Shosholoza Meyl

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Shosholoza Meyl

Type
Founded
Headquarters	Braamfontein
Industry	Train transport
Products	Passenger transport service
Slogan	A Pleasant Experience [1]
Website	http://www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl/index.jsp

Shosholoza Meyl routes

Shosholoza Meyl is the long-distance passenger services unit of Spoornet, the South African main-line railway operator. Shosholoza Meyl operates many train routes across South Africa [2], carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually [3].

Shosholoza is the name of a popular South African song about workers on a train. 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".

1 Routes
2 Track & Equipment
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Routes

Shosholoza operates three types of trains:

Semi-luxury Premiere Classe trains:

Johannesburg - Kimberley - Cape Town(twice weekly)

Tourist Trains (sleeping cars only):

Johannesburg - Kimberley - Cape Town(four times every week)

Johannesburg - Pietermaritzburg - Durban (three times every week)

Johannesburg - Bloemfontein - Port Elizabeth (twice weekly)

Durban - Pietermaritzburg - Bloemfontein - Kimberley - Cape Town (weekly)

Economy Trains (sitters only on certain routes):

Johannesburg - Bloemfontein - East London (Daily except Saturdays), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006

Johannesburg - Pretoria - Polokwane - Musina (Daily except Saturdays), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006

Johannesburg - Pretoria - Nelspruit- Komatipoort (Daily except Saturdays), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006

Johannesburg - Kimberley - Bloemfontein (weekly), sitters only

Johannesburg - Bloemfontein direct (weekly),sitters only

Johannesburg - Pietermaritzburg - Durban (Daily except Tuesdays), sitters only

Durban - Pietermaritzburg - Bloemfontein - Kimberley - Cape Town (weekly), sitters only

Johannesburg - Kimberley - Cape Town (Daily), sitters only

Johannesburg - Bloemfontein - Port Elizabeth (Daily except Saturdays), sitters only

Johannesburg - Pretoria - Nelspruit- Hoedspruit (weekly), sitters only

Johannesburg - Mafikeng - Kimberley(weekly), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006

Johannesburg - Mafikeng (monthly), sitters only

Mafikeng - Kimberley(daily), sitters only

East London - De Aar - Cape Town(weekly) , will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006

[edit] Track & Equipment

Shosholoza Meyl trains run on the Cape gauge (1067mm) Spoornet main-line track. The trains are locomotive-pulled. Most routes are completely electrified 3kV and 25kV systems, usually class 6E1 locomotives on the 3kV system and class 7E1 on the 25kV 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:

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 faclities.
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 sitter's.

Since 1 July 2006 Shosholoza Meyl operates its sleepers and sitters in separate trains. As from 1 November 2006 sleeping cars will be re-introduced on selected Economy Trains.