“Great Train Robber” Ronnie Biggs would have had little interest in a heist on the train that runs the 40km from the centre of Cape Town to the naval port of Simon’s Town to the south.
The restaurant car has been named Biggsy’s Restaurant in honour of the legendary robber and long-time fugitive from English justice.
The train mainly carries commuters, school pupils and tourists heading for the Cape Peninsula.
There are no gold bars or bags of cash, and little in the way of luxury on the trains, and travellers are advised to leave their valuables behind.
But there is a beautiful view of the sea. More than half the hour-long journey lies directly along a spectacular coastline.
Steve, a pensioner who knows the journey well, is disappointed.
“It’s much more exciting when the really big breakers come in, showering the windows with spray,” he says.
The train has just reached Muizenberg after 30 rather monotonous minutes through the southern suburbs of Cape Town.
Here False Bay can be seen, the bay that seafarers in days gone by used to think showed them they had rounded the Cape of Good Hope.
Waves break on a beach stretching for kilometres. Muizenberg is a surfers’ paradise that draws aficionados from all round the world.
The next stop on the journey is St James, with its colourful beach huts in red, bright blue, green and yellow — a reminder of more conservative days when changing on the beach was taboo.
“Do you know snoek?” Steve asks. This barracuda-like fish is native to the South African coast and a local delicacy. “It tastes heavenly.”
Steve orders a classic rail-style sandwich and a beer for R19.
“We have lots of tourists,” says Ivor Nel, who leases the restaurant car. “They come for the sightseeing and the food.”
The restaurant serves its guests at tables of four, with the car carrying a maximum of 32. A first-class fare for the journey costs R23,50.
Nel says the patrons have the best of it during November and December, when whales can be seen off the coast.
“You can watch them in comfort from the train,” he remarks.
Just before Fish Hoek, large areas of kelp can be seen in the water. The beach and the concrete breakwaters show the brown colour they give off.
Couples sit admiring the view from the benches along the white sands of Fish Hoek beach. Here, too, there are brightly coloured beach huts.
After Fish Hoek, Simon’s Town approaches. The last part of the journey lies through dunes. Here thousands of jackass or African penguins are to be seen.
Some even make their way on to the road. There are road signs warning motorists against running them over.
At this point, Nel explains why Biggs has given his name to the restaurant car. The robber has nothing to do with the restaurant, really, but when the business was started up in 1995, Biggs was a hot topic of conversation.
“He was the talk of the time, and we could have wished for no better advertisement for our train,” Nel says. — Sapa-DPA
Details of how to book — booking is advised in the summer — and running times are available at www.capemetrorail.co.za/Marketing/Product_Definition/biggsys.htm