Southern Line (Cape Town)
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The Southern Line is a commuter rail line operated by Metrorail Western Cape, connecting Cape Town station in central Cape Town, South Africa with the Southern Suburbs and the towns on the west coast of False Bay, terminating in Simon's Town.
History
The Wynberg Railway Company was established in 1861 to build a railway line from
The extension to
Operation
The line runs on "
Tourism
In 2007, Cape Town Tourism, the City of Cape Town, and Metrorail collaborated to promote the Southern Line as a tourist route, focusing on tourist attractions near Cape Town, Observatory, Newlands, Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Simon's Town stations. This includes a "hop-on, hop-off" ticket allowing unlimited travel on the line during off-peak hours.[4]
Route
The line has a single service route, which begins at Cape Town station, with trains travelling east through Woodstock and Salt River on tracks shared with other Metrorail routes (the Cape Flats Line and the line towards Mutual). After Salt River, the route bends southwards, passing through the Southern Suburbs stations at Observatory, Mowbray, Rosebank, Rondebosch, Newlands, Claremont, Harfield Road and Kenilworth to Wynberg.
Beyond Wynberg, the route travels southwards stopping at Wittebome, Plumstead, Steurhof, Diep River, Heathfield (where it is joined by the Cape Flats Line) and Retreat; some Southern Line trains terminate here. Most trains on the line, however, continue south through stations at Lakeside and False Bay before reaching Muizenberg, where the railway line meets the False Bay coast.
From Muizenberg the line runs south-west, immediately beside the coast, with only a thin strip of rocks and beach separating the tracks from the sea. The stations at St. James and
References
- ^ "South Africa commemorates 150 years of rail". Heritage Railway Association of Southern Africa. October 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-620-41711-2.
- ^ Viljoen (@nettalieviljoen), Nettalie. "Prasa declares Southern line open, safe and ready for tourists". News24. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "City Launches New Southern Line Tourism Route". Western Cape Government. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2016.