Far by Rail

South Africa · Scenic

Southern Line: Cape Town to Simon's Town

Metrorail's Southern Line runs about 36 kilometres from Cape Town station through the southern suburbs to Simon's Town, and from Muizenberg onwards the track runs directly along the False Bay shoreline through Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek.

Cape Town → Simon's Town

Scenic

A Metrorail train on the False Bay shoreline of the Southern Line.
A Metrorail train on the False Bay shoreline of the Southern Line. · Photo: Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0
Experience
Photographers
Route
Cape Town → Simon's Town
Time aboard
1h 30m

Why this train

A journey shaped around the train

Few commuter railways in the world run this close to the sea for this long, with the rails set between the beach and the mountain for the final third of the route.

The experience

Design carried through the journey

Because it is a working local service, it is also the cheapest way to reach Kalk Bay harbour, the Muizenberg beach huts and the naval town of Simon's Town.

A Southern Line train travelling beside the False Bay coast near Cape Town.
A Southern Line train travelling beside the False Bay coast near Cape Town. · Photo: JNRworship · CC BY-SA 4.0

Along the line

The route behind the experience

Check the current timetable before you travel: service patterns on this line have changed repeatedly, and weekend and public holiday operation should not be assumed.

The published route runs from Cape Town to Simon's Town via Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek.

Key stops

Cape TownMuizenbergKalk BayFish HoekSimon's Town

Cape TownSimon's TownMuizenbergKalk BayFish Hoek
South Africa · geographic corridor through verified stops · indicative alignment, not exact track geometry

  1. Cape Town

    South Africa

  2. Muizenberg

    South Africa

  3. Kalk Bay

    South Africa

  4. Fish Hoek

    South Africa

  5. Simon's Town

    South Africa

Design / special

What to know before you choose

01

What makes the train special

Metrorail's Southern Line runs about 36 kilometres from Cape Town station through the southern suburbs to Simon's Town, and from Muizenberg onwards the track runs directly along the False Bay shoreline through Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek. It is an ordinary suburban commuter service rather than a tourist product, with no advance booking and tickets bought at the station. Published end-to-end running times are in the region of eighty to one hundred minutes.

02

What defines the route

Cape Town to Simon's Town via Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek

03

Before you book

Reservation: not required. Direct online booking is not recorded. Tickets are sold at station ticket offices on the day of travel. There is no online booking and no reserved seating.

Verified 2026-09-28

Plan the ride

Plan the special-service experience

Use the verified journey, booking, season and onboard facts below to decide how to take this experience. Unknowns stay explicit.

Time aboard
1h 30m
Reservation
Not required
Booking
Use the official operator information for the travel date
Rail pass
Not verified
Price context
Standard Metrorail zonal commuter fares apply. No current dated fare table could be sourced from the operator, so no fare is published here.
Timing
Check the current operating calendar
On board
No journey-specific onboard feature is currently verified

This guide does not imply a product variant unless a separate comparison decision is published.

Evidence on demand

Practical reality

Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the journey above. Unknowns stay visible.

Time & itinerary

1h 30m

View route map and verified stops

Cape Town → Simon's Town

The published route runs from Cape Town to Simon's Town via Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek.

Key stops

Cape TownMuizenbergKalk BayFish HoekSimon's Town

Cape TownSimon's TownMuizenbergKalk BayFish Hoek
South Africa · geographic corridor through verified stops · indicative alignment, not exact track geometry

  1. Cape Town

    South Africa

  2. Muizenberg

    South Africa

  3. Kalk Bay

    South Africa

  4. Fish Hoek

    South Africa

  5. Simon's Town

    South Africa

When to go
  1. JanRuns
  2. FebRuns
  3. MarRuns
  4. AprRuns
  5. MayRuns
  6. JunRuns
  7. JulRuns
  8. AugRuns
  9. SepRuns
  10. OctRuns
  11. NovRuns
  12. DecRuns
  • Runs
Year-round
Runs

Jan: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.

These months show when the train runs, which is a service fact. How good each month is for the experience has not been rated yet, so no month is presented as better than another.

Month-by-month notes
  • Jan: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Feb: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Mar: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Apr: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • May: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Jun: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Jul: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Aug: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Sep: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Oct: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Nov: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
  • Dec: Operates as a scheduled suburban service. Weekend and public holiday service has been reduced or suspended at times; confirm the current timetable with the operator before travelling.
Good for

Good fit for

  • Photographers

    Especially good

    Published photography score is high for this route's landscapes and structures.

Think twice if

No verified trade-offs on record. That is an absence of evidence, not a promise that there are none.

Traveller-fit research on this journey is still thin.

How it scores

Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.

SceneryExceptional
ComfortLimited
Character of the trainLimited
Show the full editorial profile

More subjective

UniquenessStrong
Iconic statusModerate
PhotographyExceptional
Travelling with childrenModerate

Not rated yet: value for money, food & drink, seat quality, onboard service, slow travel quality, romance, remoteness.

Step-free access and assistance are set out with the practical detail further down rather than reduced to a score.

Reservation & booking
Reservation
Not required
Booking difficulty
Easy

Not yet verified: typical price, rail pass validity. We leave these blank rather than guess.

  • Tickets are sold at station ticket offices on the day of travel.
  • There is no online booking and no reserved seating.
Visit PRASA Metrorail Western Cape's website (opens the operator site in a new tab)Compare similar journeys

Only the operator's website is verified for this service. Timetables, fares and reservations must be found from there. Journey length: 1h 30m. Checked 20 Sep 2026 · PRASA · passenger rail operator.

Sources & freshness

The detailed source record remains at the end of this guide. Review the evidence.

Your next step

Choose the departure, then confirm it with the operator.

Tickets are sold at station ticket offices on the day of travel. There is no online booking and no reserved seating.

Visit PRASA Metrorail Western Cape's website (opens in a new tab)

Only the operator's website is verified for this service. Timetables, fares and reservations must be found from there.

Far by Rail is a discovery guide, not a live timetable or booking service. Confirm times, fares and availability with the operator.

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Sources & freshness

Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.

Last reviewed 20 Sep 2026.

Official sources