The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, the Garden Route and South Africa’s beloved steam train, is set to run again.
Alan McVitty, CEO of Classic Rail and Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, confirmed that the company has secured all the necessary contracts and funding partners to rebuild the line between George and Knysna and to relaunch the train as a tourist attraction.
“We plan to open the line in two phases: Knysna to Sedgefield and Sedgefield to George. We expect the first phase to take about 12 months to complete,” said McVitty. “A ceremonial signature event will be held to celebrate this landmark achievement made possible by a collaborative approach between Classic Rail, local businesses and Transnet Freight.”
Locomotives are under repair in Gauteng while carriages will be refurbished in George. A steam workshop is planned along the line and rolling stock will be road-hauled to the Knysna-Sedgefield section for the first phase of service.
“We are kicking our project off by clearing the vegetation from the line so that we can properly examine and decide on which sections need repair. We will also have to survey the bridges as part of our front-end engineering,” McVitty said. “Project and passenger safety is paramount.”
McVitty added that it is too early to start taking bookings but said stakeholders and clients will be kept informed about developments closer to launch.
