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Ontario
South Africa has an extensive and well developed rail system which connects large parts of the country. All major cities are connected by rail and it is the most highly developed railway system in Africa. The country operates both freight and passenger service and is publicly owned. Operation of the network is performed by several entities, including Prasa, Transnet Freight, and the Gautrain. Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Pretoria all operate commuter rail networks. There are also trains marketed for tourism.



Notes From Other Articles
Upon the merger of four provinces to establish the modern state of South Africa in 1910, the railway lines across the country were also merged. South African Railways and Harbours (SAR & H) was the government agency responsible for, amongst other things, the country's rail system.

Electrification of the railways began in the 1920s with the building of the Colenso Power Station for the Glencoe to Pietermaritzburg route and the introduction of the South African Class 1E.

During the 1980s, the transport industry was reorganised. Instead of being a direct government agency, it was modelled along business lines into a government-owned corporation called Transnet. Transnet Freight Rail (until recently known as Spoornet) is the division of Transnet that runs the rail system. Though there are no plans to end government-ownership of the national rail network, some small portions of the rail system have recently been privatised.

Numerous private railways on Two-foot-gauge railways in South Africa

The railway's first steam locomotive, the 0-4-0WT Natal, started operations on 26 June 1860. Up until that time the railway had been operated using ox-drawn wagons. The inaugural run was across a 2 mi stretch from Market Square in Durban to the newly built Point station at Durban harbour.

Between 50% to 80% of the rail lines in South Africa are electrified. Different voltages are used for different types of trains. Most electrified trains run 3000 V DC (overhead); this is used primarily for commuter lines, and has been in use since the 1920s. During the 1980s, higher voltages (25 kV AC and—much less frequently—50 kV AC (both overhead) have been used for heavy duty lines (which also require more sleepers per kilometer) primarily used for the transport of iron ore.

During the late 19th century and the early 20th century numerous 2-foot narrow gauge railways were constructed.

South African trains connect through the AAR coupler, developed in the United States at the end of the 19th century. Remarkably, though South Africa has long been ahead of Europe in coupling systems, it has lagged behind most of the world in its braking system; most trains in South Africa continue to use vacuum braking. However, the conversion to air brakes has finally commenced.

Cape Colony
The Cape Colony began discussions on building its own railway in 1845. Prominent businessmen from the cape met in London to secure financing for the project because they believed it would be of immense benefit to the colony. The view on the cape was different, with many skeptical about the viability of the project as well as religious conservatives objecting to the project. The project was shelved for several years before being revived in 1853 when the Cape Town Harbour and Dock company was formed. Construction of the first railway line between Cape Town and Wellington began in 1859 but faced numerous delays but by 1864 the line was complete.

Cape Government Railways

 * Financial difficulties of prior company
 * Hex river tunnels, and breaking into the karoo
 * Impact of Boer War on operations

Colony of Natal
The first rail lines to open in South Africa began in the Natal. In 1856 the construction, and opening of a wooden railway in Durban began. The Bluff Railway was built in order to bring sandstone from a quarry to the harbour in order to improving shipping and speed development of the colony. The rail carts were pulled by a team of 8 oxen, and had a gauge of 4 feet. In January 1859 the Natal Railway Company was formed to build 3 kilometre railway from the harbour towards the town of Durban. In 1860 construction began and the railway opened on 26 June 1860. It was built on the (standard gauge) gauge and would be the first steam rail line to open in South Africa. The locomotive was imported from Great Britain and assembled in Durban upon arrival. The opening of the railway was received with much fanfare, the initial load was composed of 5 trucks carrying 40 tons of goods.



By 1863 the Natal Railway Company experienced financial difficulties despite steady service on the line. However, the colony wanted to see the rail network expand and it financed the construction of an extension of the rail line to Umgeni. This extension was 7 kilometres long and opened in 1867 with operation being leased to the Natal Railway Company. By 1869 the company began to profit as exports from the colony increased, and in 1872 it paid its first dividend. As new mines and farms opened in the colony, the demand for more rail lines to replace the poor roads in the colony increased. As public pressure mounted for a railway line to Pietermaritzburg and along the coast, the Natal Government Railways was formed following the passage of the Natal Government Railways Act in 1875. On January 1 1877 the assets of the Natal Railway Company were purchased, and absorbed into the Natal Government Railways. The government began standardising the former Natal Railway Company lines to change them from (standard gauge) to  (Cape Gauge).

The extension to Pietermaritzburg was expanded further towards Ladysmith, and later with the discover of gold in the Witwatersrand the line went as far as Heidelberg, after which construction was completed by the Netherlands-South African Railway Company. By 1895 the railway line began to make a profit for the colonial government. The construction of previous lines was funded largely through loans. The profit on the line was largely dependent upon transporting goods to the South African Republic.

