Rail transport in South Africa is an important element of the country's transport infrastructure. All major cities are connected by rail, and South Africa's railway system is the most highly developed in Africa. [1] The South African rail industry is publicly owned.
The first railway was from Cape Town to Wellington and was worked by a small locomotive in 1858. The first passenger-carrying service was a small line of about 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) built by the Natal Railway Company, linking the town of Durban with Harbour Point, opened on 26 June 1860. [2] Cape Town had already started building a 72-kilometre (45 mi) line, track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), linking Cape Town to Wellington in 1858 but was hampered by delays and could only begin passenger service to the first section of the line to the Eerste River on 13 February 1862. However, Cape railway construction began a massive expansion after the formation in 1872 of the Cape Government Railways. [3]
In the north, in the independent South African Republic, the Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM) constructed railways: one from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa Colony and a shorter line connecting Pretoria to Johannesburg.
Later railway development was driven by Cecil Rhodes, whose original intention was for a railway extending across Africa as a great Cape-Cairo railway linking all the British territories of Africa. However, Rhodes was as much a capitalist in his motivation as a visionary. When little gold was found in Mashonaland in Southern Rhodesia, he accepted that the scheme to reach Lake Tanganyika had no economic justification. Railways built by private companies without government subsidies need enough traffic to pay high freight rates and recover construction costs. The agricultural products that fuelled much of Rhodesia's early economic growth could not provide this traffic; large quantities of minerals could. Most early railways in Africa were built by the British government rather than by Companies—the need to raise capital and produce dividends prevented most Companies from undertaking such infrastructure investments. However, in the early period of railway construction, BSAC obtained finance from South African companies, including Consolidated Gold Fields and De Beers, in which Rhodes was a dominant force. BSAC also benefited from Rhodes's fortunes before his death. [4] [5] The railway stopped at Mafeking was extended to Bulawayo by October 1897. The first train arrived in Victoria Falls on the Zambesi in 1904, driven by two women. [6]
A national "link-up" was established in 1898, creating a national transport network. [7] This national network was largely completed by 1910. [1] Though railway lines were also being extended outside of South Africa, as far north as Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zambia), [8] the vision of Cecil John Rhodes, to have a rail system that would run from the "Cape to Cairo", would never materialise.
Upon the merger of four provinces to establish the modern state of South Africa in 1910, the railway lines across the country were also merged. South African Railways and Harbours (SAR & H) was the government agency responsible for, amongst other things, the country's rail system.
Electrification of the railways began in the 1920s with the building of the Colenso Power Station for the Glencoe to Pietermaritzburg route, and the introduction of the South African Class 1E. [9]
During the 1980s, the transport industry was reorganised. Instead of being a direct government agency, it was modelled along business lines into a government-owned corporation called Transnet. Transnet Freight Rail (until recently known as Spoornet) is the division of Transnet that runs the rail system. [10] Though there are no plans to end government ownership of the national rail network, some small portions of the rail system have recently been privatised. [11]
During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, the rail system suffered looting. [12] [13]
Two public companies operate freight and commuter services: Transnet Freight Rail and PRASA, respectively. Transnet Freight Rail is the largest division of Transnet, a State-Owned Company (SOC) wholly owned by the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the custodian of rail, ports, and pipelines.
The passengers' network is divided into urban commuter and long-distance routes. 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.
With the increasing coverage the nation's highway system provides, long-distance passenger travel has declined in South Africa. While many commuters still use rail for their daily commute, nationally, only half of the nation's 36,000 kilometres (22,000 mi) of track is being fully utilised, and some 35% of the nation's track carries no activity or very low activity. [1] Accordingly, Transnet is moving towards an emphasis on freight, rather than passengers, to keep its rail system profitable.
Shosholoza Meyl used to operate long-distance routes covering the major metros in the country: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London. However, after a train collision killed one person in Horizon View west of Johannesburg on 12 February 2020, the Railway Safety Regulator suspended all Shosholoza Meyl train operations indefinitely. [14] In 2024 the service shall be reassumed, but the reactivation of the dervice between Johannesburg and Cape Town, planned for 24 July 2024, has been delayed until further notice due to a rail damage. The reactivation of the service between Johannesburg and Musina is announced for 30 August 2024. [15] But the frequency will be very low, only one couple of trains per week is offered. The Blue Train is a luxurious passenger train and a popular tourist attraction for South Africa, [11] which runs from Cape Town to Pretoria. It was the winner of the most luxurious train in Africa for the tenth consecutive year in 2019 and the three-time winner of the world's most luxurious train at the World Travel Awards. The Blue Train, however, is operated by Transnet Freight Rail.
To look at the South African transport network, including the railways, view this map from the United Nations.
A high-speed rail link has been proposed, between Johannesburg and Durban. [16]
Nearly all railways in South Africa use a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Cape gauge track. [17] [18] [19] This was selected in the 19th century to reduce the cost of building tracks across and through the mountains in several parts of the country. [11] The Gautrain rapid transit railway uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge).
