South Africa · Scenic
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.
Photo: Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0
A short run: the value is what happens aboard.
Why this experience
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. 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. 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.
Route context
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 Town
South Africa
Muizenberg
South Africa
Kalk Bay
South Africa
Fish Hoek
South Africa
Simon's Town
South Africa
Evidence on demand
Route, onboard, season, fit and booking detail remain available without interrupting the feature above. Unknowns stay visible.
1h 30m
The published route runs from Cape Town to Simon's Town.
Confirm the selected date and any engineering changes with the operator before travel. The route map and verified stops are in the route section above.
Year-round service; verify the selected date and any engineering changes.
Where to sit
Seat-side guidance not yet verified
We have not confirmed a better side for this journey. We would rather say nothing than send you to the wrong window.
Photographers
Especially good
Published photography score is high for this route's landscapes and structures.
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.
Our current editorial assessment, for comparing journeys, a considered judgement, not a measurement.
More subjective
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.
Not yet verified: typical price, rail pass validity. We leave these blank rather than guess.
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.
Your next step
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.
Continue the story
From the same station
African Collage is Rovos Rail’s 12-night Pretoria–Cape Town expedition, weaving game reserves, Eswatini, Drakensberg country, heritage towns, coastal experiences and the Cape into one long luxury itinerary.
Leaves from the same station at Cape Town; a separate service, not a continuation.
Read the journey →Another journey
Leaves from the same station at Cape Town; a separate service, not a continuation.
Journey information is reviewed against published material and maintained as sources change.
Last reviewed 20 Sep 2026.
Official sources
Checked 20 Sep 2026
Checked 20 Sep 2026