The 73 miles (117 kilometres) route for the Pietermaritzburg line had already been surveyed in 1873.
The contract stipulated that the line had to be Cape gauge, the rails used had to be of a 40 pounds per yard (20 kilograms per metre) mass, the minimum curve allowed would be of 300 feet (91 metres) radius and the steepest gradient was not to exceed 1 in 30 (3⅓%).

On 1 January 1876, the first sod was turned in Durban by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Henry Bulwer.
Even though the pace of construction was slowed considerably due to the large number of bridges and viaducts necessitated by the terrain, the 17 miles (27 kilometres) section to Pinetown was completed on 4 September 1878 and opened to traffic.

A spectacular viaduct, 89 feet (27 metres) high and one of altogether seven, had to be built across the valley at Inchanga, 40 miles (64 kilometres) from Durban.
It was completed in July 1880, with piers made of tubular steel sections which supported a lattice decking girder on which the track was laid.
The viaduct was prone to swaying in windy conditions and, as a safety precaution, train speed across the bridge was restricted to about 7 miles per hour (11 kilometres per hour).
Trains were not allowed to run across it "during times of more than average wind" and, when the wind speed exceeded 10 miles per hour (16 kilometres per hour), passengers had to disembark and walk across the bridge, after which the train would follow.
Between June 1885 and July 1886, additional slanted supporting struts were attached to the bridge piers to give the structure greater stability.

Camperdown was reached on 1 October 1880, and the Colony's Capital Pietermaritzburg on 1 December of that same year.
The 73 miles (117 kilometres) route for the Pietermaritzburg line had already been surveyed in 1873. The contract stipulated that the line had to be Cape gauge, the rails used had to be of a 40 pounds per yard (20 kilograms per metre) mass, the minimum curve allowed would be of 300 feet (91 metres) radius and the steepest gradient was not to exceed 1 in 30 (3⅓%).
On 1 January 1876, the first sod was turned in Durban by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Henry Bulwer. Even though the pace of construction was slowed considerably due to the large number of bridges and viaducts necessitated by the terrain, the 17 miles (27 kilometres) section to Pinetown was completed on 4 September 1878 and opened to traffic.
A spectacular viaduct, 89 feet (27 metres) high and one of altogether seven, had to be built across the valley at Inchanga, 40 miles (64 kilometres) from Durban. It was completed in July 1880, with piers made of tubular steel sections which supported a lattice decking girder on which the track was laid. The viaduct was prone to swaying in windy conditions and, as a safety precaution, train speed across the bridge was restricted to about 7 miles per hour (11 kilometres per hour). Trains were not allowed to run across it "during times of more than average wind" and, when the wind speed exceeded 10 miles per hour (16 kilometres per hour), passengers had to disembark and walk across the bridge, after which the train would follow. Between June 1885 and July 1886, additional slanted supporting struts were attached to the bridge piers to give the structure greater stability.
Camperdown was reached on 1 October 1880, and the Colony's Capital Pietermaritzburg on 1 December of that same year.
NGR 2-6-0T Durban & Pietermaritzburg