Shosholoza Meyl
Encyclopedia
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.
Shosholoza; qhubeka phambili is the name of a popular South African song about workers on a train and it therefore means moving forward. Meyl is a word that is related to a South African word for "long distance train", according to the Spoornet/Shosholoza Meyl website. The company's name prior to change was "Mainline Passenger Services".
In August 2010, Shosholoza Meyl suspended services claiming either contract difficulties (between Transnet and Prasa) or unreliable trains. Some services began to resume in November 2010.
Shosholoza Meyl trains run on the Cape gauge
Spoornet
main-line track. The trains are locomotive
-pulled. Most routes are completely electrified 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC systems, usually class 6E1 locomotives on the 3 kV system and class 7E1 on the 25 kV system. Diesel is used on the Johannesburg
– Port Elizabeth trains between Bloemfontein
and Noupoort
, and on the Durban
- Cape Town
trains between Bloemfontein and Kimberley
. Before 2002 the Pretoria – Cape Town trains were hauled by diesel between Kimberley and De Aar.
The trains are made up of three types of coach:
Since 1 July 2006 Shosholoza Meyl has operated its sleepers and sitters as separate trains. Starting from 1 November 2006 sleeping cars were re-introduced on selected Economy Trains, this decision was however reversed shortly thereafter. Now the Economy Trains convey 'Sitter' carriages only.
Spoornet
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of 'South African Railways and Harbours', a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely...
, but it was transferred after the formation of PRASA.
Shosholoza; qhubeka phambili is the name of a popular South African song about workers on a train and it therefore means moving forward. Meyl is a word that is related to a South African word for "long distance train", according to the Spoornet/Shosholoza Meyl website. The company's name prior to change was "Mainline Passenger Services".
In August 2010, Shosholoza Meyl suspended services claiming either contract difficulties (between Transnet and Prasa) or unreliable trains. Some services began to resume in November 2010.
Premier Classe (semi-luxury)
- JohannesburgJohannesburg Park StationJohannesburg 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...
–KimberleyKimberley railway station (South Africa)Kimberley railway station is the central railway station of the city of Kimberley, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Because Kimberley is the junction of the main Cape Town–Johannesburg main line with another line from Bloemfontein, it is served by several routes of the...
–Cape TownCape Town Railway StationCape 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....
(twice weekly) - JohannesburgJohannesburg Park StationJohannesburg 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...
–PietermaritzburgPietermaritzburg railway stationPietermaritzburg railway station is the main railway station in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It is located on Railway and Pine Streets in the South Western corner of the city centre. The station is a stop on long-distance passenger rail services operated by Shosholoza Meyl...
–DurbanDurban railway stationDurban 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...
(weekly)
Tourist Trains (sleeping cars & restaurant car only)
- JohannesburgJohannesburg Park StationJohannesburg 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...
–PietermaritzburgPietermaritzburg railway stationPietermaritzburg railway station is the main railway station in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It is located on Railway and Pine Streets in the South Western corner of the city centre. The station is a stop on long-distance passenger rail services operated by Shosholoza Meyl...
–DurbanDurban railway stationDurban 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...
(6 days a week) - JohannesburgJohannesburg Park StationJohannesburg 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...
–KimberleyKimberley railway station (South Africa)Kimberley railway station is the central railway station of the city of Kimberley, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Because Kimberley is the junction of the main Cape Town–Johannesburg main line with another line from Bloemfontein, it is served by several routes of the...
–Cape TownCape Town Railway StationCape 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....
(daily) - JohannesburgJohannesburg Park StationJohannesburg 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...
–BloemfonteinBloemfontein railway stationBloemfontein railway station is a railway station located in Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa.The first railway line connected Bloemfontein to Cape Town in 1890, resulting in a centrally located station site on the corner of Maitland and Harvey streets, east of Kings Park...
–Port ElizabethPort Elizabeth railway stationPort Elizabeth railway station is a railway station, located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.Work commenced on connecting Port Elizabeth to the developing national railway network in 1873, resulting in the station complex being located in the historic central district, near the harbour...
(three days a week) - DurbanDurban railway stationDurban 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...
–PietermaritzburgPietermaritzburg railway stationPietermaritzburg railway station is the main railway station in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It is located on Railway and Pine Streets in the South Western corner of the city centre. The station is a stop on long-distance passenger rail services operated by Shosholoza Meyl...
–BloemfonteinBloemfontein railway stationBloemfontein railway station is a railway station located in Bloemfontein, Free State Province, South Africa.The first railway line connected Bloemfontein to Cape Town in 1890, resulting in a centrally located station site on the corner of Maitland and Harvey streets, east of Kings Park...
–KimberleyKimberley railway station (South Africa)Kimberley railway station is the central railway station of the city of Kimberley, in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Because Kimberley is the junction of the main Cape Town–Johannesburg main line with another line from Bloemfontein, it is served by several routes of the...
–Cape TownCape Town Railway StationCape 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....
(weekly)
Track & Equipment
Cape gauge
Cape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...
Spoornet
Spoornet
Transnet Freight Rail is a South African rail transport company, formerly known as Spoornet. It was part of 'South African Railways and Harbours', a state-controlled organisation that employed hundreds of thousands of people for decades from the first half of the 20th century and was widely...
main-line track. The trains are locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
-pulled. Most routes are completely electrified 3 kV DC and 25 kV AC systems, usually class 6E1 locomotives on the 3 kV system and class 7E1 on the 25 kV system. Diesel is used on the Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
– Port Elizabeth trains between Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
and Noupoort
Noupoort
Noupoort is a town in the eastern Karoo region of South Africa which revolved principally around the railways and is still used as traction change-over facility from diesel to electric locomotives on the Noupoort-Bloemfontein line. It was serviced by Midlandia, a locomotive complex a few kilometers...
, and on the Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
- Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
trains between Bloemfontein and Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
. Before 2002 the Pretoria – Cape Town trains were hauled by diesel between Kimberley and De Aar.
The trains are made up of three types of coach:
- Sleeper 4: six 4-person compartments and two 2-person coupés, plus shower and toilet facilities.
- Sleeper 6: six 6-person compartments and two 3-person coupés, plus shower and toilet facilities.
- Sitter: 72 seats, in 18 rows of 4 seats with an aisle in the middle, plus toilet facilities. There are also various older types of carriages with differing levels of comfort used as sitters.
Since 1 July 2006 Shosholoza Meyl has operated its sleepers and sitters as separate trains. Starting from 1 November 2006 sleeping cars were re-introduced on selected Economy Trains, this decision was however reversed shortly thereafter. Now the Economy Trains convey 'Sitter' carriages only.