A multi-billion project is planned to cover-up the railway lines in central Johannesburg while building new mixed-used developments above them.
Railway lines that criss-cross Johannesburg between Fordsburg and Doornfontein will soon be altered when the tracks are covered with decking and used to create new residential, educational, public and business development spaces.
The City of Joburg’s economic development department says it has identified the area covered by railway tracks and intends to put decks over the lines and then use the land for development purposes.
Bokaba Maluleke, head of the council’s special catalytic projects division says that a market analysis has already been conducted for this project that will see the space above the railway lines being used for a mixed-use development.
He says the project will generate further income for the city and will create about 45 000 jobs during and after construction. Maluleke says that similar projects to cover railway lines have been successfully carried out in Paris, London and Chicago.
He points out that land in the inner-city regions of Johannesburg is scarce and it’s impossible for the city to expand outwards, so it will expand upwards instead. He says that the infrastructure will be upgraded within the city to accommodate the new developments.
Apparently the private sector will pay for the decking and the construction work in the inner-city region. The first phase of the project is expected to cost R2.2 billion to complete and several precincts have been earmarked for development. These are:
- MI Fordsburg
- Nelson Mandela Bridge – which will span a park and an extension to the University of the Witwatersrand;
- Park Station;
- The Doornfontein precinct between the station and the University of Johannesburg.
Maluleke says that the decking project will take about 30 years to complete but work will start on the first phase within the next three months. The Decking Working Group has received reports for the project and is studying these in order to finalise a business plan for the decking project.
Meetings have also been held with the Johannesburg Business Forum which includes banks, property owners and educational institutions – who apparently all supports the project.
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