Full steam ahead as Outeniqua Choo Tjoe train line set for rebuild

After nearly 20 years, the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, the Garden Route’s and South Africa’s beloved steam train, is set to run again as redevelopment work gets the green light.

Operations between Knysna and George were halted after the heavy rainfalls of 2006 and 2007 had washed away roads and infrastructure, and despite an attempt to run the train between George and Mossel Bay to the west, it came to an end in 2010.

Alan McVitty, CEO of Classic Rail and Outeniqua Choo Tjoe, says that the company has acquired all the necessary contracts and much-needed funding partners to rebuild the line between George and Knysna, and to relaunch and operate the train as a tourist attraction.

"When the floods happened, I walked the line with my eyes wide open to see how much damage was caused, and it was an interesting journey. We [a group of civil engineers] analysed that everything damaged was repairable because it was all water damage. We've had to take it step-by-step, but we're confident that we can fix the line," says McVitty.

He says the railway lines will be fixed intwo phases, which might take two to two and a half years to complete.

With locomotives under repair in Gauteng and carriages to be refurbished in George, the plan is to open a steam workshop along the line and to roadhaul the rolling stock to the Knysna-Sedgefield line to begin the first service.

McVitty adds that the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe train is a 'tourism icon' and economic investment.

"It's an amazing brand. It was the 10th most recognised tourism icon in South Africa, so it competed with Table Mountain, Robben Island, and Kruger National Park. So, it's a huge achievement in the 13 years it operated, and it was the 10th most popular steam train in the world.

"That's been my motivation, from a business point of view. There's strength in the brand to become an economic generator in the Garden Route to bring in jobs and tourists."

To listen to McVitty in conversation with Lester Kiewit on CapeTalk's Breakfast Show, use the audio below: