| Cape Town Railway station |
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The terminal of Cape Town station (before upgrading) |
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| Station statistics | |
| Address | Adderley Street, Cape Town, 8000 |
| Lines | Metrorail: Shosholoza Meyl: Premier Classe: |
| Connections | MyCiTi BRT Golden Arrow Bus Services Minibus taxis |
| Structure | At-grade |
| Platforms | 24 terminus platforms |
| Tracks | 24 |
| Other information | |
| Opened | 1863 |
| Rebuilt | 1961 |
| Owned by | PRASA |
| Location | |
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Location in central Cape Town
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Cape 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.
Cape Town station is the hub of the Metrorail Western Cape commuter rail network, which is operated by the Metrorail division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). The network consists of four lines, all of which originate from Cape Town: the Southern Line via the Southern Suburbs to Simon's Town; the Cape Flats Line via Athlone to Retreat; the Central Line via Langa to Mitchell's Plain, Khayelitsha and Bellville; and the Northern Line via Bellville to Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West.
Shosholoza Meyl, the inter-city rail division of PRASA, operates several long-distance passenger rail services from Cape Town: a daily service to and from Johannesburg via Kimberley; a weekly service to and from Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg; and a weekly service to and from East London. These trains terminate at Cape Town station, as well as making a brief stop at Bellville.
Shosholoza Meyl also operates two semi-luxury Premier Classe services from Cape Town: twice-weekly trains to and from Johannesburg via Kimberley, and weekly trains to and from Port Elizabeth via George and Oudtshoorn.
Cape Town Railway Station is also used by the luxury tourist-oriented Blue Train and the private train holiday company Rovos Rail.
In years past, Cape Town Railway Station was the starting point for many adventurers on their way to explore Africa. They would buy some or all their supplies in Cape Town and then take a steam train out of Cape Town Station.
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The Cape Town railway station complex, completed in 1961 and covering between 25 and 35 city blocks, is undergoing a multibillion-rand redevelopment over several years. The project is a joint initiative between PRASA-Metrorail and Intersite, the property management company.
The immediate emphasis was on improving the look and feel as well as commuter comfort, with better access, information, safety and security ahead of the 2010 soccer World Cup. There were no structural changes to the station complex before 2010.
Cape Town railway station is the only one in the City Bowl, so it is the nearest station to all the places of interest in central Cape Town. In the immediate vicinity of the station can be found:
| Preceding station | Metrorail | Following station | ||
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| Terminus | Northern Line
Monte Vista service
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towards Bellville
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| Central Line
services via Mutual
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towards Kapteinsklip, Chris Hani or Bellville
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| Northern Line |
towards Wellington, Muldersvlei or Strand
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| Central Line
services via Pinelands
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towards Kapteinsklip, Chris Hani or Bellville
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| Cape Flats Line |
towards Retreat
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| Southern Line |
towards Simon's Town
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| Shosholoza Meyl | ||||
| Terminus | Cape Town–Johannesburg |
towards Johannesburg
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| Cape Town–Durban |
towards Durban
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| Cape Town–East London |
towards East London
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| Premier Classe | ||||
| Terminus | Cape Town–Johannesburg |
Worcester
towards Johannesburg
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| Cape Town–Port Elizabeth |
Worcester
towards Port Elizabeth
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