The Indian Pacific
About the Indian Pacific
This train service operates between Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney. It is one of the greatest train journeys in the world, a transcontinental train adventure across the Indian Pacific during which you will get an unrivalled view of Australia. The train is an experimental tourism passenger train travelling between Sydney which is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean to Perth which is on the coast of the Indian ocean. This train is one of the few actual transcontinental train journeys in the whole world.
The train began operations in February 1970 after the gauge conversion project was completed in Western Australia and South Australia, thereby allowing a cross-continental train journey without a break in gauge. The 297 mi (478 kilometres) stretch across Nullarbor Plain which is the longest straight stretch of railway track in the world is on this route. Initially, the services were operated by the railway administrations of four different governments, Commonwealth Railways, South Australian Railways, the Department of Railways New South Wales, and Western Australian Government Railways. However, this changed with Australian National taking full ownership in 1993 and in October 1997, Great Southern Rail which has been renamed to Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions bought the train service.
A one-way trip on the Indian Pacific takes about 70.5 and 75 hours; this will depend on the daylight-saving periods and scheduling. It has two classes currently, the Gold and Platinum service.
The initial plan was to name it the transcontinental, but the Indian Pacific was eventually adopted, and it refers to the two oceans that the train crosses, it became the first train crossing of the Australian continent. At first, it operated twice per week and demands led it to increase its services on some occasions, but it finally settled on weekly travels.
Route
The train leaves from Sydney, travelling along different routes that finally ends at East Perth. The highest point along the route is 1100 metres at Bell, New South Wales and the northernmost point is Yellabinna Regional Park western tip while the southernmost is Keswick, South Australia at the Adelaide Parklands Terminal.
Although the journey took about 75 hours when it first started, it now takes just 65 hours due to reduction in time spent changing crew and locomotives as well as infrastructural improvements. The weekly service is made of as much as two motorail wagons and 25 carriages which is why it’s split into two parts whenever it is stabled.
Apart from its Gold and Platinum services, it also offers motorail services which will help passengers carry their cars, but this service is only available for between Adelaide and Perth. The train has been on several special trips in the past such as the promotional trips before its launch and the Christmas train with a music personality aboard the train.