Fifteen minutes from Sandton to the O.R. Tambo International Airport - impossible? Not with the Gautrain. Sitting on comfortable, spacious, blue and gold chairs, everything is clean and new. Johannesburg whizzes by at 160km/h and you barely have time to read an article in the newspaper before you’ve arrived at the airport.

There is extra luggage space in the airport-bound cars, so no one looks at you with disdain when they see your huge suitcase, set of golf clubs or pram. With plenty of helpful security staff on hand to assist you, and hundreds of CCTV cameras, you feel exceptionally safe. It’s a smooth, air-conditioned ride that takes you via Sandton Station directly to or from the central terminal building of the airport.

Every passenger buys a R10 Gautrain Gold Card - valid for 5 years – that you use to access all the Gautrain services. You upload money onto the card and the correct fare is deducted when you swipe your card at the station. It costs R105 for the trip between Sandton and O.R. Tambo International Airport. There has been criticism directed at the Gautrain - that it is a train for the rich and is inaccessible for local South Africans. It doesn’t serve the Gauteng townships, where the transport problem is severe, however, it was never intended to be a vehicle for mass public transport. The intention of the railway was to relieve traffic congestion on the N1 between Johannesburg and Pretoria, by encouraging motorists to use this revolutionary public transport system.

For most South Africans, the Gautrain is a symbol of pride. It’s a modern 80km mass rapid transit railway system - that links Johannesburg, Pretoria and the airport. It’s safe, convenient, well organised and pretty fast. Once you’ve explored Joburg in your hired car, jump onto the Gautrain for an easy ride to the airport. The train leaves exactly on time – and makes it feel a bit like you’re in Germany. Prost Gautrain!