South African Republic
In the independent South African Republic, railway construction was done by the Netherlands-South African Railway Company (NZASM), which constructed two major lines: one from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques in Portuguese East Africa Colony, and a shorter line connecting Pretoria to Johannesburg. A national "link-up" was established in 1898, creating a national transport network. This national network was largely completed by 1910. Though railway lines were also being extended outside of South Africa, as far north as Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zambia), the vision of Cecil John Rhodes, to have a rail system that would run from the "Cape to Cairo", would never materialise.

Union of South Africa
Following the Second Boer War, proposals for the unification of the colonies in Southern Africa began to take hold. In 1910, the colonies of the Transvaal, Natal, Orange Free State, and the Cape Colony were merged to form the Union of South Africa. The merger also lead to the creation of South African Railways.


 * Beginning of electrification in 1920's
 * Growth of the rail network

Afrikaner Nationalism

 * Colour bar
 * Replacement of black workers with white ones
 * Afrikaner Brotherhood
 * Calvinism
 * Rise of the National Party

Tramways

 * Kimberley


 * Port Elizabeth


 * Johannesburg


 * Cape Town


 * Durban


 * Pietermaritzburg

Network
Transnet (and previously Spoornet and its predecessor) became famous for its luxury rail lines, most notably the Blue Train, which runs from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The Blue Line has frequently been named the best luxury train line in the world, and the 1600 km run is a popular tourist attraction for South Africa.

With the increasing coverage provided by the nation's highway system, long-distance passenger travel has declined in South Africa. While many commuters still use rail for their daily commute, nationally, only half of the nation's 20000 km of track is being fully utilised, and some 35% of the nation's track carries no activity or very low activity. Accordingly, Transnet is moving towards an emphasis on freight, rather than passengers, to keep the rail system profitable.

For a look at the South African transport network, including the railways, view this map from the United Nations.

Rolling stock
South Africa uses a variety of rolling stock from a number of manufacturers.

In 1957 Union Carriage & Wagon was founded in Nigel for local production of rolling stock.

Sources To Read and Add Info From If Applicable
Sugar Cane and Natal South Coast: https://books.google.ca/books?id=-SKICwAAQBAJ&pg=PA327&dq=natal+government+railways+port+shepstone&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVy9rj7p7ZAhUPxGMKHXjRBKYQ6AEIOzAE#v=onepage&q&f=false

Afrikaner Unionism and Railways: https://books.google.ca/books?id=qpY-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT158&lpg=PT158&dq=afrikaner+rail+union+south+africa&source=bl&ots=HDRX9KG7qn&sig=vmcpgE68-GfJ1k_6MxTw-oRVFI8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjr5_OjyZ7ZAhVTwGMKHVpMCcQQ6AEINTAC#v=onepage&q=afrikaner%20rail%20union%20south%20africa&f=false

http://www.kznhass-history.net/files/seminars/Dubois2014.pdf

Transnet Poorly Made History: http://www.transnetfreightrail-tfr.net/Heritage/150years/150YearsRail.pdf

History of Rail Regulation: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/85556/jansevanrensburg_history_1996.pdf?sequence=3

World War 1, Railways, South-West Africa: http://www.scielo.org.za/pdf/kronos/v38n1/03.pdf

Something that briefly mentioned electrification: https://books.google.ca/books?id=WA0NFdZOK7QC&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=electrification+south+africa+rail&source=bl&ots=3xuw45j6Lb&sig=JgCfGN5uFwC475m22Pc9ZqthBMo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwitldu9-p7ZAhURx2MKHdGECXU4ChDoAQheMAk#v=onepage&q=electrification%20south%20africa%20rail&f=false

History of Cape Railway: http://www.sahra.org.za/sahris/sites/default/files/heritagereports/9-2-110-0075-19980601-ACO_0.pdf

British Defence of Pretoria - Delgoa Bay railway: http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol113da.html

Sir William Hoy: http://www.hermanus-history-society.co.za/2017/07/31/sir-william-hoy-1868-1930-south-africas-railways-colossus/

http://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/sir-william-hoy-1868-1930-his-life-beyond-hermanus

Rail vs Road and Decline of Spoornet: https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/6100/093.pdf?sequence=1

JSTOR, history of railways from 1916: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1780306.pdf?refreqid=excelsior:f0d4cbf971e74afd8dbaa6319a72988f

Segregation in Railways: https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/260948.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A167825abaa5a183e86da2662822123f6