The Point Railway Station holds a significant place in South African transport history as the seaside terminus of the country’s very first operating public steam railway line.
Key Historical Details
- The Inaugural Line (1860): Officially opened on 26 June 1860, the Natal Railway Company ran a 2-mile (3.2 km) track connecting the Market Square in central Durban to the Point harbour area.
- First Steam Locomotive: The green-and-copper 12-ton steam locomotive Natal pulled the inaugural train of passengers and freight from the Point to the town center.
- Station Evolution: The station started as a simple iron shed next to Fort Victoria near the custom house, built to receive passengers disembarking from ships at the inner shoreline.
- 1890s / 1900 Building: As operations expanded under the Natal Government Railways (NGR), the station moved slightly north to the corner of Point Road (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) and Southampton Street. A permanent brick structure was built in 1890 and expanded around 1900 into a two-story building that doubled as a local Post Office. It was later declared a National Monument in 1986.
