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| Home > City Guide - Cape Town - Getting There By Rail | ||
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Getting There By Rail Spoornet (tel: (011) 774 4378 or 4555; fax: (011) 773 5591; website: www.spoornet.co.za) operates all mainline railway services, while Cape Metrorail (tel: (021) 449 3557; fax: (021) 449 6351; website: www.capemetrorail.co.za) operates the suburban services (see Getting Around). While national travel is easy and comfortable, often even luxurious, suburban services are unreliable, not very extensive and can be very dangerous, especially after dark. Rail enquiries should be directed to the Metro Transport Information central toll-free number (tel: (0800) 656 463; website: www.mti.co.za). Metrorail also provides a security emergency number (tel: (0800) 210 081). Cape Town Station, Adderley Street, services both national and suburban lines. The station is in a vast, vaulted building that houses an array of shops and kiosks – some tacky, others quite compelling. Other facilities include information desks, security lockers for hire (R10 per day), a restaurant and, believe it or not, a doctor, dentist and money-lending services. There is also a daily open-air flea market, located immediately outside the station. Rail services: Mainline destinations include Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and East London, as well as international connections to Bulawayo, Harare and Windhoek. Passenger trains to Johannesburg depart twice a day and offer a relaxing alternative to flying, with dining cars and serviced compartments (journey time – approximately 30 hours). The premier luxury train in South Africa is the Blue Train (tel: (021) 449 2672 or 334 8459, reservations; fax: (012) 334 8464; e-mail: bluetrain@transnet.co.za; website: www.bluetrain.co.za), with services between Cape Town and Pretoria (journey time – 25 hours), as well as up the Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth (journey time – 43 hours 30 minutes). Most departures are in October, November and February and advance booking is recommended. Transport to the city: Cape Town Station is situated right in the heart of the city centre. The central public transport bus depot is situated across the road, on Strand Street (in front of the Grand Parade). Metered taxis and minibus taxis are also available outside the station. |
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