Railway transport


Railway Transport is perhaps the most important part of South Africa’s transportation system, the most highly developed on the African continent, boasting some of the most luxurious train lines in the world. All cities and nearly every town is connected by rail links.

Because of the development of the highway system throughout South Africa, there has been a decline in passenger travel over long distances and so the government owned Transnet Freight Rail Company is gradually moving towards increasing the operation towards Freight. Despite this the popularity of luxury train travel continues to grow. There are a few luxury train lines in South Africa.

The Premier Classe is committed to luxury travel from Cape Town to Johannesburg and back twice a week and also includes Durban in KwaZulu-Natal and Hoedspruit, a small town in the Transvaal just outside the Kruger National Park, in its destinations. Premier Classe offers a choice of different types of accommodation and do their best to think of everything that will make the travellers journey as pleasant and as comfortable as possible. First class catering is available in the very well appointed dining car.

Rovos Rail (known as the pride of Africa) was established in 1989. It has earned an extremely good reputation for offering an unsurpassed travel experience aboard a train that has old coaches from Europe (some going back as far as 1911) that have been rebuilt to a very high and luxurious standard.

Rovos has a variety of routes to choose from with journeys lasting from 2 days to as much as 2 weeks and travelling through South Africa as far north as Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.  There are journeys that will take you from Cape Town through Namibia and to the Victoria Falls as well as journeys to see the beauty of the Cape Garden Route and many other destinations.

Last, but definitely not least, is the famous and wonderful Blue Train regarded as the most luxurious train in the world and often described as a luxury cruise on wheels. The accommodation and gourmet catering is comparable to the best luxury hotels worldwide and a perfect way for the visitor to see the beautiful countryside at leisure and in utmost luxury.

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is the last remaining steam train in Africa running to a schedule between George and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The line originally ran from George to Knysna until 2006 when as a result of severe storms and a mudslide the railway line from Mossel Bay to Knysna became unsafe and the journey was shortened to run only from George to Mossel Bay.

Today, visitors can take a trip down memory line by visiting the Outeniqua Transport Museum in George and then boarding the  vintage Outeniqua Choo Tjoe for an exciting scenic trip, with views of the Indian Ocean and its rugged coastline and ending the journey at Mossel Bay’s Diaz Museum Complex at Santos Beach.

Steam train
Outeniqua Choo Tjoe Train