The Blue Train has announced that it will be resuming its full operations after a temporary shutdown due to the COVID-19 second wave alert in December 2020, and a partial offering in January 2021 in light of the country’s COVID-19 risk adjusted strategy. Journeys planned for 2021 are set to continue accordingly, with a few adjustments to the scheduling to meet increased demand.
“Running a tourism establishment while the world is dealing with a pandemic requires ongoing adaptation to ensure the safety of our guests and our crew. We are happy that as the year begins, we are back on track offering the best of African luxury rail experience. Our teams have continued to work on our operations, prioritising the health and safety of guests and crew, and where possible doing refurbishments to the train sets. Guests can expect the award-winning luxury rail experience, that continues to position our beloved country as a global tourism destination to resume full operations in February 2021,” said Lekhetho Mokoena, Operations Manager at The Blue Train.
In keeping with the most recent pronouncements from the national government on the current lockdown, The Blue Train has also resumed serving alcoholic beverages on board. “This is a welcome development as the beverage offering on The Blue Train is a key part of the experience. Guests will once again enjoy the award-wining wine list and the wide range of fine spirits, liqueurs, cocktails and beers,” continued Mokoena.
In 2021, there will be a few additional journeys added to the annual itinerary on the Pretoria – Cape Town route, allowing guests more flexibility when selecting travel dates. The updated schedule is available on The Blue Train website www.bluetrain.co.za , with the requisite contact details of the reservations team should any further information be needed. Guests who were affected by the temporary suspension in December 2020 can still arrange for postponements. The COVID-relevant cancellation policy continues to apply to affected guests, affording them more flexibility at no additional cost.
The Blue Train will continue to communicate updates to its operations as the government of South Africa provides more information on the ongoing national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guests who require more information can contact The Blue Train’s reservations team at the Pretoria office on +27(0)12-334-8459 or the Cape Town office on +27(0)21-449-2672 or on email info@bluetrain.co.za.