Johannesburg

==== Rail ====
[[Image:South Africa-Metrorail-001.jpg|thumb|[[Metrorail Gauteng]] at [[Braamfontein]], Johannesburg]]
The [[Metrorail Gauteng]] [[commuter rail]] system connects central Johannesburg to [[Soweto]], [[Pretoria]], and most of the satellite towns along the [[Witwatersrand]]. The railways transport huge numbers of commuters every day. However, the Metrorail infrastructure was built in Johannesburg's infancy and covers only the older areas in the city's south. The northern areas, including the business districts of [[Sandton, Gauteng|Sandton]], [[Midrand, Gauteng|Midrand]], [[Randburg, Gauteng|Randburg]], and [[Rosebank, Gauteng|Rosebank]], are served by the rapid [[railway|rail]] link [[Gautrain]].

[[File:Gautrain..., O R Tambo Intl Airport South Africa.jpg|thumb|[[Gautrain]] station at OR Tambo Airport]]
A part of the Gauteng Provincial Government's Blue IQ Project, [[Gautrain]] has made provision for a rapid [[railway|rail]] link, running north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and west to east between Sandton and the [[OR Tambo International Airport]]. Construction of the Gautrain Rapid Rail started in October 2006 and was completed in June 2012. It consists of a number of underground stations, as well as above-ground stations. Stations on the north–south line include Johannesburg's [[Johannesburg Park Station|Park Station]] (underground), [[Rosebank (Gautrain station)|Rosebank]] (underground), [[Sandton (Gautrain station)|Sandton]] (underground), [[Marlboro (Gautrain station)|Marlboro]] (above-ground and raised), [[Midrand (Gautrain station)|Midrand]], [[Pretoria railway station|Pretoria]] Station and [[Hatfield (Gautrain station)|Hatfield]]. There is also a line from the O.R. Tambo International Airport (above-ground and raised) travelling to Sandton via [[Rhodesfield (Gautrain station)|Rhodesfield]] (raised) and Marlboro. A 200-kilometre expansion is underway and will consist of 3 new lines and 18 new stations, and is expected to cost R18 billion and one-lines (Soweto Mamalodi) could take 4 years to build, most of the new stations will be in Johannesburg.

The east–west line from the airport to Sandton opened in June 2010 in time for the [[2010 FIFA World Cup]], while the north–south line opened on 2 August 2011, except for Park Station, which opened in 2012.

The rail system was designed to alleviate traffic on the [[N1 (South Africa)|N1]] freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which records vehicle loads of up to 300,000 per week day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why Rapid Rail |url=http://www.gautrain.co.za/about/about-gautrain/why-rapid-rail/ |publisher=Gautrain |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825063354/http://www.gautrain.co.za/about/about-gautrain/why-rapid-rail/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An extensive bus feeder system has also been implemented, which allows access to the main stations from the outer suburbs, but is limited to a five-kilometre radius, which neglects the rest of the suburbs. This is the first new major railway system that has been laid in South Africa since 1977.<ref>{{cite web |title=Railway country. 150 Years of Rail in South Africa |url=http://www.transnetfreightrail-tfr.net/Heritage/150years/150YearsRail.pdf |publisher=Transnet |access-date=24 August 2017 |archive-date=12 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012074755/http://www.transnetfreightrail-tfr.net/Heritage/150years/150YearsRail.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2010, a [[Johannesburg-Durban High Speed Rail|high-speed rail link]] was proposed between Johannesburg and [[Durban]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/ambitious-plans-will-still-need-funding/browse/3.html |access-date=19 September 2010 |title=Railway Gazette: Ambitious plans will still need funding |archive-date=15 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615134927/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/ambitious-plans-will-still-need-funding/browse/3.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2020 the government announced plans for high-speed rail from Johannesburg to [[Soweto]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 October 2020 |title=South Africa's Rail Expansion Plan Links Soweto to Johannesburg |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-25/south-africa-s-rail-expansion-plan-links-soweto-to-johannesburg |access-date=25 October 2020 |archive-date=28 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028213615/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-25/south-africa-s-rail-expansion-plan-links-soweto-to-johannesburg |url-status=live }}</ref>