Blue Train: South African Luxury Travel | One of the World’s Most Expensive Trains; Is It Worth It?
Blue Train: South African Luxury Travel | One of the World’s Most Expensive Trains; Is It Worth It?
Luxury travel in South Africa: Suites with bathtubs, deep-pile carpeting, and dinners with numerous courses – the Blue Train, running between Pretoria and Cape Town, has often been called the world’s most luxurious train. Pleasure comes – naturally – at a price, but is the Blue Train worth the expense? DW reporter Adrian Kriesch wanted…
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I love to see our country in a positive light for a change🎉
Definitely will hop on the train to do a tiur5
Services on the Passenger Rail Agency’s (Prasa) Shosholoza Meyl have been suspended, one month after the long-distance train was relaunched following a two-year hiatus.
A Joburg resident recently complained that he attempted to book a compartment on the train for February but was informed by Prasa that the service was suspended due to a lack of locomotives and that it would only resume once the locomotives had been replaced.
This comes despite the agency announcing in December that it had “received additional locomotives from Transnet to address the impact of unreliable old locomotives that disrupt some of the trips on the recently reintroduced Mainline Passenger Services (MLPS).”
“Service” is a big word
In a Cape Talk interview, railway expert David Williams said that the MLPS was not resumed in full; rather there was one train per week running between Joburg and Cape Town, and Joburg and Durban, respectively.
“The answer [to whether South Africa has a long-distance train service] is it does not,” said Williams.
“In fact, service is a very big word for what they did, what they did was they ran one train per week from Johannesburg to Cape Town and to Durban, and in both cases, there were big problems along the way.”
For example, the train from Joburg to Durban took 30 hours to complete the route, twice the estimated time of 15 hours, as there were “complications” on the line, according to Prasa.
Additionally, the first Cape Town trip ended at Wellington 70km short of its final destination due to stolen overhead cables, and the second Cape Town trip ended at De Aar due to a shortage of locomotives. In both instances, the journey was completed by bus.
Many of these issues stem from the fact that Prasa and Transnet share unequal ownership of the country’s rail network and report to different government departments – Prasa to the Department of Transport and Transnet to the Department of Public Enterprises – creating a perfect formula for bureaucracy and miscommunication.
Furthermore, most of the rail infrastructure in the country is maintained by Transnet, meaning Prasa has little control or oversight of the tracks it must use.
Prasa also does not have enough locomotives to support the MLPS by itself so it must source them from the freight rail entity – a process that has been anything but smooth.
“What’s not clear is why [Transnet] couldn’t provide one locomotive, or two locomotives, for the train that was held up at De Aar,” said Williams.
“Is Transnet Freight Rail not running any trains to Cape Town at the moment?”
Big question marks are therefore hanging over the supposed “relaunch” of the Shosholoza Meyl and what the real reason was behind it, given that it was clearly not ready for public service.
“I think there has been a lot of pretending by the government, they don’t realize how much has to be made up to restore [the MLPS] as there are big issues,” said Williams.
“We are a very long way to restoring this long-distance service between cities.”
You close your eyes and it’s like Christmas !!! that is the sentenced I remember the most when I was lucky enough to ride this 6 Stars Hotel on Wheels back in 1981!!! One of the most Wonderful experiences in my entire life!!! Like it??? Loved it!!! Thanks South Africa for been my second home country!!!
Super❤
Beautiful
My wife and I took the train from CPT-JHB in the 80s. A lovely experience and great way to travel. The train shown here is quite different and even more luxurious it seems. No karaoke singers then, thank god. No Cuban cigars either, thank god. But lots of the world's best reds, like Kanonkop, et al. Morrison said it best: Let it roll baby, let it roll.
I love your straight forward comments on race and poverty in South Africa. Thank you for sharing.
nope shosaloza is a waste
hi they were here for say 500 years why nix happened???? they are like tht
One thing that irritates me about " YOU FOREIGNERS " coming to South Africa , you weren't born in South Africa but keep on talking about apartheid, the video is about the Blue Train and not about past South African history , stick to your own countrys history , shame next time ,please take an unprivileged non-white South African with you on the Blue Train….shame…pathetic
Leave your political views out of this platform. We had challenges since 1652 in this country.
How much would Blue Train set tu/vous back in United States Dollars?
