The Blue Train is a luxury train that travels an approximately 1600 km journey in South Africa, between Pretoria and Cape Town.[1] It is one of the most luxurious train journeys in the world. It offers butler service, two lounge cars (smoking and non-smoking), an observation car, and carriages with gold-tinted picture windows, in soundproofed, fully carpeted compartments, each with its own en-suite bathroom (many of which are equipped with a full-sized bathtub).[2] The service is promoted as a "magnificent moving five-star hotel" by its operators, who note that kings and presidents have travelled on it.[3]
The train runs through South Africa diagonally, with an average travel duration of 27 hours.
History
The Blue Train ' s origins date back to 1923, when the Union Express commenced between Johannesburg and Cape Town, it was named the Union Limited in the reverse direction.[4]