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Indian Pacific

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This article is about an Australian rail service. For the region, seeIndo-Pacific.

Indian Pacific
An Indian Pacific train atWerrington station
Overview
Service typeTranscontinental passenger rail
StatusOperating
LocaleAustralia
First service23 February 1970
Current operator(s)Journey Beyond,a division ofHornblower Group.
Former operator(s)Department of Railways New South Wales
South Australian Railways
Commonwealth Railways
Western Australian Government Railways
Australian National
Route
TerminiSydney Central
East Perth Terminal
Distance travelled4,352 km (2,704.21 mi)
Average journey time70.5–75 hours
Service frequencyWeekly
Line(s) usedMain Western
Broken Hill
Broken Hill-Crystal Brook
Crystal Brook-Adelaide
Trans-Australian
Eastern Goldfields
Eastern
On-board services
Seating arrangementsNo[1]
Sleeping arrangementsYes
Auto-rack arrangementsYes
Technical
Rolling stockCommonwealth Railways stainless steel carriage stock
Track gauge1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in)standard gauge
Operating speed115 km/h[2]
Average length774 m (2,539 ft)[3]
Route map
Legend
 East Perth
Kalgoorlie
Rawlinna
Western Australia
South Australia
 Cook
Adelaide
South Australia
New South Wales
 Broken Hill
Mount Victoria
Sydney
This diagram:

TheIndian Pacificis a weeklyexperiential tourism-orientedpassenger trainservice that runs inAustralia'seast–west rail corridorbetweenSydney,on the shore of thePacific Ocean,andPerth,on the shore of theIndian Ocean– thus, like its counterpart in thenorth–south corridor,The Ghan,one of the few truly transcontinental trains in the world. It first ran in 1970 after the completion ofgauge conversionprojects inSouth AustraliaandWestern Australia,enabling for the first time a cross-continental rail journey that did not have abreak of gauge.

The train has been rated as one of the great rail journeys of the world.[4]Its route includes the world's longest straight stretch of railway track, a 478-kilometre (297 mi) stretch of theTrans-Australian Railwayacross theNullarbor Plain.[5]

The service was originally operated jointly by four government railway administrations: theDepartment of Railways New South Wales,South Australian Railways,Commonwealth RailwaysandWestern Australian Government Railways,until February 1993 whenAustralian Nationaltook full ownership. In 1997, theIndian Pacificwas sold toGreat Southern Railand, subsequently, branded as Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions thenJourney Beyondduring several changes in corporate ownership.

A one-way trip takes between 70.5 and 75 hours, depending on scheduling anddaylight saving periods.[6]As of 2022,two levels of service were offered, branded as Platinum and Gold.[7]Amotorailservice conveys passengers' motor vehicles on the train betweenAdelaideandPerth.[8]

History

[edit]

With the remaining narrow gauge parts of theEast-west rail corridorbeinggauge convertedto standard gauge in 1966, theDepartment of Railways New South Wales,South Australian Railways,Commonwealth RailwaysandWestern Australian Government Railwaysagreed that a through passenger service fromSydney CentraltoEast Perth Terminalbe inaugurated. Originally to be namedThe Transcontinental,in 1969, theIndian Pacificname was adopted by a joint meeting of transport ministers.[9][10][11]

The service was originally operated jointly by the four operators whose networks it traversed, with revenues and costs apportioned Department of Railways New South Wales (28.5%), South Australian Railways (10%), Commonwealth Railways (45%) and Western Australian Government Railways (16.5%).[12][13]

The firstIndian Pacificservice left Sydney on 23 February 1970, becoming the first direct train to cross the Australian continent,[14]made possible by the completion of theeast-west standard gauge projecta few months earlier. At the time it was the third longest passenger train in terms of distance after services on theTrans-Siberian Railwayand theCanadian.[15]

Locomotives and crews were provided by the Department of Railways New South Wales between Sydney andBroken Hill,South Australian Railways between Broken Hill andPort Pirie,the Commonwealth Railways between Port Pirie andKalgoorlieand Western Australian Government Railways between Kalgoorlie and Perth. With the formation ofAustralian Nationalin July 1975, it provided locomotives and crews from Broken Hill to Kalgoorlie. Locomotives were changed atLithgow,Broken Hill, Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie.

