There are few travel minded people who are not, in principle, charmed by the idea of long distance rail travel, more so if the journey is changing and scenic, as the stretch between Johannesburg and Cape Town no doubt is. But what is also beyond doubt is that railway travel in South Africa is well past it’s heyday. Stations have become places that those who can best avoid, and property values decline the closer to a station you are. This is not an article that attempts to explain or lament the multiple factors for this. But were these perceptions unfairly applied to long distance rail travel? We certainly suspected that this was true, at least to some extent, so me and my brave family were set to find out. My wife and I both took Joburg – Cape Town train in the 90’s, separately, as students, but things have changed, the train and us.

Before we find out whether fortune did or does indeed favour the brave, just a bit of background. The two cities of this tale, the mother city of Cape Town, and the gold fields of Johannesburg, were connected in the late 19th century, via the diamond fields of Kimberley. During the 20th century, the national railways established two brands along this route, namely the Trans Karoo, and the ultra luxurious Blue Train. Both these brands became household names in South Africa, and beyond. Some time in the past few years, all inter city sleep routes were rebranded Shosholoza Meyl, but the name Trans Karoo is still widely used, and the Blue Train retained it’s name. The Shosholoza Meyl itself split into the Shosholoza Meyl proper (with sleeper and sitter class), and the Premier Classe train (note the Francophone spelling!). The Premier Classe now seems to drop “Shosholoza Meyl” in it’s marketing. The Premier Classe is by no means posh or luxurious, it is the Shosholoza Meyl on a different business model, but the same booking system.

The Blue train, however, is a luxury service with prices to match, and is therefore beyond the scope of what we considred. It is a very plush five star affair, for which even the most basic option offers en suite bathrooms (including baths), personal butler service, off train excursions and award winning South African wines. A private concession (Rovos Rail) also offers a luxury service, seemingly with a greater function on tours.

For our bi-annaul migration to the Cape, we initially started looking at the Premier Classe train, even though it sounded overpriced. Amongst other things, it offered the option to take our vehicle with. We now know that is possible on the Shosholoza Meyl too. We booked Tourist Class due to availability, and eventually decided to stick with it.

As far as I was able to ascertain, the main differences between Tourist Class and Premier Classe were:

• the bedding (on TC you can hire for R60, or bring your own, on PC these are provided, and your bed is made for you).
• airconditioning in the cabins
• the price (R2,100 for us on TC, R8,500 on PC)
• the food (Basic 3-course on PC, Paid a-la-carte on TC)
• the schedule (one hour shorter on PC, with fewer scheduled stops, but consequently also fewer options).
• presumably, a different “upmarket” crowd
• Of the above list, before we boarded, it was aircon that would have counted most in my books, but it turned out not to be too much of an issue.

The coaches and layout seemed the same.

The “online” booking process came down to filling out a form online, which triggered a contact via email.

We booked from Krugersdorp, which is the first stop after the train departs from Park Station in Johannesburg, to Hugenot Station in the town of Paarl, which is the third last stop. 20 Minutes seemed ample time for a non starting station. I can definitely recommend Krugersdorp to travellers from Gauteng. It shaved off 40 (non scenic) minutes, we enjoyed the convenience of a smaller station, and saved a few Rands. The station at Krugersdorp was well kept, if a bit sleepy. This was particularly true on the public holiday on which we boarded, but the atmosphere once we got onto the platform was immediatly tangible. It was clearly a happy cosmopolitan crowd awaiting the trian for their journey south after a long year. It was a cool rainy December day, but spirits around us were high. Access to the platform was controlled, but not restricted. Many passengers, like us, were accompanied by friends or relatives who dropped them, and stayed to see them off.

At 13:10, we started to peek eastwards at the bend in the track, which was rewarded after about 5 minutes by the long train pulling slowly into the station. As people crowded around the official stepping off with a list, I quickly peeked over his shoulder to locate our name.  This sneak peek turned out to be a good thing. Our address for the next 25 hours was to was to be coach 10, cabin B. At the time we were standing near coach 2, so I gestured the girls (mom & the kids, 5 and 7) to run.  We had 4 minutes to get on. While I knew the train would not depart while we were getting on board, the younger girls did not, and we were not going to be guilty of causing any delay. So our journey started with a little adventure. The staff were quite eager to help, but in no way overbearing or demanding of tips. We waved off Oupa and Ouma, as the train pulled out.

The coach and the cabin were very well kept and clean. Cabins come in 2 and 4 bed. Ours was, of course, a 4 bed, with two coach seats facing each other, which could convert to beds at night, and overhead two folded beds, which we lowered at night to become beds. There were ample space for luggage, of which we had a lot. The windows had a much better feel and look from what I remembered. Otherwise the layout were very similiar to the Trans Karoo of old. The upper beds were wide enough, and inward tilting towards the wall, so our concerns as to whether the kids could sleep on top (as the wanted so badly) were put to rest. Our coach also had toilets on both ends, and seperate showers, which were quite roomy. The toilet facilities were of a higher standard and inspired more confidence in staying clean, not to mention more space, than any classy airline.

The city was quickly behind us, as we glided towards Potchefstroom. The scenery appeared much more pleasant than what I rememered from the driving between these towns. It was rainy season, and the open grasslands looked lush and alive, as the pastures and green fields of mielies (maze) glided by.

Exploring the train, walking through other coaches much like ours, we saw tables neatly laid in the dining cart, followed by the bar/ lounge, which quickly became our favourite place on the train. It was wonderfully air conditioned, we made friends there, shared snacks (and drinks) and experiences. We discovered that many passengers shared our amazement at this train being a relative secret, at a time when everyone scrambles for airline tickets, or contemplate the long journey by car, or just give the Cape a miss. The staff did not seem to mind how long you lingered in the lounge, and to what extent you returned the favour by supporting the bar. The lounge had standard SA electrical (3-point) points, where you could charge a phone or tablet. (Cell and 3G reception was quite good for most of the journey). Cabins had SA (3-point) as well as European points, which double up to take SA 2-point plugs.

