When I mentioned catching a train down to Durban people looked at me like I was strange, 0bviously it’s not something people usually do. But I have a love of train travel, especially overnight travel. There’s something about being lulled to sleep while the carriage clacks along the track.
And so I got the Shosholoza Meyl train from Johannesburg to Durban. See below for travelers tips.
Taxi To Park Station
Our taxi driver to Park station was an interesting character. He very sternly told us off for slamming his car doors, not once but multiple times. To lighten his mood I moved him onto other topics in a jovial way. He calmed down significantly until I asked him about a guy walking along the road. He had on a white suit of trousers and jacket with bright blue bands around the bottom of the pants and jacket and was also carrying a stick. This started a whole discourse on the fact that there were way too many religions in Africa.
Apparently the guy I’d pointed out was of one particular believe system because two minutes later we saw another guy dressed in the same outfit but this time with green bands on his suit, who was of another believe system. And so our driver, being a good christian fellow who knows the Bible back-to-front is of the only believe system that there should be and these other dudes of the white suits with bling are not! Or so he very sternly told us.
Looked After With Our Own Coupe
Myself and a traveling friend had booked separately but on asking if we could be in the same berth were told no, the train was full. No problems, I settled down into my cabin of four berths in which I was the only person. After about 20 mins the conductor told me if we wanted to move into a “coupe” we could, so we did and it turns out the train wasn’t full at all.
Being the only people in our room meant we could lock the door and both felt a bit safer, although there are security guards moving up and down the train all the time and the Shosholoza Meyl are known for being very safe.
Only Fifteen Minutes Late
Although I’d expected the train to be late leaving, as in my experience trains normally are, we chugged off only 10 mins past departure time and arrived at our destination only about 15 mins past the ETA – very impressed.
The coupe had a couch that converted into a bed and there was another bed above that. There was a sink in the room but there is also a separate shared shower and toilet (both very clean and complete with loo roll) at either end of the carriage. There’s one plug for charging in the room and a fold away table that sits over the sink. Each bed has its own light switch plus there are main cabin controls for lights, fan and aircon as well.
It was dark by the time we left Johannesburg so apart from walking up and down the train sussing things out, I read and wrote and then had a comfortable nights sleep. I woke early in the morning to see us coming through the hills still covered in mist while laying in my bed. The landscape was ever-changing but very green and lush. 
My friend, born and raised in Durban, was there to pick us up on arrival. In demonstrating how much the train is not utilised, he said that this was the first time ever he’d picked someone up at the train station. Maybe the reason is that it takes 6 hours to take a bus and 15 hours on the train. Either way, I loved the experience and for a few dollars more you get a lovely, traveling bedroom for the night.
Shosholoza Meyl Train – Durban to Johannesburg Only
A sleeper ticket cost R360 ($24 usd) and you can book a berth for males or females, families etc.
An economy (sitting) ticket costs R170 ($11 usd)
There’s only two departure days, Fridays and Sundays and only at one designated time.
I caught a taxi from Maboneng to Park Station (R90, $6 usd). The Gautrain stops here too and although it sits in a separate building its only a five minutes walk to where the Shosholoza Meyl trains depart from.
To pick up your ticket (you can book online) go to the Shosholoza Meyl office at Park Station
- down the first set of escalators from the entrance nearest the Gautrain building
- do a u-turn at the bottom of the escalator back towards the Kwik Spar supermarket, the office is on the right.
- if you’ve booked online, you’ll need your booking number and your passport to get your ticket
- the train to Durban departs from Gate 3 – head right out of the office and right again, half way along this waiting hall are some turnstile gates where you’ll show your ticket and head through. The trains are on platforms 15 & 16 down another escalator
You can get bedding for R60 ($4 usd) which includes two sheets, a blanket and two pillows.
They come around selling coffee and tea and there is also a restaurant carriage complete with white tablecloths. I didn’t eat on the train because we stocked up on food at the Spar supermarket before we left. But there were things like Sirloin steak, Hake fish and macaroni cheese on the menu and they also had a breakfast menu which including bacon and eggs, juice etc. Most dishes were around 70 rand ($4 -$5 usd) although the steak was 95 rand ($6 usd)
NB. Hold onto your ticket until the end of your trip – they check your ticket once you are leaving the station at Durban.
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