In rail transport, a train is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. The word train comes from the Old French trahiner, derived from the Latin trahere meaning “to pull, to draw”.
Train Services In South Africa
South Africa’s Shosholoza Meyl offers regular services connecting major cities.
For an overview of services, descriptions of trains and valuable advice, visit The Man in Seat Sixty-One (www.seat61.com/southafrica).
Classes
Both tourist and economy class are affordable options. Unlike on long-distance buses, fares on short sectors are not inflated.
Tourist class Recommended: scenic, authentic but safe, and more comfortable than taking the bus, albeit often slower. The overnight journey from Jo’burg to Cape Town is a wonderful way to get a sense of the country’s vastness, entering the Karoo as night falls and eating a celebratory lunch as the train swishes through the Winelands. There’s a dining car and showers, and the fare includes accommodation in a two-berth coupe or four-berth compartment. Depending on what’s available, couples are given coupes and single travellers and groups are put in compartments. If you are travelling alone and you want a coupe to yourself, you’ll need to buy two tickets. There’s an additional R60 charge for bedding hire. Cars can be transported on the Jo’burg–Cape Town, Jo’burg–Durban and Jo’burg–Port Elizabeth routes.
Economy class Does not have sleeping carriages and is not a comfortable or secure option for overnight travel.
Tickets & Fares
- At the time of writing, Jo’burg to Cape Town in tourist/economy class cost R690/440.
- Tickets can be purchased up to three months in advance and must be bought at least 48 hours before departure.
- Tourist-class sleepers can get fully booked a month or two ahead, especially on popular routes such as Jo’burg–Cape Town.
- The easiest way to purchase tickets is through travel agent African Sun Travel. It charges a small commission (about R100 for Cape Town–Jo’burg tickets and R80 for Jo’burg–Durban tickets).
- Bookings can be made at train stations, by phone or through Shosholoza Meyl’s website. You must then collect and pay for your tickets at a station within two days.
- A more complicated and lengthy option is to deposit the money in Shosholoza Meyl’s bank account and send the company proof of payment; it takes four days for funds to clear in Shosholoza Meyl’s account.
Routes
Jo’burg–Cape Town Via Kimberley and Beaufort West; 27 hours; tourist (Tuesday to Friday and Sunday) and economy (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).
Jo’burg–Durban Via Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg; 14½ hours; tourist and economy (Friday and Sunday).
Jo’burg–East London Via Bloemfontein; 20 hours; tourist and economy (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).
Jo’burg–Komatipoort Via Nelspruit (Mbombela); 12½ hours; economy (Wednesday to Friday and Sunday).
Jo’burg–Port Elizabeth Via Bloemfontein; 20 hours; tourist and economy (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday).
East London–Cape Town Via Queenstown and Beaufort West; 28 hours; tourist and economy (Tuesday and Sunday).
Luxury Train Trips
In addition to the Shosholoza Meyl services, there are numerous special lines. Travel agents New Fusion and African Sun Travel offer bookings on the Blue Train, Premier Classe and Rovos Rail. JB Train Tours sells train holiday packages.
Blue Train
South Africa’s famous Blue Train travels between Pretoria and Cape Town, stopping en route in Matjiesfontein or Kimberley. For 27 hours of luxury, one-way fares (per person sharing) are R20,280/25,615 for deluxe/luxury during high season (September to mid-November), including all meals, drinks, off-train excursions and en-suite bathroom. Fares drop by about R4000 during low season. You can book directly or through travel agents, both in South Africa and overseas. Enquire about packages including accommodation and one-way flights between Pretoria/Jo’burg and Cape Town. The train also occasionally travels between Pretoria and Hoedspruit (for Kruger National Park).
Premier Classe
Shosholoza Meyl’s luxury offering, Premier Classe is an affordable alternative to the Blue Train et al. Trains run from Cape Town to Jo’burg (R3120 per person) on Tuesday, returning on Thursday; and from Jo’burg to Durban (R1230) on Thursday, returning on Sunday. The fare includes meals in the deluxe air-conditioned dining car. Single travellers occupy two-berth coupes, couples occupy four-berth compartments. There’s a lounge-bar and shared bathrooms, and vehicles can be transported.
Rovos Rail
Rovos rivals the Blue Train as Africa’s most luxurious and expensive service. Regular services include Pretoria–Cape Town over two nights/three days, with stops at Kimberley and Matjiesfontein; Pretoria–Durban over three days; Pretoria–Swakopmund (Namibia) over nine days, via Etosha National Park and other Namibian highlights; and Pretoria–Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) over four days.
Shongololo Express
Rovos Rail’s Shongololo offers four train tours, including between Pretoria and Victoria Falls (12 days), and Pretoria and Cape Town via Swaziland and Durban (15 days). You travel by night and disembark during the days.
Umgeni Steam Railway
Umgeni Steam Railway (www.umgenisteamrailway.co.za) Steam-train day trips in KwaZulu-Natal.
Atlantic Rail
Atlantic Rail (www.atlanticrail.co.za) Steam-train excursions from Cape Town to the Winelands.
Ceres Rail Company
Ceres Rail Company (www.ceresrail.co.za) This vintage-train company operates three steam locomotives with renovated lounge cars on a historic line reopened in 2012 from Cape Town to the mountainous, fruit-producing Ceres area. Trains normally run every other Saturday, arriving at Ceres Golf Club in time for lunch, before returning to town in the afternoon.
Metro Trains
Cape Metro Rail Services from Cape Town south to Simon’s Town are generally safe during peak daylight hours.
Gautrain The rapid-transit Gautrain is a safe and slick link between OR Tambo International Airport, Sandton, Rosebank, Park Station (downtown Jo’burg), Pretoria and Hatfield. Trains depart every 12 minutes at peak times (5.30am to 8.30am and 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday), and every 20 to 30 minutes outside peak times. A one-way ticket between Pretoria and Park Station costs R76. If you’re travelling in peak periods or staying near a station, it’s a fast, state-of-the-art and cost-effective way to enter and exit Jo’burg.
Do trains still run in South Africa?
Metrorail, the urban commuter transport service present in Gauteng, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, is responsible for transporting up to 2 million passengers daily. The Blue Train is a luxurious passenger train and a popular tourist attraction for South Africa, which runs from Cape Town to Pretoria
How many trains are there in South Africa?
280 train sets operate on the system, each able to carry up to 1,800 passengers.
Who owns trains South Africa?
Welcome to Rail Branch
Prasa owns 2 280 Kilometers of South Africa’s rail network and uses some the 22 000 Kilometers of rail track under the control of Transnet.
How many passengers can train carry in South Africa ?
This air-conditioned coach, present only on popular routes, can carry 18 (full coach) or 10 passengers (half coach). These air-conditioned coaches have sleeping berths across eight bays (full coach). Berths are usually arranged in two tiers in bays of six: four across the width of.