1st So. to No. passenger train in Oz's outback

Jan 31, 2004
First South-to-North Passenger Train Begins Three-Day Journey Through Australia's Outback
By Mike Corder
Associated Press Writer

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) - The first passenger train to cross Australia from south to north set off on its three-day journey Sunday, marking a new era of rail travel through the vast Outback
The train was named "The Ghan" in honor of the 19th-century Afghans who built the first stretches of the line from the southern city of Adelaide to Alice Springs in the central Outback.

An $988 million extension completed last year covers the 882 miles from Alice Springs to the northern port city of Darwin. The entire train line, billed as one of Australia's greatest civil engineering projects, now runs some 1,851 miles.

"This famous train will now strengthen its reputation as providing one of the great railway journeys of the world," Prime Minister John Howard said in a videotaped message played at a ceremony to mark the train's departure.

While an east-west link between Sydney on Australia's east coast and Perth on the West Australian coast has existed for years, this is the first time north and south have connected.

During the construction, daytime temperatures forced the Outback construction staff to work through the nights and sleep through the days. They also consulted local Aboriginal tribes to ensure the tracks did not pass through any of their sacred sites.

Freight trains began using the new route on Jan. 17.

Thousands of people lined the tracks Sunday as the passenger train rumbled out of Adelaide's Keswick station just after noon. Thousands more were expected to watch it roll through towns along the route and in Darwin, where it was due to arrive Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm just looking forward to the spectacular scenery," said passenger Tim Fischer, a former deputy prime minister and train buff.

The 400-strong passenger list was made up mainly of invited guests and media, but there were regular passengers too.

Stan Bishop told the Adelaide Advertiser newspaper that he paid $3,800 for himself and wife Sylvia because he first made the journey in less comfortable surroundings during World War II, when he had to travel part of the route from Alice Springs to Darwin in the back of an army truck and part in a cattle train.

"I just wanted to make the trip to Darwin again in a bit of comfort," he said.

Once the train starts regular services, tickets for adults will start at $334.
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On the Net:
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