Transporting a car via Train

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Sysem

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So I've googled this, and it only turned up one result, a company called Shoshaloza.

Basically I'm looking to get my car from Pretoria to Cape Town, obviously by rail. Can anyone point me to some decently priced options?

Thanks.
 
Hey Hey

Family did this last year... from JHB to CPT.
I don't think it is available from PTA to CPT.
It cost R3000 for a Golf Estate.

Pretty kak service... you cannot have / leave anything in the car.

You HAVE to have less that a third of a tank of petrol, which they tell you only during the pre-boarding check they do and then bitch and moan about it shaking their heads - no where is this stated BUT on their forms they present you at the station - but can do nothing about really if it is not the case. When you go and pay for the tickets they WILL NOT give you a receipt... this they want to give you on the morning of departure. Kick up a fuss. They will then make you sign for it and state that if you mislay your ticket you will have to PURCHASE another at full price, as they will not re-issue a ticket. A couple at the station booked, paid, and did not fight for the ticket and on the day of departure had to wait and wait as the system could not find payment in their name for a vehicle on that day... it added to their stress and eventually was sorted out... about 20 minutes before departure.

Also the person collecting the car apparently needs to present the original ID document at the LOADING point! Luckily she was traveling on the same train - another problem you are not informed about until the car is ready for loading.

Waiting for the car in CPT took forever as they grunted and snorted, waiting for the person with the keys for the car to rock up. It took this person 45 minutes to be located while she waited locked outside her car on the platform.

EDIT: Here is a linky for this... http://southafricanrailways.co.za/shosholozameyl/cartransport.html .
 
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Thanks kilobitsperyear. The price with Shoshaloza is 2200, so I'll contatc them and ask all the questions relating to your post to make 100% sure. As I'm in CT, providing my ID at departure in JHB will be a problem, so I'll double check on that.
 
She came down 2 years ago, so things may have changed.

I would indeed check on the ticket / receipt issue, ID required to collect and the petrol level of the tank... these were frustrating delays in her trip and maybe they have now rectified them.

Good luck

Sysem said:
Thanks kilobitsperyear. The price with Shoshaloza is 2200, so I'll contatc them and ask all the questions relating to your post to make 100% sure. As I'm in CT, providing my ID at departure in JHB will be a problem, so I'll double check on that.
Click to expand...
 
Great will do. I also have a toolkit in the boot (a neccessity when driving a 76 Mini), so hopefully that won't pose any problems.
 
I think what they meant by "nothing in the car" is anything personal... baggage, bags, etc. Tools and such were OK... the radio face and aerial where removed and handed to her... as well as anything in the cubby too... the rest was marked as present and seemed to be OK.

Also, they rushed her to just sign whatever form they flapped in her face... when she insisted on READING it before signing, she was again treated with clicking of tongues, shaking of heads and much haggling over this... same with the pre-boarding car inspection thing (they mark a diagram of the car indicating any dents or damage) and "dents" seen by them and indicated as such were also disputed with much aggression - and turned out to be "reflections" not dents and the sheet was redone with much disdain.

I think it is the attitude of the staff that made it so frustrating. Go, here, do this, just sign, hurry, just do it okay, no go there... stand here... move the car there, no there... not there there, you have too much fuel in the tank see... it says so here... on my papers... what must I now do about it, you must just drive it around for an hour... wait here... not there, here, I will call the other guy... you should have asked for these forms and why do you have your ticket already... bark growl etc.

Not pleasant. BUT the car arrived in CPT, intact and without damage.

Sysem said:
Great will do. I also have a toolkit in the boot (a neccessity when driving a 76 Mini), so hopefully that won't pose any problems.
Click to expand...
 
I must disagree with kilobitsperyear on this.

I used the Shosholoza Meyl/Premier Classe service in August 2009, to get myself and my car and all my belongings from Joburg to Cape Town.

I made the booking (for me and my car) through JB Tours. I was assured by them that I would get to keep my car keys, so I packed the car full (I was moving from Jhb to CT) - boot and back seat were full.

Arrived at the station early, as indicated, and it turns out that there was a bit of a mix-up in the booking - for some reason, they had it down that my car was to go on the earlier train. The guy sorted it out and got me a spot on the train on which I was also travelling. He did inform me that I would have to leave the keys with them, though, so they could drive my car onto the train. He did promise that my belongings were safe and I had nothing to worry about; I was a bit skeptical, but what choice did I have. I signed the forms and handed the keys over and made my way to check myself in.

Got to CT and watched them unloading my car and others at the station. My car was probably the cheapest one being unloaded; the rest were brand new luxury cars. I presented my ID and signed whatever forms I had to once my car was off the train, and left. Everything was intact, and the only difference was that the car was a bit dustier on the outside than when I had set out.
 