On-board crews were originally provided between Sydney and Port Pirie by Commonwealth Railways on one service and New South Wales Government Railways on the other services, Commonwealth Railways between Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie and West Australian Government Railways between Kalgoorlie and Perth.

The train originally operated twice per week. In times of heavy demand, adouble consistwould operate. It would operate in New South Wales as two trains before being combined at Broken Hill.[16][17]

In July 1973, a third service was introduced followed in July 1975 by a fourth, these later two being extensions of existingTrans-Australianservices.[18][19][20]In October 1976, amotorailservice was introduced between Port Pirie and Perth.[21]Originally vehicles were loaded in Perth at theKewdale Freight Terminalbefore a car loading ramp was built at East Perth station.[22][23]

The service was suspended from 2 December 1982 to 25 April 1983 due to an industrial dispute over staffing levels in South Australia.[24][25]When it resumed, the service was reduced to three times weekly with the second class sleepers replaced by sitting carriages.[26][27][28]

From August 1986, the train commenced operating viaAdelaide.[28][29][30]In October 1988 the motorail service was extended through to Sydney.[31]

In June 1991, the service was cut from three times a week to two.[32][33][34]This was reduced to weekly in January 1992 between Sydney and Adelaide with two services a week between Adelaide and Perth.[35][36]

In February 1993,Australian Nationaltook over operation of the service throughout after agreement was reached with theState Rail AuthorityandWestrailin 1992.[37][38][39]A second service resumed in August 1993.[40]

From January 1994, the service was operated throughout by Australian NationalCL classlocomotives.[41]

As part of the privatisation of Australian National, the Indian Pacific, along withThe GhanandThe Overland,was sold toGreat Southern Rail(now known as Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions) in October 1997.[42]Motive power provision was contracted toNational Rail.As from 2016, theIndian Pacificoperates weekly.[43]A second service operated between September and November until 2015.[44]

Route

[edit]
NR28 in Indian Pacific livery with the eastbound Indian Pacific at Mt Lawley, 2014.
NR28inIndian Pacificlivery with an eastbound service atMount Lawleyin December 2014

The route leavesSydneyand travels via theWesternandBroken Hilllines toBroken Hill.It then crosses intoSouth Australiaon theBroken Hill to Crystal Brook linebefore heading south toAdelaide.Before the conversion of theCrystal Brook to Adelaide linetostandard gauge,passengers for Adelaide had to change atPort Pirie.However, from August 1986, the Indian Pacific was diverted to make an out-and-back trip toAdelaideadding 390 kilometres (240 mi) to the journey. From Crystal Brook, it heads north toPort Augustaand then via theTrans-Australian RailwaytoKalgoorlieincluding travelling over the world's longest straight stretch of railway track on theNullarbor Plainmeasuring 478 kilometres (297 mi).[45]It then heads via theEastern GoldfieldsandEasternlines to its terminus atEast Perth.

The highest point on the line is at Bell, NSW in the Blue Mountains, at 1100 metres.

The most northern point on the line is at the western tip of the Yellabinna Regional Park, South Australia.

The most southern point on the line is at the Adelaide Parklands Terminal in Keswick, South Australia.

Occasionally, when there is trackwork, theIndian Pacificis diverted out of Sydney via theMain South linetoCootamundraandcross-country lineto rejoin the Broken Hill line atParkes.It has previously operated via theTemora to Roto lineand viaMelbourne.[46][47]

In 1970, the journey took 75 hours. With subsequent infrastructure improvements and reductions to the time needed to change locomotives and crew, the journey now takes 65 hours despite the longer distance.[48]

Rolling stock

[edit]
Comengbuilt passenger carriages
NR classlocomotive

For the commencement of operations, 59stainless steelcarriages, power vans and luggage vans were built byCommonwealth Engineering,Granvilleto the same design as already in use on theTrans-Australian.[10][49][50]These operated in consists of 12 carriages.[50][51]A further 16 were ordered in 1971.[52]

As of 2020,the weekly service consists of up to 25 carriages and twomotorailwagons. Because of its length, the train is split in two when stabled atSydney Central station. Originally, each of the operators hauled the train over their network with locomotives changed at Broken Hill, Port Pirie and Kalgoorlie. A further change occurred at Lithgow from electric to diesel power. Due toWestrailsuffering a motive power shortage, Australian National locomotives hauled the service in Western Australia from October 1973 until March 1977.[53][54]

