South Africa

South Africa’s 100-year-old steam train coming back to life

Bianke Neethling • 20 October 2025

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is set to run again as its owners have secured all the contracts and funding needed to restore the nearly century-old steam train.

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe was the last continually operated passenger steam train in Africa, starting in the 1920s.

The train’s 67 km line – “42 miles of smiles”, as one 1928 passenger described it – ran between George and Knysna in the Western Cape’s scenic Garden Route.

It took nearly four years to build, with the construction made more difficult by South Africa’s mountainous coast-line.

At one point, the project’s engineers had to call in divers to assist in putting in the caissons to bridge the rivers along the route.

Despite these difficulties, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe made its first journey in 1928, with the then-Minister of Railways and Harbours, C.W. Malan, on board.

By the early 2000s, the train carried around 115,000 passengers per year on average, largely consisting of foreign tourists drawn to the route’s scenic appeal.

However, heavy flooding in 2006 damaged the line, which led the train’s operators to suspend services. Later that year, the train was rerouted to run between George and Mossel Bay.

In 2007, the train’s owner at the time, state-owned port and rail operator Transnet, announced that it would be looking for a buyer to take over the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe’s operations.

Unfortunately, by 2010, Transnet said in its annual report that it had failed to find an appropriate buyer to operate the train.

Transnet said it had no choice but to terminate the service, and the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe took one last trip on 17 September 2010.

This is when the then-Western Cape MEC for Tourism – and now-Western Cape Premier – Alan Winde stepped in.

According to the George Herald, Winde and the Western Cape government entered into high-level negotiations with Transnet to try to reach a deal.

The provincial government sought to take over the line and put the train’s operation out to tender, hoping to find a first-class professional operator.

This started a nearly two-decade negotiation process, during which hopes that the train would ever run again dwindled.

Delays and disappointments

In 2017, Transnet announced that the process to obtain a solution to reopen the George to Knysna branch line was on track.

This came after more than four years during which the state utility encouraged local interest groups to work together to develop a proposal for restoring the line and resuming steam operations.

This is exactly what happened, with the Classic Rail consortium playing a large role in developing a full proposal with a request for a concession on the line that will see its restoration and the resumption of the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe.

This plan was accepted in January 2018, but delays in selecting a new operator meant it would take around seven more years before Classic Rail received the go-ahead to restore one of South Africa’s most beloved trains.

In 2019, Classic Rail director Alan McVitty said, “We’re very aware that everyone wants to get the Choo Tjoe steaming again as soon as possible – especially since it’ll have a real and positive influence on the local tourism economy.”

“The next step is the finalisation of our 20-year concession, which will allow us to operate trains on the line.

“We’re currently in discussions with Transnet, and also with various divisions of local and provincial government to agree on a way forward for the project.”

Despite hopes for news in the coming months, Transnet only requested proposals from the private sector for the restoration and operation of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe in 2021, which closed in 2022.

Two companies submitted bids for this tender, including Outenique Choo Tjoe Limited, which had assembled a team of track repair contractors, bridge engineers, hydrologists, steam and carriage restoration specialists, tourism specialists, and tourism journalists.

In 2024, Transnet finally awarded the tender to Classic Rail and Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, giving them access to the railway between George and Knysna.

Full steam ahead

In October 2025, McVitty confirmed that his company had acquired all the necessary contracts and much-needed funding partners to rebuild the line between George and Knysna, and relaunch and run the train as a tourist attraction.

McVitty, who now serves as CEO of Classic Rail and Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, said this comes after nearly 20 years of negotiations and disappointments.

The company plans to open the line in two phases – Knysna to Sedgefield and Sedgefield to George – with the first phase expected to take around 12 months.

McVitty said a Ceremonial Signature Event will be held to celebrate this landmark achievement.

“So today isn’t an actual opening: we’re just sharing the good news with the public and the tourism industry that everything is on track and we are finally on our way,” he said.

Efforts to restore the line are already well underway, with locomotives under repair in Gauteng and carriages set to be refurbished in George.

McVitty explained that the plan is to open a steam workshop along the line and to road haul the rolling stock to the Knysna-Sedgefield line to begin the first service.

“The rebirth of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe will bring even more tourism to the Garden Route, with the positive spin-off of much-needed sustainable job creation, and because of the company’s collaborative approach,” he said.

George Tourism Manager Joan Shaw told the George Herald that the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe’s reopening will reconnect communities, support jobs and bring new energy to the city’s tourism economy.

“The magic of the billowing steam and riding along the spectacular coastline again will be a powerful symbol of growth, resilience and renewed momentum for tourism in the Garden Route,” Shaw said.

“We cannot wait to welcome passengers aboard this journey of nostalgia and discovery.”