Cape Town railway station

Main railway station of Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town railway station is the main railway station of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is located along Adderley and Strand Streets in the city's central business district.

Cape Town station is the hub of the Metrorail Western Cape commuter rail network, which is operated by the Metrorail division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). The network consists of four lines, all of which originate from Cape Town: the Southern Line via the Southern Suburbs to Simon's Town; the Cape Flats Line via Athlone to Retreat; the Central Line via Langa to Mitchell's Plain, Khayelitsha and Bellville; and the Northern Line via Bellville to Paarl, Stellenbosch and Somerset West.

Shosholoza Meyl, the inter city rail division of PRASA, operates several long distance passenger rail services from Cape Town: a daily service to and from Johannesburg via Kimberley; a weekly service to and from Durban via Kimberley, Bloemfontein and Pietermaritzburg; and a weekly service to and from East London. These trains terminate at Cape Town station, as well as making a brief stop at Bellville. Shosholoza Meyl also operates a semi luxury Premier Classe service from Cape Town: weekly trains to and from Johannesburg via Kimberley.

Cape Town Railway Station is also used by the luxury tourist oriented Blue Train and the private train holiday company Rovos Rail.

The first railway station in Cape Town was a rudimentary wooden structure built in 1861, and was located on the site of the present Golden Acre shopping centre. Cape Town's railways were in their infancy and the early station was small and simple.

In 1876 Cape Prime Minister John Molteno began construction of a new station on the same site, to serve as the central station to the rapidly expanding railway network being built. It was large enough to contain the increasing number of train platforms and the headquarters of the recently formed Cape Government Railways, but additional enlargements were nonetheless added over the coming years. The station complex expanded over the years, to include goods stations and other facilities on a large tract of land between Strand Street and the shore.

The present station was built on the site of the former goods station in the early 1960s. The old station building continued to be used for a few more years, until it was demolished in 1969. The vacant site was dubbed "the golden acre", and a shopping centre of that name was built there in the late 1970s. The current station complex is the result of alterations due to the preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Like its predecessor it covers between 25 and 35 city blocks. The renovations are a joint initiative between PRASA Metrorail and Intersite, the property management company
The immediate emphasis was on improving the look and feel as well as commuter comfort, with better access, information, safety and security ahead of the 2010 soccer World Cup.