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Rovos Pride of Africa News September 2023
Contents Rovos Pride of Africa News September 2023Headlines: Rovos Pride of Africa News September 2023: CAPE TOWN JOURNEYWe have been unable to depart or receive the Cape Town train in Pretoria due to railway line closures. In early 2022, we chose Meyerton Station as an alternative departure and arrival point. We are aware that Meyerton was not ideal but it was the closest station on the route with a bridge and platform, which is important for the transfer of guests, luggage and supplies. However, Meyerton Station is now undergoing a refurbishment. We have chosen Kookrus Station as the new alternative departure/arrival point on this journey. It is one stop away from Meyerton and also has suitable facilities. We receive regular updates from Transnet (South Africa’s railway authority) about the reopening of the line but nothing has materialised yet. We will continue with Kookrus until the line between Pretoria and Johannesburg is open and we have been able to test it with a positive outcome. ACQUISITION OF COMBINATION DIESEL-ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVESWe recently purchased four 38-Class combination units so, should there be an issue with overhead power cables due to theft or outages, we can switch over from electric to diesel to continue with the journey. We estimate that this will possibly reduce the challenges we have been experiencing between Pretoria and Cape Town by 75%. This will not solve the load-shedding problem as we are not able to power electric railway signals. The new locomotives are successfully in use on the Pretoria-Kimberley section (500km). SHONGOLOLO EXPRESSWe have effectively operated the Shongololo Express since 2016. Acquiring this business was beneficial as we were introduced to new guests and had the opportunity to run more excursion-led programmes. We made the decision to merge the Shongololo train and its offerings into the Rovos Rail portfolio and informed our travel partners in August 2022. Herewith a recap: CLOSING THE BOOK ON COVID-19We are still picking up the pieces from the difficult Covid-19 pandemic but we are happily relieved to put it behind us. From 1 January 2023, vaccinated and unvaccinated guests have been welcome to travel with us and certificates and testing are no longer required in the countries we visit. All new bookings from 1 January 2023 carry our standard Terms & Conditions. For bookings made before this date, the relevant Covid-19 policy applies. |
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