The Sunday News
Sindisiwe Sibanda, Sunday News Reporter
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ)’s will this year celebrate Mother’s Day in style as it plans on running its steam train from Bulawayo to Plumtree.
Mother’s Day will be on 18 May and NRZ has organized a 200km round steam train ride from Bulawayo to Plumtree for enthusiasts and the general public as a unique way to honour mothers in a relaxed atmosphere.
In an interview, the company’s Public Relations Manager Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said they would run a steam train to celebrate Mother’s Day although the event would not be confined to mothers only but was open for everyone including families and couples.
“We are happy that Rail Leisure is running the steam train to celebrate Mother’s Day. This follows a successful Family Fun Day steam train which was ran on 28 April 2019, from Harare to Kintyre near Lake Chivero, the first steam train run of the year. The train attracted 221 adults and 140 children, the highest patronage recorded since the re-introduction of steam train excursions in 2010, hence we are looking forward to more people booking for this one organized for celebrating the Mother’s Day on 18 May,” said Mr Maravanyika.
He added that bookings could be made in cash or Ecocash for this event and adults were expected to pay RTGS$45 and RTGS $25 for children.
The train will also have a cash bar and light meals which will be available for sale on the train. Passengers will be allowed to bring cooler boxes and their own snacks.
The steam train will depart from the Bulawayo Station at 0900 hours and is expected to arrive back at 1730 hours. There will be stops organized along the way for people keen to take pictures of the locomotive and scenic places during which the locomotive will perform run pasts for photographers to capture the best views.
He said families should come out in their numbers to enjoy the experience offered by Rail Leisure as it promotes domestic tourism using steam locomotives and museum coaches which have been preserved to ensure a quality and affordable ride for passengers.
@macindie1
