Shosholoza Mehl (tel: 011 774 4555; website: www.spoornet.co.za/shosholozameyl) is South Africa's passenger train operator. Johannesburg's station is in the Park City Transit Centre on Rissik Street, Braamfontein. This is the city's main long distance rail and coach terminus, 1km (0.5 miles) from the centre of town. Facilities include ATMs, fast-food restaurants, travel information and left luggage.

Rail services: There are eight daily trains that criss-cross the country and services from Johannesburg go to and from Musina on the Zimbabwe border, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. These are cheap, but very slow and most journeys go overnight. Between Johannesburg and Cape Town, for example, takes 26 hours. Simple accommodation is provided in compartments with four or six berths and there's a snack bar. Children under four years of age travel free. Children aged four to 12 years pay half fare. There are no trains direct to neighbouring countries but the Komati Express runs via Nelspruit to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border, from where minibuses run to Maputo.

The Premier Classe train (tel: 011 774 4555; website: www.premierclasse.co.za) runs between Johannesburg and Cape Town twice a week. This is a little nicer than the regular train with a formal dining car and extras such as gowns and toiletries. The Blue Train (tel: 012 334 8459; website: www.bluetrain.co.za) and the Pride of Africa (tel: 012 315 8242; website: www.rovas.co.za) offer luxurious cabins with baths and digital entertainment, and gourmet food and fine wines in the elaborate dining cars. Often dubbed 5-star hotels on wheels, they both run between Pretoria and Cape Town via Johannesburg.

Transport to the city: Although the station is extremely central, it is an area where muggings of tourists are common - visitors are advised to use the metered taxis or shuttle buses available from the transit centre.