Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe, cycle trail battle for control of defunct line

● One of the co-founders of the Cape Town Cycle Tour is in a battle with steam enthusiasts for control of the defunct Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe line along the Garden Route.

John Stegmann, who lives in Plettenberg Bay, wants to transform the old George-to-Knysna railway route into a cycling trail that could ultimately stretch through to Gqeberha, saying his proposal carries economic and health benefits, affordable transport for locals and is green-friendly.

The old steam train, once a tourist attraction, stopped operating after a section of the line was damaged by a storm in 2006, but Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has put out a tender for the restoration and repair of the branch line.

The Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe proponents said they could not comment.

“The situation is out to tender at the moment and as a bidder we can’t provide any answers at this stage,” said Martin Hatchuel, responding to an e-mail sent to their website.

According to Stegmann, their plan involves running the train for tourists while making extra money by carting refuse from Knysna to a site near Mossel Bay.

In his proposal, submitted late, Stegmann pointed out that the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe needed to be subsidised to the tune of R10m in the year before it closed, but he is offering a compromise of a steam park around Rondevlei near Sedgefield.

Stegmann argued that a cycle trail would make Transnet a quick profit through the sale of the tracks, though some of the money would be used to build the trail.

He believed the trail would be manageable for average cyclists and could herald the start of cycle tourism to the country.

“If the rail corridor between George and Knysna is preserved for its value to the region and the country as a safe route for non-motorised mobility, cyclists of every description (local and international) will be drawn to it.

“Micro-to-macro businesses will be created; it can be extended to Plettenberg Bay and eventually to Gqeberha and become one of South Africa’s major tourist attractions, being used by 200,000 or more cyclists each year.”

Stegmann recalled his fight for safe cycling spaces in Cape Town in the mid1970s, recounting that it took a long time to convince the city council that the dearth of cyclists at the time was because of the lack of safe facilities and not a lack of interest. In 1977 he helped arrange the Big Ride-In to demonstrate the point and the Cycle Tour started the next year with more than 500 cyclists.

That event has grown exponentially with up to 30,000 cyclists taking part each year.

Chief director of sport and recreation in the Western Cape, Lyndon Bouah, said cyclists brought their families with them to the cycle tour (CTCT) and that the latest study showed it injected about R500m a year into the economy.

Stegmann believed the tour was a far bigger money-spinner than the steam train that occasionally rolled along the Southern Peninsula train line from Cape Town to Fish Hoek.

He also dismissed the value of using the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe to remove refuse.

“Investing capital in reopening the rail for the steam train to cart refuse will be a regrettable commitment because the future demands that refuse be treated at source to reduce waste and reclaim as much as possible in the circular economy, with the target of zero waste.

“Investment in waste treatment will create much-needed jobs that will upskill the workforce and the community in identifying and processing waste.”

Stegmann, who covers the history of the CTCT and the benefits of cycling in his recently self-published book The Green Machine, has been arguing for a George-toGqeberha trail since 1996.

An online petition in support of a cycling trail had attracted nearly 4,000 signatories to date, he said.

TFR said it expected the tender process to be concluded by the end of June.

“The open market procurement process for the George-Knysna branch line is at an advanced stage. To this end, the process has undergone a number of governance approvals. It is now at the bid negotiation stage,” TFR said.

“It is imperative to note that governance rules do not allow us to communicate with anyone about pending or open procurement events. TFR can communicate with the parties only after the process has been concluded.”