Luxury train run by a state-owned company in South Africa named among the best in the world

·18 Apr 2026

The Blue Train, which is operated by a division of Transnet, has been named among the most beautiful train journeys in the world.

This is according to the UK-based Travel Insurance platform InsureandGo, in a recent study on how “eye-catching” train journeys around the world are.

The Blue Train was named the 14th most eye-catching train journey in the world, joining a host of routes from Asia, Europe and Australia.

Japan’s Sagano Romantic Train takes the crown as the world’s most eye-catching train ride, but it’s Europe that dominates the top of the rankings, with four of the top ten routes.

The rankings were based on train journeys across the world that are known for offering stunning views to passengers.

Participants were presented with a series of images along each train route, and their visual engagement was measured using eye-tracking technology:

Time to First Fixation (TTFF): The speed at which participants first focused on an image, indicating immediate visual appeal.
Total Viewing Duration: The average length of time participants spent looking at each image, reflecting sustained interest.

A final ranking was combined into a weighted formula, 25% based on TTFF and 75% based on total viewing duration.

The results revealed the most visually captivating train journeys, earning them the title of the world’s most beautiful train journeys.

The Blue Train received a cumulative score of 75.5, ranking it 14th on the list. It scored the second-best TTFF score, only behind Japan’s Sagano Romantic Train.

Rank	Train Journey	Country	Average Time Spent Looking (seconds)	Average Time to First Fixation (seconds)	‘Eye-Catching’ Score / 100
1	Sagano Romantic Train	Japan	2.03	1.85	91.9
2	Bernina Express	Switzerland / Italy	2.28	2.79	91.5
3	Glacier Express	Switzerland	2.20	2.85	88.5
4	West Highland Line	Scotland (UK)	2.09	2.67	86.0
5	Alishan Forest Railway	Taiwan	1.89	2.03	84.8
6	Serra Verde Express	Brazil	1.94	2.24	84.4
7	Rocky Mountaineer	Canada	2.05	2.91	83.2
8	Semmering Railway	Austria	1.80	2.34	78.7
9	Coast Starlight	USA	1.86	2.80	77.8
10	White Pass & Yukon Route	USA / Canada	1.88	3.09	76.9
11	Central Andean Railway	Peru	1.80	2.61	76.8
12	Kuranda Scenic Railway	Australia	1.71	2.29	76.5
13	TranzAlpine	New Zealand	1.69	2.30	75.6
14	Blue Train	South Africa	1.58	1.95	75.5
15	The Ghan	Australia	1.54	2.03	73.3

Source: InsureandGo

Blue Train is owned by a troubled state-owned company

While the Blue Train is seen at the height of luxury, it is owned and operated by Transnet, which has faced an incredibly challenging few years.

Transnet’s troubled freight logistics have halted South Africa’s economic growth, with the state-owned company now unable to meet demand.

Investec Chief Economist Annabel Bishop said that if Transnet could improve its capacity and meet demand, the economy could expand by at least 4% year on year.

Bishop said private-sector operators are key to restoring Transnet’s capacity. This is a far cry from Transnet’s glory days, when it was South Africa’s largest taxpayer.

The Blue Train is also in an unusual place in Transnet’s portfolio, as it is the only passenger rail service offered by the state-owned utility.

Shosholoza Meyl, the long-distance passenger rail service previously run by Transnet Freight Rail, was sold to Prasa in 2009.

However, The Blue Train is still operated by Transnet Freight Rail’s Luxrail division. This may be a saving grace for the route, as Prasa has consistently struggled to transport travellers with Shosholoza Meyl.

The service still offers ultra-luxury amenities, including a butler available 24 hours a day for the duration of the journey.

The route between Pretoria and Cape Town takes about 54 hours, with a stopover in Kimberley to visit the Railway Museum and the Open Mine Museum.

The service, however, comes at a cost, with prices ranging from R21,750 to R41,200 per person sharing, depending on the package.