Route map of The Ghan

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The Ghan is a passenger train operating between Adelaide, Alice Springs, and Darwin on the Adelaide-Darwin railway in Australia. Operated by Great Southern Railway and with locomotives provided by Pacific National, the journey takes 48 hours to travel the 2,979 kilometres (1850 miles). The service's name is an abbreviated version of its previous nickname The Afghan Express, which comes from the Afghan camel trains that trekked the same route before the advent of the railway.

History

The route of the Old Ghan

Original Ghan

Construction of what is now known as the Ghan began in 1878 when premier of South Australia Sir William Jervois broke ground at Port Augusta. The line reached Hawker in June 1880, Beltana in July 1881, Marree in January 1884 and Oodnadatta on 7 January 1891.^[1] It wasn't until 1926 that development to Alice Springs began,^[2] and that section was completed in 1929. Prior to completion, the final leg of the train journey was still completed by camel.^[3] In fact, the train's current name honors Afghan camel drivers who arrived in Australia in the late 19th century to help find a way to reach the country's unexplored interior.^[4] While there were plans from the beginning to extend the line through to Darwin, by the time the Alice Springs connection was complete, the Ghan was running at a financial loss, and plans for connection to Darwin were put on indefinite hold.^[5] The original Ghan line followed the same track as the overland telegraph, which is believed to be the route taken by John McDouall Stuart during his 1862 crossing of Australia.^[6]

Construction of a New Line

The original Ghan ran for the last time in 1980^[7] and now its preservation is in the hands of The Ghan Preservation Society who repair sections of the old narrow gauge track and some notable sidings.^[8] It was not until October 1980 that a new standard gauge line from Tarcoola, South Australia (a siding on the Trans-Australian Railway) to Alice Springs was constructed, and the train took the form it has today. The new line is located approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of the former line, in an effort to prevent washout due to rain.^[9] It was also hoped that the construction of the new line would improve the on-time performance of the train.^[10]

Connection to Darwin

Construction of Alice Springs - Darwin line was believed to be the largest civil engineering project in the 50 years^[11] since the creation of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, the largest in Australia's history.^[12] Line construction began in July 2001, with the first passenger train reaching Darwin on February 4 2004, after more than a century of planning and waiting^[13] and at a cost of AUD$1.3 billion.^[14] The Ghan's arrival in Darwin signified a new era of tourism in the Northern Territory,^[15] making travel to the region easier and more convenient as well as providing better access to and for Aboriginal communities in the region.^[16] The rail link will allow for more freight to travel through the region, leading to a hope that Darwin will serve as another trade link with Asia.^[17]

In preparation for the connection to Darwin, one of the locomotives was named for Steve Irwin in a hope that the internationally-recognized face of Australia would help promote the new service and tourism to the region.^[18]

Operations

The Ghan at Alice Springs, 12 March 2007.

The Ghan is operated by Great Southern Railway Ltd, part of the Serco Group. In addition to the Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin, the train also makes a stop at Katherine. The stops at Katherine and Alice Springs allow time for optional tours.^[19]

The Ghan runs twice-weekly from Adelaide to Alice Springs, and once or twice a week to Darwin,^[20] depending on seasonal traffic and demand. Initial demand for the Darwin connection, including sold out trains,^[21] was far more than planners had expected, leading to the increase in service even in the off-peak times.^[22]

Incidents

• On 24 October 2002, the Ghan collided with a school bus in Salisbury in South Australia. Although there weren't significant injuries to the Ghan passengers, four people on the bus were killed.^[23]
• On 12 December 2006, the Ghan collided with a truck at a level crossing and derailed 35 km south of Adelaide River in the Northern Territory. Seven of the 11 carriages came off the tracks. One woman was critically injured, other passengers received only minor injuries. The truck driver involved was arrested, according to the NT police,^[24] charged^[25] and found guilty^[26] of a number of charges related to the accident.
• On 4 March 2007, rains washed out a portion of the track between Darwin and Adelaide River. During the time that it took to repair the track, all trains terminated in Katherine.^[27]
• On 6 August 2007, the Ghan collided with a truck at a level crossing 50 km north of Adelaide in South Australia. Three passengers were reported with minor injuries, suffering from shock. The truck driver was temporarily trapped in his vehicle.^[28]

References

External links

• The Ghan homepage
• The Ghan ephemera digitised and held by the National Library of Australia
• The Ghanz

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