{"id":860382,"date":"2026-05-16T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=860382"},"modified":"2026-05-15T15:49:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T13:49:46","slug":"south-african-national-treasure-on-track-to-make-a-comeback-after-16-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/motoring\/860382\/south-african-national-treasure-on-track-to-make-a-comeback-after-16-years\/","title":{"rendered":"South African ‘national treasure’ on track to make a comeback after 16 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Africa’s iconic steam train is closer to returning to the Garden Route tracks after 16 years, with confirmation that the first phase is progressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The steam-powered train called the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe (OCT), which ran between George and Knysna and last operated in 2010, has been the focus of several unsuccessful revival attempts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October 2025, Transnet Freight Rail confirmed that it had signed a 25-year concession agreement with the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe Company (OCTC) to manage and operate the line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While no reopening date has been set, the agreement marks the most concrete progress in years toward restoring the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a model for public-private collaboration in the preservation and activation of strategic heritage infrastructure,\u201d said Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips.\u00a0\u201cThe Outeniqua Choo Tjoe is more than just a railway; it is a national treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May 2026, the Minister of Transport confirmed that the OCTC is on track to rehabilitate the railway line for the first phase from Sedgefield to Knysna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCurrent work includes clearing the line and assessing its overall condition. The bridge over the Knysna Lagoon is scheduled for inspection in May 2026 to determine its condition and the type of repairs required,\u201d said Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOCTC is therefore fully responsible for rehabilitating the line,\u201d she said. The rehabilitation will occur in two phases, as agreed upon by Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) and OCTC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first phase involves repairing and operating the railway line from Sedgefield to Knysna. The second phase will focus on the repair and operation of the line from Sedgefield to George Station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, OCTC is responsible for refurbishing the rolling stock, which includes locomotives and passenger coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creecy said that the timelines for these activities have been agreed upon between TRIM and OCTC and are managed in accordance with the signed contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the construction and rehabilitation period, the public is not permitted to access or be near the railway line for safety reasons,\u201d said Creecy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe rail reserve will remain restricted for the operation of services by OCT. Members of the public may only cross the railway line at designated and clearly marked level crossings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 She also said that, where appropriate and safe, existing pedestrian bridges may also be used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The railway line, initially built to accommodate both freight and passenger transport along the southern coast, gained fame for its steam engines and picturesque route through Victoria Bay, Wilderness, Sedgefield, and Goukamma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It spanned a 67-kilometre stretch between George and Knysna and was designated as a preserved railway in 1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the early 2000s, the line carried over 100,000 passengers annually, with approximately 70% being foreign tourists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this success came to an abrupt halt in 2006 when severe flooding damaged key sections of the track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although temporary operations between George and Mossel Bay continued for a few years, Transnet permanently closed the service in 2010, citing a lack of commercial viability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, the train has become a symbol of unrealised tourism potential on the Garden Route, with repeated but unsuccessful attempts to revive it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, Transnet once again issued a call for private proposals to restore and operate the line. By September 2022, OCTC, led by Alan McVitty, was one of only two bidders still in contention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years later, the company has now secured the concession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McVitty, who has been involved in efforts to restore the Choo Tjoe for over a decade, said the company\u2019s immediate focus is to assess the condition of the line and the cost of restoration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the reassessment would help determine the final capital expenditure needed to get the line operational again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Outeniqua Choo Tjoe \u2013 Photos <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa’s iconic steam train is closer to returning to the Garden Route tracks after 15 years, with confirmation that the first phase is progressing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":860403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11119],"tags":[23949,23950,25414],"class_list":["post-860382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring","tag-the-outeniqua-choo-tjoe","tag-the-outeniqua-choo-tjoe-company-octc","tag-transnet-rail-infrastructure-manager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860382"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":860410,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860382\/revisions\/860410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}