20 Years since the floods of 2006

Today, 6 August 2026, marks twenty years since flooding caused enough damage to the George-Knysna railway line that the services of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe were forced to close down. 

Since then, interest in reopening the line has never wavered. 

Classic Rail and the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe have taken part in at least two unsolicited bids and three tenders for the award of the concession to repair and operate the service. 

The concession was finally awarded a little less than a year ago – on 18 August, 2025.

Work has begin on clearing the vegetation from the line – the section from Sedgefield to Knysna has been completed, and we are currently working on the section from the Molen River towards Victoria Bay. This work is necessary so that we can assess what damage may have occurred since the initial flooding (Classic Rail completed a report on the status of the line just weeks after the floods), and so that we can make informed decisions about what remedial work is required. 

We have also completed surveys of some of the bridges along the line, including the Knysna Bridge and the Touw River Bridge, and have formulated action plans for their repair, and for the repair of the Kaaimans River Bridge.

Additionally, we continue with our negotiations with Transnet for the handover of certain heritage assets, including locomotives and carriages, so that we can begin their repair and refurbishment.  

We remain confident that we will successfully reintroduce the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe sooner rather than later so that the train can reclaim its position (which it once held) as one of the top ten tourism icons of South Africa.