Back on track: South Africa’s beloved Blue Train resumes operations

The Blue Train has announced it is resuming its full operations after a temporary shutdown due to the COVID-19 second-wave alert in December 2020 and a partial offering in January 2021.

Journeys planned for 2021 are now continuing, with a few adjustments to scheduling to meet increased demand. 

“Running a tourism establishment while the world is dealing with a pandemic requires ongoing adaptation to ensure the safety of our guests and our crew,” Blue Train operations manager Lekhetho Mokoena said.

“We are happy that, as the year begins, we are back on track offering the best of African luxury rail experience. Our teams have continued to work on our operations, prioritising the health and safety of guests and crew, and where possible doing refurbishments to the train sets.”

Full operations resume in February

Mokoena said the award-winning Blue Train was resuming full operations from February.

In keeping with the most recent revisions from national government on the lockdown, the Blue Train has also resumed serving alcohol.

“This is a welcome development as the beverage offering on the Blue Train is a key part of the experience,” Mokoena said.

Extra journeys added to Blue Train itinerary

In 2021, there will be a few extra journeys added to the annual itinerary on the Pretoria to Cape Town route, allowing guests more flexibility when choosing travel dates.

The updated schedule is available at www.bluetrain.co.za. Guests affected by the temporary suspension in December can still arrange for postponements. The COVID-relevant cancellation policy continues to apply, giving guests more flexibility at no extra cost.  

For more information contact the Blue Train’s reservations team’s Pretoria office on 012-334-8459, Cape Town office on 021-449-2672 or email info@bluetrain.co.za.