3The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe Train, South Africa
The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe Train made its first run in 1928. It was actually the only “remaining continuously operated passenger train” on the entire African continent until it shut down operations in 2009. The three-hour route connected the Western Cape towns of Knysna Nestle and George.
The route stopped in other cities and the majority of the scenic 67-kilometer route hugs the coastline of the gorgeous Garden Route prior to coming to an end at Knysna station. In 1992 it was declared a preserved railway. Originally carrying less than 40,000 passengers annually, it was transporting over 1,15,000 passengers each year by sometime in the 2000s.
70 percent of the train’s passengers were tourists. In 2010, Alan Winde, the Western Cape Provincial MEC for Finance, Economic Development, and Tourism, said he was determined to keep the line operational. Last September, there were two companies competing to manage the train.
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