railroad.wikisort.org - Station

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
Railway station
Cape Town Station in 2018
General information
Location	Adderley Street, Cape Town, 8000 South Africa
Coordinates	33°55′20″S 18°25′35″E
Owned by	PRASA
Line(s)	Metrorail:   Northern Line   Central Line   Cape Flats Line   Southern Line Shosholoza Meyl:   Johannesburg–Cape Town   Cape Town–East London Premier Classe:   Johannesburg–Cape Town
Platforms	24 terminus platforms
Tracks	24
Connections	MyCiTi BRT Golden Arrow Bus Services Minibus taxis
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
History
Opened	1863
Rebuilt	1961
Location
Cape Town Location in Cape Town Show map of Cape Town Cape Town Location in South Africa Show map of South Africa

Lines

Metrorail lines

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

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 a semi-luxury Premier Classe service from Cape Town: weekly trains to and from Johannesburg via Kimberley.[1]

Other

Cape Town Railway Station is also used by the luxury tourist-oriented Blue Train and the private train holiday company Rovos Rail.

Services

Preceding station	Metrorail Western Cape			Following station
Terminus		Northern Line services via Monte Vista		Esplanade towards Bellville
		Central Line services via Mutual		Esplanade towards Kapteinsklip, Chris Hani or Bellville
		Northern Line services via Mutual		Woodstock towards Wellington, Muldersvlei or Strand
		Central Line services via Pinelands		Woodstock towards Kapteinsklip, Chris Hani or Bellville
		Cape Flats Line		Woodstock towards Retreat
		Southern Line		Woodstock towards Simon's Town
Preceding station	Shosholoza Meyl			Following station
Bellville towards Johannesburg		Johannesburg–Cape Town		Terminus
Terminus		Cape Town–East London		Bellville towards East London
Preceding station	Premier Classe			Following station
Worcester towards Johannesburg		Johannesburg–Cape Town		Terminus

History and alterations

The first structure

The first railway station in Cape Town was a rudimentary wooden structure built in 1861, and was located near the current Golden Acre shopping centre. Cape Town's railways were in their infancy and the early station was small and simple.[2]

The Victorian building

In 1875 Cape Prime Minister John Molteno began construction of a massive stone complex to serve as the central station to the rapidly-expanding railway network being built. The site chosen was near the bottom of Adderley Street (where its successor still stands).

It was large enough to contain the increasing number of train platforms and the headquarters of the recently formed Cape Government Railways, but additional enlargements were nonetheless added over the coming years.[3][4]

The current station

Nearly a hundred years later in the 1960s, the historic stone Victorian building was demolished by the [government] to make way for a modern building that would allow for the racial segregation of all commuters.[5]

The current station complex is the result of alterations due to the preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Like its predecessor it covers between 25 and 35 city blocks. The renovations are 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.[6][7]

Notable places nearby

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:

• Cape Town City Hall
• Cape Town Civic Centre
• Artscape Theatre Centre
• The Grand Parade
• Castle of Good Hope

See also

• Cape Government Railways
• Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa

References

External links

• Media related to Cape Town station at Wikimedia Commons

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