Our SA gem, Shosholoza Meyl, could be so wonderful!

We travelled on the Shosholoza Meyl from Jhb to Laingsberg on 18 September returning from Laingsberg to Jhb on 27 September. Going down the trip was mostly uneventful, other than occasional breaks in the electricity and the train running about three hours late (which we had been warned about!). The train was clean, toilets worked well and were clean (when the electricity worked), bedding excellent, food tasty and staff lovely and as helpful as they could be under sometimes challenging circumstances. However our return was problematic from the minute we stepped onto the train, which was already running an hour late by the time it hit Laingsberg. Once again the electricity was intermittent, but this time there were further problems - supplies were short (no ice, crisps, sugar, cold drinking water, etc), no air conditioner, bookings were messed up and people were not in the compartments/coupes stated on their tickets and worst of all the locomotives failed. The train limped along for a while and eventually a new locomotive was sent out from Kimberley (which too failed and needed to be repaired). Eventually a bus was offered to passengers at Warrenton to take them to Jhb, as nobody seemed to know what time the train would arrive, given that they were also working on the lines outside Jhb. The bus eventually arrived in Jhb at Park Station after midnight and the train around 03h00 in the morning some 15 hours late (due to arrive 12h15 the previous day). People were late for appointments, weddings, funerals and other arrangements. By the time the train rolled into Jhb, it had run out of food and drinks and there was very little of anything else left. Passengers were furious and sadly were taking it out on the staff, who throughout the entire trip were amazing - friendly, smiling, never reacting to abusive passengers and generally being as helpful and patient as possible in a very disempowered way. Nobody communicated to either staff or passengers (both were equally in the dark as to arrangements), no contingency plans seemed to be in place, nobody seemed to be in charge and sadly PRASA seems to be going from bad to worse. How sad for the staff to be so demoralised and passengers not wanting to use the train again. Tragic that our gem of a train trip (beautiful scenery and a great opportunity to relax while travelling on the train) doesn't seem to be working. There seems to be a lack of planning (can't be difficult to ensure the right amount of supplies are loaded onto the train, a contingency plan is put in place in case of delays and mechanical parts are well maintained). Very disappointing all round, but not difficult to rectify as there is a lot that is positive about the Shosholoza Meyl...not least the staff and beautiful scenery.