The Blue Train, the world famous luxury train, operates between Pretoria and Cape Town, with a stopover in Kimberley.

Spoornet is the national rail operator. It runs eight daily trains, that crisscross the country. Trains go between Johannesburg and Musina, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town and also between Cape Town and Durban. These trains are cheap, but very slow and most journeys go overnight. Simple accommodation is provided in compartments with four or six berths and there is a snack bar. A Premier Classe service runs between Johannesburg and Cape Town twice a week. This is a little nicer than the regular train with a formal dinning car and extras such as gowns and toiletries.

The Blue Train, the world famous luxury train, operates between Pretoria and Cape Town, with a stopover in Kimberley. The trip takes 27 hours, and the fare include a private suite with attached bathroom as well as gourmet food, fine wines and drinks in the elaborate dining cars. Rovers Rail runs The Pride of Africa, a luxury train similar to The Blue Train. It also has services between Pretoria and Cape Town as well as services to Durban, George, Swakopmund in Namibia, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Gautrain Rapid Rail Link was constructed and  completed for the soccer World Cup 2010, it  links Johannesburg with Pretoria via OR Tampo International Airport.

The Bushveld Train Safaris and the Shongololo Express offer rail safaris across South Africa.

There are also commuter trains in larger cities (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London). These are run by MetroRail and most services are perfectly safe, but certain routes are overcrowded and not always safe.