{"id":457,"date":"2023-12-02T20:26:59","date_gmt":"2023-12-02T18:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/?p=457"},"modified":"2023-12-02T20:52:45","modified_gmt":"2023-12-02T18:52:45","slug":"train-to-jozi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/2023\/12\/02\/train-to-jozi\/","title":{"rendered":"Train to Jozi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa recently announced the the passenger train between Johannesburg and Cape Town is back in service after many years of unreliable and discontinued operations. When I was an undergraduate at the University of Cape Town I often took this train between semesters. I later published a brief photographic essay reflecting on the experience. Unfortunately the original version with photographs no longer exists (the archived version is here: <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150922202850\/http:\/\/www.oxonianreview.org\/wp\/train-to-jozi\/\">https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20150922202850\/http:\/\/www.oxonianreview.org\/wp\/train-to-jozi\/<\/a>) so I decided to recreate it here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">The Shosholoza Meyl, once known as the Trans-Karoo Express, runs daily between Cape Town and Johannesburg (affectionately known as Jozi). The 26-hour journey begins at the bottom of the city bowl, departing from Platform 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0348_small.jpg\" alt=\"Person in a sunbeam on the station platform\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-462\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0348_small.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0348_small-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0348_small-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0349_small.jpg\" alt=\"A pair of feet in black shoes with yellow laces on a yellow-lined station platform\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-459\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0349_small.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0349_small-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0349_small-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Winding out of the station under the characteristic backdrop of Table Mountain to the east, the train meanders through peri-urban industria, graffitied walls, container yards and small factories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0363_small-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Figures on a platform\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-465\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6650390625;width:329px;height:auto\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0363_small-681x1024.jpg 681w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0363_small-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0363_small-768x1155.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0363_small.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0358_small.jpg\" alt=\"Peri-urban industria: blue warehouses and graffitied walls\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-461\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0358_small.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0358_small-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0358_small-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Exiting the outskirts of the city, it slips into the lush valleys that yield the fruit exports and vineyards for which the Cape is famous. Little children begging by the tracks suggest that the luxuriant scenery does not translate into prosperity for many. As with most of South Africa, the ever-present poverty is only blurred by familiarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">By late afternoon the train is well into the vast scrublands of the Karoo. It is a meditative landscape; dotted hillocks and straggly sheep interspersed with the occasional farmhouse or windmill-powered dam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0390_small-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Boy studying barefoot outside a house next to the train tracks\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-460\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6650390625;width:312px;height:auto\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0390_small-681x1024.jpg 681w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0390_small-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0390_small-768x1155.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0390_small.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">It can be too much for some passengers, who incline toward a palliative of alcohol-induced sleep. By late afternoon a blood red aspirin falls through the sky, leaving streaks of colour in its pale blue wake; eventually dissolving into the horizon. The sky bruises dark blue, purple and black, until the train is rushing brazenly into the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Dawn brings a rattle on the door offering tea in polystyrene cups\u2014steaming hydraulics adding to the slightly magical light\u2014and a gradual drift into the economic heartland of South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0385_small-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Steam from the hydraulics at dawn\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-469\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6650390625;width:301px;height:auto\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0385_small-681x1024.jpg 681w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0385_small-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0385_small-768x1155.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0385_small.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">In winter temperatures drop below freezing overnight; the days are clear; the veld and air sandpaper dry, bursting into flames with the slightest spark. The train tracks slither below the Nelson Mandela bridge, into the Jozi metro. As a gold mining boom town it was once dotted with mine dumps, but the best vantage points remain the koppies; the largest outcrops of the many granite ridges curling around various parts of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0403_small.jpg\" alt=\"People waiting at a station on the route into the city\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-464\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0403_small.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0403_small-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0403_small-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0407_small.jpg\" alt=\"Nelson Mandela Bridge\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-463\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0407_small.jpg 800w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0407_small-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0407_small-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">This is my home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-681x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A view over Johannesburg towards Sandton City\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-466\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6650390625;width:368px;height:auto\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-681x1024.jpg 681w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-199x300.jpg 199w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-768x1155.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-1021x1536.jpg 1021w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-1362x2048.jpg 1362w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-1200x1805.jpg 1200w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0332-scaled.jpg 1702w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">And I feel the weight of Ivan Vladislavic\u2019s words: \u201cAre you still with me? In this dog-eared field, collapsing from one attitude to another, dragging your ghosts through the dirty air, your train of cast-off selves, constantly rediscovering yourself at the centre, in the present.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"An old shoe in the veld\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-468\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-1024x681.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0309-1200x798.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"A view across a koppie with a stone across towards the Jozi CBD\n\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-467\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-1024x681.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0283-1200x798.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:400\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[Edited to add some additional photographs that were not published in the original essay]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-id=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-475\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-1024x681.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0367-1200x798.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-id=\"477\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-477\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-1024x681.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0371-1200x798.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-id=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-474\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-1024x681.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0388-1200x798.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" data-id=\"476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\u00a9 Se\u00e1n Muller\" class=\"wp-image-476\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-1024x681.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-300x199.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-768x511.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/IMGP0406-1200x798.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa recently announced the the passenger train between Johannesburg and Cape Town is back in service after many years of unreliable and discontinued operations. When I was an undergraduate at the University of Cape Town I often took this train between semesters. I later published a brief photographic essay &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/2023\/12\/02\/train-to-jozi\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Train to Jozi&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Train to Jozi - Notes from the Periphery<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A photographic essay on the train from Cape Town to Johannesburg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.seanmuller.co.za\/notesfromtheperiphery\/2023\/12\/02\/train-to-jozi\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Train to Jozi - 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