The ''Blue Train'' travels an approximately journey in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

between

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...

and

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world. It boasts

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantry ...

service, two lounge cars (smoking and non-smoking), an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows, in soundproofed, fully carpeted compartments, each featuring its own

en-suite A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically ...

(many of which are equipped with a full-sized bathtub). The service is promoted as a "magnificent moving

five-star hotel Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experi ...

" by its operators, who note that kings and presidents have travelled on it.

History

The ''Blue Train'''s origins date back to 1923, when the ''Union Express'' commenced between

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

and

, it was named the ''Union Limited'' in the reverse direction.The rhythm of The Blue Train ''

Rail Enthusiast A railfan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff or trainspotter (Australian/British English), or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally interested in trains and rail transport systems. Rail ...

'' issue 26 November 1983 pages 51-55 The ''Union Express'' introduced luxury features such as a dining saloon in 1933 and air-conditioned carriages from

Metro-Cammell Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. Purchased ...

in 1939. After being withdrawn in 1942 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the service returned in 1946. With the reintroduction of the train, the colloquial "blue train" moniker, a reference to the blue-painted steel carriages introduced in 1937, was formally adopted as the new name. In 1955 it began to be hauled by 3E electric locomotives between Cape Town and Touws River. In 1959 a

Wegmann & Co The form coach factory of Wegmann & Co. was founded in 1882 in Kassel (then ''Cassel'') by ''Kommerzienrat'', Peter Wegmann, and Richard Harkort as the Casseler Waggonfabriken von Wegmann, Harkort & Co. In 1886 it changed its name to Wegmann & C ...

built air-conditioned dining and kitchen car was inserted into each set. In September 1972, two 16 carriage sets built by Union Carriage & Wagon were introduced. In 1997 it was refurbished and relaunched. In 2015, Class 20Es 20-031 and 20-032 were assigned to the train replacing Class 18Es.

Route

Prior to 2002 the ''Blue Train'' operated on four distinct routes: *the main Pretoria-Cape Town service *the scenic "Garden Route" from Cape Town to

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...

*to Hoedspruit, along the western edge of

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ea ...

*to

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

Victoria Falls Victoria Falls ( Lozi: ''Mosi-oa-Tunya'', "The Smoke That Thunders"; Tonga: ''Shungu Namutitima'', "Boiling Water") is a waterfall on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and anim ...

By 2004 the last two routes had been suspended, the former due to lack of patronage, the latter due to erratic rail rates being charged for access to the network of financially strapped Zimbabwe. As of 2007 the only regular route in operation was Pretoria-Cape Town; however special package tours were offered to

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

or the Bakubung Game Lodge. Other variations on the route have been offered.

Shosholoza Meyl 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 ...

, the long-distance train division of the

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is a South African state-owned enterprise responsible for most passenger rail services in the country. History In 1910, as a consequence of the formation of the Union of South Africa, all railway ...

, operates trains on the same Pretoria to Cape Town route. One train per day runs in each direction, but this not a 'luxury' service. As of 2009, the ''Blue Train'' is operated by Luxrail, a division of

Transnet Freight Rail 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 ...

. Operations require two Blue Trains in operation: one operates in the northern direction and the other in the southern direction, allowing for daily departures from both ends of the route. The first train accommodates 74 guests in 37 suites. The second accommodates 58 guests in 29 suites and features a conference or observation car at the back of the train. The trains travel at a speed of up to .

References

External links

* {{Authority control Luxury trains Named passenger trains of South Africa Railway services introduced in 1923 Transnet 1923 establishments in South Africa

History

Route

See also

References

Further reading

External links