On the side of the lounge, with the ever changing murial, we were treated with more interesting landscapes as the highveld slowly morphed into the dryer Kalahari-like savannah north of Kimberley. We also spotted some Springbok. In addition to the scheduled stops (Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp, Christiana and Warrenton) the train also made some unscheduled stops, such as Bloemhof, which the smokers clearly welcomed, as smoking is not allowed anywhere on the train. We had a late lunch and a small dinner on the train, the standard of which were very good, as were the prices, though not so much the service. The diner, like the lounge, is air conditioned, and the tables are nicely laid with a proper table cloth and cutlery. Coffee was poured, it wasn’t filter coffee I think, but good nonetheless.

The train stopped about 30 minutes, perhaps longer, at Kimberley, where we were told routine inspections were carried out. It was a nice historic station, with a sign posted museum, which was closed due to the time of day.  There was not much to do, not even an open tuck shop. After whatever checks were performed, we rolled off, away from the brooding thunder,  into the starlit skies of the Great Karoo. Lots of excitement followed as we prepared to snug in. It was evident that all of us really enjoyed the journey.

The kids drifted off quite quickly. For some reason I still don’t completely understand, for the beds were comfortable, Heidi and I had trouble falling asleep. We were both still awake at De Aar, around 2am, when the train changed locomotives. The middle stretch through the Karoo is not electrified, so the train has to rely on a diesel locomotive to pull it from De Aar to Beaufort West. We did not particularly care about the mode of propulsion, but it turned out we slept peacefully under diesel, only waking up just before the train pulled into Beaufort-West at about 7am.

This was quite a long stop, as locomotives were changed again to electric. The reception area for “main line passengers” was open, which was still signposted “Trans Karoo”. It was a nicely kept station, but again not much to do.

 

When it rolled off again, we could take in the barren open landscape of the Karoo, which contrasted greatly with the Highveld of the day before. Again, we were amazed at how much more we appreciated the scenery from a train window.

The second stretch followed the N1 autoroute quite closely, which we were very familiar with. Or rather, I should say, the N1 followed the track, which came first. The train made a few unscheduled stops to wait at red signals, but it made up some of the lost time. In general it seemed to be going at about 90km per hour. By this time we were just over an hour behind schedule, slowly making up time. Fortunetly for us (though less so for the smokers), we rolled through some of our scheduled stops, including Prince Albert Road, and Matjiesfontein. The last is a bit of a pity, it is a pleasant historic village centered around a pretty train station, an oasis in the Karoo, but it was only scheduled to stop there for 5 minutes anyway.

Breakfast on the train did not dissapoint, and it could have given a lot of breakfast and coffee chains a run for their money. It was the usual English breakfast choices, packaged in the price with juices and coffee or tea, with the Karoo rolling by next to the large windows. At one point, where we could see the N1, I felt the urge to stick out my tongue at the poor slobs behind the wheels.

By Touws River, the once distant Cape mountains have crept closer, but it was still very much Karoo, and it was nothing compared to the change that was upon us. Approaching the Hex River Valley from the Karoo is one of the most abrupt changes of scenery in South Africa (which is quite something – the country is hardly a slouch in this department). By road you descend into the valley via the Hex River Pass. The railtrack, which is by nature more averse to crossing contours, takes a different approach, which added to the experience. A few minutes past the Karoo town ofTouws River, you enter a tunnel for a gradual linear descent, and when you emerge 15 minutes later, you’ll find yourself at the bottom of a deep valley, dotted with vinyards and the white washed buildings of the Cape. The passengers in the lounge cart, we where at the time, spontaneously cheered and clapped hands.

It seemed to reach the town of Worcester much quicker than I expected. After Worcester the train goes north in the direction of Ceres, which it never reaches, for it turns west and south again towards Wellington. The train goes around the mountains rather than through them (unlike the road) . We reached Hugenot station about 40 minutes behind schedule.

For someone that likes driving, the road accross the Karoo can get very long and tedious, so it is always a relief when the journey comes to an end.  But looking at the train departing from Hugenot Station, on it’s way to Cape Town, I felt a bit sad in not completing that part. Our journey seemed to end too suddenly.

One visit to the Blue Train’s website will empathically remind you that there are more luxurious ways to travel by rail, but this journey surprised us on the upside. The cabins were comfortable and roomy, none of the fittings looked tired, and the standard of food was better, I think than similarly priced restaurants. All the stations were well kept. My criticism would be that the booking system could be more re-assuring, and that more could be done to combat delays, or at least communication of it. This did not affect us at all, and we were relatively on time considering the distance, but I’m talking more from the mouths of other reviewers. But delays seem to be a common theme, if you manage something and want to be proud of it, one should at least try to improve. For completeness sake, let me state that there  was also a minor issue that my bedside light, that did not switch off completely,and water pressure in the shower on the first day was weak.

Safety and security is not an issue, all the more so if you compare it to road travel, and include the threat of accidents. Boredom did not future at all. Between occupying yourself in the lounge (each family member with a book, toy, game, tabled or camera), spending time in the diner or cabin, stepping out to breathe the air of a new platform, or watching the scenery, there was always something to do, or to look forward to.

At the risk of spoiling a well kept secret, we really enjoyed the trip beyond our expectations. We will repeat this if we can, not for the experience, nor only for the savings, but for the sheer enjoyment and relaxation of it all.