🇿🇦 남아프리카 공화국

South Africa's passenger rail services are operated by Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) through its Metrorail urban services and Shosholoza Meyl long-distance trains. The Metrorail commuter networks serve Cape Town, Johannesburg/Pretoria (Gauteng), Durban, and Port Elizabeth. The Gautrain rapid transit system (launched 2010) connects Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport to Sandton and Pretoria in 15-38 minutes, operating as a high-quality complement to the standard Metrorail network. Gautrain reaches 160 km/h and uses Bombardier Electrostar EMUs. Long-distance Shosholoza Meyl trains connect major cities (Johannesburg to Cape Town in 27h, Johannesburg to Durban in 14h) at affordable fares with sleeper compartments. However, Prasa has faced severe challenges: rolling stock maintenance backlogs, infrastructure vandalism, and cable theft have dramatically reduced service reliability and frequency on Metrorail networks since 2018. Many routes that operated daily now run infrequently or have been suspended. The luxury tourism rail market is where South Africa excels globally. Rovos Rail and the Blue Train offer some of the world's most opulent rail experiences. The Blue Train runs Pretoria to Cape Town (27h) with en-suite suites, fine dining, and 5-star service. Rovos Rail offers multiple-day journeys including Pretoria to Cape Town, Pretoria to Dar es Salaam, and the historic Rovos route through Zambia and Zimbabwe.