09/09/2026
The rail station that never saw a train
For decades, Hermanus residents have repeated the story that Sir William Hoy deliberately stopped the railway at Bot River to preserve the town’s exclusivity. The truth is more practical: Hermanus became an early beneficiary of South African Railways’ road transport system. Passengers travelled by bus from Bot River, first arriving in Main Road and later at the Dutch-style Mitchell Street building. Though commonly called the railway station, it never ever saw a train – only buses owned by the railways themselves.
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