway needing to negotiate with landowners and communities along the planned route.
Should these negotiations bear fruit and the project eventually be completed, the government has stated that the railway will massively boost economic integration and the quality of life for residents along the route.
The project's construction phase is slated to begin in late 2026, with the first trains operational by 2030.
The distance for the planned route is approximately 500km, which currently takes five to six hours to using a car.
Should the Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train be completed, this travel time will be drastically reduced to around only 90 minutes.
The route is also planned to extend beyond Polokwane and will have several other stops in key locations along its length.
These include Hammanskraal, Bela-Bela, Mokopane, Louis Trichardt and Musina.
Phase one of the project will focus on the stretch between Pretoria and Polokwane, with the second phase covering the expansion to the other stops.
Below is a rough illustration of the planned route of the Limpopo-Gauteng Speed Train project.
This project will be executed alongside Gauteng's R120 billion investment in creating new tracks and adding six new areas to its rail network over the next five years.
When completed, this will almost triple the Gautrain's total length from 80km to 230km.
Barbara Creecy, South Africa's Minister of Transport, has also stated that the Department of Transport has set a series of goals for the transport sector, including rail, that will revitalise and modernise infrastructure.
This includes increasing the annual freight moved on Transnet's rail network from 149 million tonnes to 250 million tonnes and restoring PRASA's commuter network to reach 600 million passenger journeys annually by 2030.
However, most of these ambitious plans aren't close to completion, and Gauteng residents will have to wait and see if the government makes good on its word.
Source - topauto
