The Gautrain, Africa's first high-speed rail line, will launch on 8 June in South Africa three days before the opening match of the 2010 football World Cup, the developers said on Friday.

French construction giant Bouygues said the train's first segment, linking OR Tambo International Airport and the posh Johannesburg suburb of Sandton, will open in time for the 11 June kick-off of Africa's first World Cup.

For R100 (13 dollars, 10 euros), World Cup visitors will be able to ride the 15 kilometres from the airport to the Sandton hotel district in less than 15 minutes. In rush-hour traffic, the same trip takes more than an hour by car.

When finished in mid-2011, the 80-kilometre regional express train will link the capital Pretoria with national economic hub Johannesburg, running at speeds of up to 160 kilometres (99 miles) an hour and enabling commuters to make the trip in 42 minutes.

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