Also contact Motovia and Auto-Carriers as they run trucks 24-7 between Roslynn and Belville. Companies like BMW stopped using rail for a while a few years back after their cars got constantly stoned by bored youths. Also theft of tyres is very common.
 
@AvatarS, the site does state the car has to be empty, but will double check with them anyway.

Thanks cbrunsdonza, will look into them too.
 
Hi AvatarS

You were most fortunate or in possession of a very "help me please" face. :}

Here is a snippet from an email about the trip...

The train ride down from Johannesburg to Cape Town was an absolute nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!
• Do not fall for any of the advertising rubbish that Shosholoza Meil are putting out.
• No one there knows what to do... one tells you do this, another SHOUTS to do something else...
• Arrived at 7 as per the ticket instructions to load the car, shunted from one side of the platform to the other
ONLY to have to go back to the original spot again.
• Here we had to wait... and wait... and wait... eventually someone came over and demanded papers to be just signed.
• Many people being rushed and shouted at... was moaned at because there was too much petrol in the car... only on HIS paperwork does it state how much.
• Go here, wait there, come here, stand there... had to remove towels from the back of the car... nothing means nothing in the vehicle.
• Finally finished with the car and now had to make our way to the otherside of JHB station with all the baggage and stuff AND NO PORTER OR TROLLEY to assist.
• Why would anyone need one ? Especially after emptying the car ?
• 1st class lounge, no such thing. Closed indefinitely.
• 1st class sleeper trips are terrible!
• The wait at the station was alarming.
• Hundreds and hundreds of people all crammed into one little waiting area, regardless of destination or departure times.
• Bodies and luggage are all crammed into this same space….
• ....And when it is full, you’re are all PUSHED backwards to make space for more being herded in.
• No toilets by the way… a lady next to us enquired and was taken to a spot outside!!!
• We were there from 7:00am until 9:30am.
• The “security” guards (when not picking their noses or cleaning their ears with sticks or pens) are continually barking at you to MOOOOVE!!!!
• It was absolutely terrible.
• When the kids arrived at the station with their gran they clung to Mum and Uncle like monkeys!
• We were then herded by shrieking guards with fog-horns down onto the station .… no porters in site!!!!
• Balancing luggage and kids while being pushed and shoved by Africa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Mum finally grabbed a porter who was ignoring her and tried to slip past…
• ...when he realised that she was not going to let his leg go, he stood back reluctantly and watched as we packed our luggage onto his cart…
• ...he then muttered all the way to the platform where he stood watching us remove it from his cart and drag it to the boarding gate.
• The train trip was hot and long.
• Constant stops became unbearably hot.
• We remained in Kimberly for over an hour and had to strip all the clothes off the kids just to keep them cool.
• The “toilets” were disgraceful. They looked as if they had never been cleaned. They were barely functional with broken bits here and there.
• No water at all on the train, except for 500ml bottled water at R10 a bottle.
• Mum took the kids for a meal, and that seemed to be OK.
• We arrived nearly 2 hours late in Cape Town.
• So, if you are thinking of the train, take the Premier Class at R2500 a ticket per person…
Click to expand...

EDIT: I see you did indeed book Premier Class... lucky rotter.
 
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kilobitsperyear said:
Hi AvatarS

You were most fortunate or in possession of a very "help me please" face. :}

Here is a snippet from an email about the trip...



EDIT: I see you did indeed book Premier Class... lucky rotter.
Click to expand...

I did indeed travel Premier Class :o. Thanks, boss :D

I had a private cabin (fine for a night), and was served 3 meals (well, 2, since I was not rushing for breakfast) in the dining car (vegetarian options not great, but I wasn't expecting it to be). Had a power supply in cabin and dining car so I could use my laptop. I did not want to look at the shower, and avoided the bathroom as much as possible (men still think they can aim on a moving train...). It took about 24 hours from Jhb to CT. Most of the travellers were really old couples, there were also two families with little kids.

As for the car and contents - I did have to sign a liability waiver indicating that they were not responsible for anything going missing. I was not asked to remove anything from the car - like I said, the boot and back seat were packed. There were other people also leaving their cars to be shipped and taking the train, and they also had luggage in their cars.
 
We sent my mom's beat-up 20yr old Corolla from JHB to CPT in July via Shosholoza Meyl. Their booking system was in a shambles - I called to reserve a spot and then it still took me more than 30min to sort things out when I went to Pta station to pay. Then the train was delayed by 8 hrs for some reason, which meant that the driver whom we'd arranged to collect the car in CPT had to get to the station at midnight, instead of the designated 16h30 arrival.

The car arrived safely though (perhaps we were lucky that the regular carriage was full so they booked us on the Premiere Class train) and I'd easily use the service again.
 
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