The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has announced the return to service of its long-distance trains known as Shosholoza Meyl. Naturally, there is great interest in the trains’ tickets prices, timetable/schedule and how to make a booking.
The Agency suspended the service, which falls under its Mainline Passenger Services (MLPS), in 2021 because of operational and network infrastructure challenges.
“Resuming the long-distance passenger rail services is our commitment to offering an alternative mode of transportation, connecting people to families and friends, and offering holidaymakers an affordable and convenient means to reach their destinations,” PRASA said.
“These services resume as cash-strapped consumers are battling with the costs of long-distance travel. For just less than a R1,000 for a single trip, PRASA is inviting passengers to a unique experience to their destinations far from the hassles of traffic congestion and escalating travelling costs.”
PRASA Shosholoza Meyl tickets prices
The table below shows the PRASA Shosholoza Meyl tickets prices for the various destinations (per person single):
| Route | Economy class (sitter) price | Tourist class (sleeper) price |
|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg-Cape Town | R430 | R690 |
| Cape Town-Johannesburg | R430 | R690 |
| Johannesburg-Durban | R170 | R360 |
| Durban-Johannesburg | R170 | R360 |
| Johannesburg-Queenstown | R250 | R400 |
| Queenstown-Johannesburg | R250 | R400 |
| Johannesburg-Musina | R190 | R310 |
| Musina-Johannesburg | R190 | R310 |
Passengers on the Johannesburg-Durban route can also transport their vehicles on the Shosholoza train at an additional cost. PRASA advised such passengers to contact Shosholoza Meyl for the price details.
How to make a booking
You can make your Shosholoza Meyl booking by contacting their call centre at 011 013 0231/2/3. Alternatively, you may call 012 748 7362 or 015 299 606. Another option is to visit your nearest Shosholoza Meyl ticket office.
Timetable/schedule
Passengers can view the latest long-distance PRASA train schedule on the official Shosholoza Meyl website here. Simply enter your “From” and “To” details in the field provided and click “Find Services” to see the next available trains. Next, click on the search result to view details such as departure and arrival times, stopping points, trip duration, and price per person. The website also has an alternative timetable webpage here.
The tables below show the timetables for all the routes:
Durban timetable
| Route | Day | Time | Stops & arrival (A)/departure (D) times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg-Durban | Friday | 18:30 | Germiston (A: 19:15; D: 19:25) Standerton (A: 03:11; D: 03:20) Newcastle (A: 06:24; D: 06:30) Ladysmith (A: 11:21; D: 11:31) Pietermaritzburg (A: 18:11; D: 18:22) Durban (A: 20:21 Saturday) |
| Durban-Johannesburg | Sunday | 19:15 | Pietermaritzburg (A: 23:26; D: 23:31) Ladysmith (A: 04:50; D: 05:11) Newcastle (A: 06:54; D: 07:06) Standerton (A: 14:52; D: 15:02) Germiston (A: 18:13; D: 19:01) Johannesburg (A: 19:44 Monday) |
Cape Town timetable
| Route | Day | Time | Stops & arrival (A)/departure (D) times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg-Cape Town | Wednesday | 10:30 | Potchefstroom (A: 17:35; D: 17:55) Klerksdorp (A: 18:55; D: 19:15) Bloemhof (A: 21:45; D: 21:55) Christiana (A: 23:25; D: 23:35) Warrenton (A: 00:35; D: 00:40) Kimberly (A: 02:10; D: 02:30) De Aar (A: 06:30; D: 06:50) Beaufort West (A: 10:50; D: 11:50) Worcester (A: 20:10; D: 20:30) Wellington (A: 01:30; D: 01:50) Bellville (A: 03:05; D: 03:25) Cape Town (A: 04:10 Friday) |
| Cape Town-Johannesburg | Sunday | 10:30 | Bellville (A: 11:15; D: 11:35) Wellington (A: 12:50; D: 13:10) Worcester (A: 18:10; D: 18:30) Beaufort West (A: 02:50; D: 03:50) De Aar (A: 07:50; D: 08:10) Kimberly (A: 12:10; D: 12:30) Warrenton (A: 14:00; D: 14:05) Christiana (A: 15:05; D: 15:15) Bloemhof (A: 16:45; D: 17:05) Klerksdorp (A: 19:35; D: 19:55) Potchefstroom (A: 20:55; D: 21:25) Johannesburg (A: 03:20 Tuesday) |
Queenstown timetable
| Route | Day | Time | Stops & arrival (A)/departure (D) times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg-Queenstown | Friday | 12:35 | Germiston (A: 12:57; D: 13:10) Vereeniging (A: 17:57; D: 18:05) Sasolburg (A: 18:43; D: 18:49) Kroonstad (A: 22:37; D: 22:52) Hennenman (A: 00:37; D: 00:39) Theunissen (A: 01:27; D: 01:29) Bloemfontein (A: 04:35; D: 04:55) Springfontein (A: 07:52; D: 08:03) Bethulie (A: 08:53; D: 08:55) Burgersdorp (A: 09:16; D: 09:18) Molteno (A: 11:24; D: 11:26) Sterkstroom (A: 13:14; D: 13:16) Queenstown (A: 14:09 Saturday) |
| Queenstown-Johannesburg | Sunday | 15:30 | Sterkstroom (A: 16:24; D: 16:29) Molteno (A: 17:12; D: 17:17) Burgersdorp (A: 18:11; D18:26) Bethulie (A: 19:48; D: 19:53) Springfontein (A: 20:40; D: 21:00) Bloemfontein (A: 00:26; D: 00:46) Theunissen (A: 04:39; D: 04:42) Hennenman (A: 07:32; D: 07:38) Kroonstad (A: 08:49; D: 09:11) Sasolburg (A: 11:30; D: 11:36) Vereeniging (A: 14:25; D: 14:30) Germiston (A: 17:35; D: 17:40) Johannesburg (A: 18:25 Monday) |
Musina timetable
| Route | Day | Time | Stops & arrival (A)/departure (D) times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johannesburg-Musina | Friday | 19:00 | Germiston (A: 19:45; D: 20:00) Pretoria (A: 20:36; D: 20:56) Pyramid (A: 21:29; D: 21:49) Bela Bela (A: 23:10; D: 23:25) Naboomspruit (A: 01:12; D: 01:17) Mokopane (A: 02:18; D: 02:24) Polokwane (A: 03:44; D: 04:24) Soekmekaar (A: 06:13; D: 06:18) Louis Trichardt (A: 07:34; D: 07:49) Mopani (A: 09:46; D: 09:51) Musina (A: 11:10 Saturday) |
| Musina-Johannesburg | Sunday | 14:25 | Mopani (A: 15:22; D: 15:25) Louis Trichardt (A: 17:11; D: 17:20) Soekmekaar (A: 18:47; D: 18:51) Polokwane (A: 20:52; D: 21:40) Mokopane (A: 22:47; D: 22:50) Naboomspruit (A: 23:41; D: 23:46) Bela Bela (A: 01:06; D: 01:06) Pyramid (A: 02:27; D: 02:47) Pretoria (A: 03:21; D: 03:30) Germiston (A: 04:23; D: 04:28) Johannesburg (A: 04:49 Monday) |