- Shosholoza Meyl
Infobox_Company
company_name = Shosholoza Meyl
company_
company_type =
company_slogan = A Pleasant Experience [http://www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl/index.jsp?link=Shosholoza%20Meyl]
foundation =
location = flagicon|RSABraamfontein
key_people =
num_employees =
revenue =
industry = Train transport
products = Passenger transport service
homepage = http://www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl/index.jspShosholoza Meyl is the long-distance passenger services unit of
Spoornet , theSouth African main-line railway operator. Shosholoza Meyl operates many train routes across South Africa [http://www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl/index.jsp?link=Train%20Routes] , carrying approximately 4 million passengers annually [http://www.transnet.co.za/BrowserDefault.aspx?tabid=599] .Shosholoza is the name of a popular South African song about workers on a train. Meyl is a word that is related to a South African word for "long distance train", according to the Spoornet/Shosholoza Meyl website. The company's name prior to change was "Mainline Passenger Services".Routes
Shosholoza operates three types of trains:
Semi-luxury Premiere Classe trains:
Johannesburg - Kimberley -Cape Town (twice weekly)Tourist Trains (sleeping cars only):
*
Johannesburg - Kimberley -Cape Town (four times every week)*
Johannesburg -Pietermaritzburg -Durban (three times every week)*
Johannesburg -Bloemfontein -Port Elizabeth (twice weekly)*
Durban -Pietermaritzburg -Bloemfontein - Kimberley -Cape Town (weekly)Economy Trains (sitters only on certain routes):
*
Johannesburg -Bloemfontein - East London (Daily except Saturdays), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006*
Johannesburg -Pretoria -Polokwane -Musina (Daily except Saturdays), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006*
Johannesburg -Pretoria -Nelspruit -Komatipoort (Daily except Saturdays), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006*
Johannesburg - Kimberley -Bloemfontein (weekly), sitters only*
Johannesburg -Bloemfontein direct (weekly),sitters only*
Johannesburg -Pietermaritzburg -Durban (Daily except Tuesdays), sitters only*
Durban -Pietermaritzburg -Bloemfontein - Kimberley -Cape Town (weekly), sitters only*
Johannesburg - Kimberley -Cape Town (Daily), sitters only*
Johannesburg -Bloemfontein -Port Elizabeth (Daily except Saturdays), sitters only*
Johannesburg -Pretoria -Nelspruit - Hoedspruit (weekly), sitters only*
Johannesburg -Mafikeng - Kimberley (weekly), will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006*
Johannesburg -Mafikeng (monthly), sitters only*
Mafikeng - Kimberley (daily), sitters only*East London - De Aar -
Cape Town (weekly) , will convey sleeping cars as from 1 November 2006Track & Equipment
Shosholoza Meyl trains run on the
Cape gauge (1067mm)Spoornet main-line track. The trains arelocomotive -pulled. Most routes are completely electrified 3kV DC and 25kV AC systems, usually class 6E1 locomotives on the 3kV system and class 7E1 on the 25kV system. Diesel is used on theJohannesburg –Port Elizabeth trains betweenBloemfontein andNoupoort , and on theDurban -Cape Town trains between Bloemfontein and Kimberley. Before 2002 the Pretoria – Cape Town trains were hauled by diesel between Kimberley andDe Aar .The trains are made up of three types of coach:
* "Sleeper 4": six 4-person compartments and two 2-person coupés, plus shower and toilet facilities.
* "Sleeper 6": six 6-person compartments and two 3-person coupés, plus shower and toilet facilities.
* "Sitter": 72 seats, in 18 rows of 4 seats with an aisle in the middle, plus toilet facilities. There are also various older types of carriages with differing levels of comfort used as sitter's.Since 1 July 2006 Shosholoza Meyl operates its sleepers and sitters in separate trains. As from 1 November 2006 sleeping cars will be re-introduced on selected Economy Trains.
ee also
*
Spoornet
*Transnet External links
* [http://www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl/index.jsp Shosholoza Meyl official website at Spoornet]
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