Consulting engineering firm Vela VKE has been appointed by the Department of Transport (DoT) as part of a consortium that includes Deloitte and DLA Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr to conduct the feasibility study for the Moloto Corridor, which links the western region of Mpumalanga and Pretoria.

The corridor will not simply be a facilitator of the commuting of day labour between Mpumalanga and Gauteng – it will also support agroprocessing industries, besides others.

The project will run for 18 months and will investigate the most feasible and viable modes of transport that will best serve this important region, which currently has more than 40 000 commuters who travel the 100 km in each direction between Moloto and Pretoria daily.

DoT director-general George Mahlalela says the long-mooted commuter rail corridor between Tshwane and Moloto, which may be developed jointly with the provincial governments of Gauteng and Mpumalanga is “priority number one” among all new rail lines currently on the drawing board.

“Commuters mainly use the bus services that are provided on a subsidised basis [and are] inadequate and unsafe for the current traffic volumes. The idea behind the project is to determine the most optimal mode as well as the required infrastructure to best serve the community. The feasibility phase of the project will begin in November. We have already started with information gathering,” says Vela VKE transportation engineer Kostas Rontiris.

The Vela VKE transportation division has also been appointed by the Department of Environmental Affairs to undertake the project management of nonmotorised transport projects in South Africa, which is funded by the German Development Bank, KfW.

Vela VKE is coordinating three pilot projects that are under way in Johannesburg, Polokwane and Durban.

“The three-year contract involves the Vela VKE transportation division monitoring and assessing the delivery of nonmotorised infrastructure. The project aims to contribute to the ‘greening’ of South Africa’s metro areas by establishing dedicated pedestrian and bicycle facilities along all major traffic routes.”

The intention therefore is to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions in the urban environment.

“Our role is to ensure that the design and construction phases are benchmarked against best practices. The Durban project is the extension of the work that was done during COP 17, where a basic cycle network, located near the beachfront area, has been developed and is being linked with the Durban Inter-national Convention Centre and the Moses Mabhida stadium to create an integrated cycle network.”

The project is in the construction phase and is ready for a contractor to be appointed to begin construction on the extension of the network.

“The Johannesburg project is located in Orlando, in the township of Soweto, and is a cycle and pedestrian project to facilitate the movement of pedestrians in a number of schools in the area, linking the schools to the Orlando stadium, the bus rapid transit system and residential areas with cycle paths.”