The city of Johannesburg has allocated R625 million to the community of Orange Farm and surrounding areas as part of its 2021/ 2022 budget for multi-disciplinary turnkey projects, one of which is the construction of the R49 million Orange Farm public transportation facility. This is currently being implemented on behalf of the city by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA).
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Orange Farm is a suburb of Johannesburg in the south of the city, around 38 kilometres from the Johannesburg CBD, with a rapidly growing population. The visually beautiful Orange Farm public transit hub will satisfy the city’s desire for environmentally friendly and safe commuting choices, notably for the disabled, women, and children. Along with main thoroughfares, the facility will also increase connectivity and public transit options.
Distance commuting, a lack of public transit infrastructure, and a lack of high-quality public spaces hinder many residents’ access to economic opportunities.
The Orange Farm public transportation facility will go a long way toward improving the residents’ quality of life by creating robust democratic public spaces that give city users dignity and choice, as well as connecting people with opportunities to live, work, play, learn, and be healthy in the city.
The Orange Farm public transit station, which will be located on the corner of Link Road and St Patricks Road, will be a practical, sustainable, and long-lasting public transportation facility that is creative and dense but also simple to use.
Once finished, the transportation facility will have holding bays, loading bays, wash bays, private car parking, trader booths, ablution facilities (male, female, and disabled), and a public plaza for traders with seats. The project has created jobs and is expected to teach skills to 10 SMMEs and local labourers from the neighbourhood because the facility will be developed using labour-based approaches in line with the Expanded Public Works Programme.