George steam trains doomed?

The iconic steam train that used to run between George and Knysna will probably never run again after floods devastated the tracks in 2006 and the local authorities, Transnet and the provincial government have been unable or unwilling to pay for repairs to the line.

According to the Mail & Guardian, provincial authorities and Transnet have held talks about reviving the service that takes four hours to complete a 67km journey between the Transport Museum in George and the Knysna Station.

Transnet and provincial authorities believe that a public-private partnership could be formed to repair the line - at a cost of about R200-million excluding renovations to the train, which has been lying idle for the past five years - and that services between George and Mossel Bay as well as George and Knysna could be reintroduced.

Transnet's spokesman Mboniso Sigonyela says that the company is "considering options" but points out the line between George and Knysna was never profitable and Transnet considered it to be "charitable" instead.

The train service between George and Knysna used to carry about 120 000 passengers a year - mostly tourists - who would spend up to R120 on a ticket between the two towns.

The daily Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe steam train used to ferry passengers between George and Mossel Bay until September last year when the service was terminated.

Read the full article on http://mg.co.za.