I suggest that you read the reviews on Trip Advisor about travelers experiences on the Blue Train before you go and spend all that money to be highly disappointed with delays, unfinished trips, mechanical failures and indifferent management. There are some real horror stories out there, so if you decide to go, then please do your research and listen to independent voices.
I have a one time experience with the Blue Trains. But wish to live until the day all South Africans can afford to ride a Blue Train
That live singer would drive me nuts when I am trying to enjoy dinner. There was no detail shown on the sleeping arrangement. It did not show the beds or the bedroom space. Disappointing.
Was planning to go but since we can’t afford I’ll stay home no need
Those are old retired people not young people most black rich South Africans don’t have desire to be on that train I know lots of rich people in the Shaka people with money making money monthly and weekly and daily. I mean per minute most people don’t believe they have to buy land in their own land. Their homeless people and extremely poor places in Europe so next time show the extreme poor places of Europe. Always putting black peoples down talk about low self esteem u have the money but your unhappy 😂😂 I’m South African and I’ve never lived in a shack funny 😄 their hateful of us oh lord and we don’t care because now we know the truth all the countries have their poor people and whre u are from is not exeptional bottom line is the land is for black South Africans God blessed the black peoples we know that 😂
can we all agree that this is old fashioned interior, it looks ugly inside. it's what called ''bahumi ba kgale'''
One of my bucket list items.
From Sunny South Africa
Beautiful Train
God may reduce poverty in South Africa.
I must do this!!!
I doubt an African would be very welcomed or be Comfortable considering how the wealthy minority view us in this train AS A PASANGER . They'll be looking at you like you there to steal
Please do Rovos rail next
My husband and I are going on vacation to Cape Town in November and we decided to land in Johannesburg then take the blue train to capeTown seeing these videos makes us so excited we can’t wait
All train enthusiasts know about the legendary Blue Train of South Africa. Like the European Orient Express it’s one of a handful of genuinely luxurious trains of the World. You can get plenty of fake luxury on modern trains but they don’t begin to compare to the real thing. Thanks for the video, wish it had been a bit longer.
Great video, thank you! Planning my trip to South Africa for early 2023, so this was helpful 👍
A German lecturing South Africans on race inequality is rich! Also, newly wealthy black South Africans do exist, but have no desire to ride this train, believe me. Reliving the 19th century is decidedly a white thing.
This is a journey I'd love to bless my parents with someday.
I was on the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town in June 2017. It was then a one night trip to Cape Town. It was an absolute wonderful experience. The Staff on the Blue Train were wonderful. I still have pictures of this trip. . I will for sure plan another trip in the future.
Absolutely ridiculous commentary. What has colour or race got to do with an international luxury train. What have informal settlements got to do with a luxury train that creates employment for 95% BLACK PEOPLE? Travel thru the rest of Africa, South Asia, South and Central America to see shacks and starvation. Yes, apartheid abolished over 25 years ago. Black Empowerment and Affirmative Action to this day is LAW in this racist country. 95% of any employ MUST BE BLACK, regardless of education and experience. So enjoy the Blue Train and look at the fortunate 95% back crew, fortunate enough to be given these jobs, simply because theyre black. Sit back and enjoy the stunning scenery, without focusing on the negatives that one finds internationally. Crime? Well last week 20 school kids in the USA were mudered and only yesterday another 21 kids and teachers were shot to death in the States. Horrific. Would never happen in South Africa with the "highest crime rate" in the WORLD! Have a brilliant trip in the Rainbow Nation.
Hw much v hv to pay for one passenger
Thank you for talking about the social issues👍🏻
👌👌
I like the train but not your s
Documentary, just focus on the luxury of the train and the country and forget the politics and poverty.
The interior looks very dated in comparison to other luxury trains from around the world.
I really enjoyed your documentary on this train. I wish American trains were this luxurious
first foreigner ever to correctly pronounce apartheid
😀
3:14 So what’s your point? That mostly white people can afford the Blue Train trip?
the workers on the train are only Black race and white race no Coloureds who are 6 million and second most biggest group in SA are absent , doubly discriminated by the present White economic elite and black political elite . No Indians too, but Indians are very small percentage of SA .
What is better, the Blue Train, or Rovos Rail?