Numerous two-foot narrow gauge railways were constructed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
South African trains connect through the AAR coupler, developed in the United States at the end of the 19th century. Remarkably, though South Africa has long been ahead of Europe in coupling systems, it has lagged behind most of the world in its braking system; most trains in South Africa continue to use vacuum braking. However, the conversion to air brakes has finally commenced.
Between 50% and 80% of the rail lines in South Africa are electrified. [11] Different voltages are used for different types of trains. Most electrified trains run 3 kV DC (overhead); this is used primarily for commuter lines and has been in use since the 1920s. During the 1980s, higher voltages (25 kV AC and—much less frequently—50 kV AC (both overhead) have been used for heavy-duty lines (which also require more Railroad ties per mile) primarily used for the transport of iron ore.
South Africa uses a variety of rolling stock from several manufacturers.
In 1957, Union Carriage & Wagon was founded in Nigel for local production of rolling stock. [20]
The following countries mostly use 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge and are mostly connected. Countries beyond those listed are of other gauges.
Different methods of transportation in South Africa include roads, railways, airports, and water. Most people in South Africa use informal minibus taxis as their primary mode of transport. BRT, a bus service, has been implemented in some South African cities to provide more formalised and safer public transport services. These systems have been criticised due to their significant capital and operating costs. South Africa has many major ports, including Cape Town, Durban, and Port Elizabeth.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), formerly Rhodesia Railways (RR), is a Bulawayo headquartered state-owned enterprise that operates the country's national railway system. It was established in 1893 and is governed by an Act of Parliament. It has a commercial-administrative center in Harare and a supply center in Gweru. The Zimbabwean railway system was largely constructed during the 20th century.
Transnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on 1 April 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African government. The company was formed by restructuring into business units the operations of South African Railways and Harbours and other existing operations and products.
The Blue Train travels an approximately 1,600-kilometre (990 mi) journey in South Africa between Pretoria and Cape Town. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world. It offers butler service, two lounge cars, an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows, in soundproofed, fully carpeted compartments, each with its own en-suite bathroom. The service is promoted as a "magnificent moving five-star hotel" by its operators, who note that kings and presidents have travelled on it.
Metrorail is an operator of commuter rail services in the major urban areas of South Africa. It is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), a state-owned enterprise which is responsible for most passenger rail services in South Africa. The Metrorail system consists of 471 stations, 2,228 kilometres (1,384 mi) of track, and carries an average of 1.7 million passengers per weekday.
Shosholoza Meyl is a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) that operates long-distance (intercity) passenger rail services. It operates various train routes across South Africa, carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually. Before 2009, Shosholoza Meyl was a division of Spoornet, but it was transferred after the formation of PRASA.
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration, a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely referred to by the initials SAR&H. Customer complaints about serious problems with Transnet Freight Rail's service were reported in 2010. Its head office is in Inyanda House in Parktown, Johannesburg.
Cape Town railway station is the main railway station of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is located along Adderley and Strand Streets in the city's central business district.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is a South African state-owned enterprise responsible for most passenger rail services in the country.
Bellville mainline railway station is a railway station in the town of Bellville, Western Cape, South Africa. It is the second-biggest station in the Metrorail Western Cape railway network, after the Cape Town terminus. All trains on Metrorail's Northern Line pass through Bellville, and one branch of the Central Line also terminates there. It is also a stop for Shosholoza Meyl trains that terminate in Cape Town.
Port Elizabeth railway station is a railway station, located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Johannesburg Park Station is the central railway station in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, and the largest railway station in Africa. It is located between the Central Business District and Braamfontein, in the block bordered by Rissik, Wolmarans, Wanderers, and Noord Streets. Park Station lies on the main Witwatersrand railway line that runs East-West from Krugersdorp to Germiston. The first four stations to the east are Doornfontein, Ellis Park, Jeppe and George Goch Stations.
Durban railway station is the central railway station in the city of Durban, South Africa, located between Umgeni Road and Masabalala Yengwa Avenue just to the north of the central business district. It is the terminus of Shosholoza Meyl long-distance services from Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the hub of a network of Metrorail commuter rail services that stretch as far as KwaDukuza (Stanger) to the north, Kelso to the south, and Cato Ridge inland.
Pretoria railway station is the central station in Pretoria, the executive capital of South Africa. It is located between Pretoria's central business district and Salvokop, in a 1910 building designed by Herbert Baker. It is the terminus of various Metrorail commuter rail services in the northern part of Gauteng, and a stop on Shosholoza Meyl inter-city services from Johannesburg to Polokwane and Nelspruit. Pretoria is also the northern terminus of the luxury Blue Train service from Cape Town. Platforms and tracks for the Gautrain rapid-rail service are adjacent to the main-line station.
East London railway station is the central railway station in the city of East London in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the terminus for Shosholoza Meyl inter-city trains to Johannesburg and Cape Town, and of a Metrorail commuter service to Mdantsane and Berlin.
The South African Railways Class 6E1, Series 4 of 1973 was an electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 12E of 1983 was an electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 35-200 of 1974 is a diesel-electric locomotive.
The South African Railways Class 36-000 is a diesel-electric locomotive.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa Class Afro 4000 of 2014 is a South African diesel-electric locomotive.
