the aim being to have an independent link to the Indian Ocean, bypassing British territory in the Cape and Natal. The project fell short of funding, and after money was loaned to the ZAR by the Cape government, they were able to obtain a further loan from Rothchilds, but with the condition the Cape rail authorities were allowed to continue the Cape line through the Orange Free State to Johannesburg and set the rate for a period of three years. The second train line to reach Johannesburg was therefore from Cape Town with the first train arriving on 15 September 1892. In 1893, Pretoria was finally connected to Johannesburg via a railway with the lines lowered from ground level closer to the station for public safety while to improve the connection to northern part of the town. A road bridge was constructed over the lines at King Georges Street and a pedestrian bridge built at the north end of Twist Street. This was soon followed by the ZAR's project to connect Pretoria to Delagoa Bay, with the first train arriving in Johannesburg from Lourenco Marques (Maputo) on 2 November 1894. The Colony of Natal would be connected to the goldfields on 2 January 1896 when the first train arrived in Johannesburg from Durban. 1897 station With the increase in passenger numbers, there was need for a new station. In May 1897 the ZAR upgraded Park Halt after they had purchased a steel and glass building from the Netherlands. The building had been part of the Amsterdam Exhibition, built in 1895 in Rotterdam and designed by architect Jacob Klinkhammer. Its erection begun in 1896 and was 154m long and 17m wide consisting of offices and passenger facilities with a restaurant. It was designed with cast iron pillars, ornate olive coloured iron work and a glass domed roof while the offices and restaurant walls were made of carved oak wood. There was a restaurant with oak printed Dutch proverbs, some of which were transferred to the coffee shop in the new 1932 station. During 1906, in order to improve traffic in Johannesburg CBD, in Twist Street, a concrete bridge was built across the railway lines and a subway constructed at the railway lines for Harrison Street. On the night of 5 July 1913, Park Station was damaged by fire during looting and rioting, after rioters cut open the fire-brigades hoses. The previous