From January 1994, the service was operated throughout by Australian NationalCL classlocomotives.[55]Since November 1997, it has been hauled byPacific NationalNR classlocomotives.[56]Seven NR class, (NR18, NR25-NR29, NR86) have been repainted in differingIndian Pacificliveries.[57][58]

The lead locomotive is assisted by an81,Gor second NR class between Sydney and Adelaide. In 2014, NR25-NR28 were repainted in a new livery that is much closer to that of Pacific National.[59]In 2018, NR29 and NR86 hadIndian Pacificsignwriting applied their existing liveries.[60]

Passenger facilities

[edit]

The train originally offered just 52 first-class sleeping berths and 96 second-class sleeping berths. However, the train was limited to 144 passengers, as this was the number that could be serviced by three sittings in the 48-seat dining car.

From 1973, the accommodation was altered to provide 88 first-class sleeping berths and 64 second-class. The club-cafeteria car also provided a small number of second-class seats for short-distance travelers on the Commonwealth Railways segment.

From 1975, Australian National provided full sitting carriages west of Port Pirie on two journeys per week. The Department of Railways New South Wales initially resisted providing sitting accommodation over the whole journey, butPublic Transport CommissionHUB/RUBsitting carriages were included between Sydney and Port Pirie from 1974, with Australian National providing sitting carriages from Broken Hill toPeterboroughfor an onward connection to Adelaide.[61][62]By 1979, the Public Transport Commission carriages were operating from Sydney to Peterborough.[63]In 1981, this was extended to Port Pirie.[64]

Sitting carriages provided by Australian National withCommonwealth Railways carbon steel carriage stockbecame part of the full through service from Sydney to Perth in 1988.

The train formerly had four classes, branded as Platinum, Gold Service, Red Service Sleeper and Red Service Daynighter. The Platinum Service was introduced in 2008 as a premium class of travel. The Gold Service, the former first-class service, features eitherroometteortwinettesleeper cabins, with complimentary meals in therestaurant car.

Red Service, the equivalent ofeconomy class,featured both dual-berth shared sleeper cabins and airline-style 'sit-up' seats similar to other Australian trains. It also had its own restaurant car.[65]Red Service was withdrawn in July 2016 after a Federal Government subsidy was withdrawn making the Red Service no longer financially viable.[66][67]

The train also has amotorailservice to carry passengers' motor vehicles.[68]This facility was available throughout the journey until November 2015, when it was reduced to only operate between Adelaide and Perth.

Special trains

[edit]

A fullIndian Pacificset made promotional trips toCanberraandNewcastlefor travel agents prior to its launch in February 1970.[69]

Further trips were made to Canberra in 1981 and 1985,[70][71]and to Newcastle in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979.[72][73][74][75]

Following the conversion of theAdelaide to Melbourne railway lineto standard gauge in 1995, theIndian Pacificmade a promotional trip from Perth toBrisbaneviaMelbourneover 6 days in June of that year.[76][77]

Christmas train

[edit]
In 2005, theIndian PacificChristmas train stopped at the remote siding ofWatson,where excited schoolchildren listened to singerGuy Sebastian

For more than a decade, theIndian Pacificoperated a Christmas train with a noted musical artist on board,[78]stopping at locations including the remoteNullarbor Plainsidings ofWatson,Cook,andRawlinna.[79][80]Some of the performers wereNikki Webster(2000),John Williamson(2001),Marcia Hines(2002),John Paul Young(2003),Jimmy Barnes(2004),Guy Sebastian(2005),[81]Human Nature(2006),David Campbell(2007),Brian McFadden(2012)[82]andRikki-Lee Coulter(2013).[83][84][needs update]

Media depictions

[edit]

In 1980, theIndian Pacificfeatured in an episode ofBBC Television'sGreat Railway Journeys of the Worldseries, presented byMichael Frayn.In 2019 it was also the subject of anSBS"slow television"documentary: the entire journey from Perth to Sydney was condensed into a three-hour show with no voiceover, much of it comprising footage directly from the front or sides of the train.[85]TheIndian Pacificalso featured inGreat Australian Railway Journeys,presented byMichael Portillo,first broadcast in November 2019. Also in 2019, the train was featured in an episode ofDiscovery Channel Canada'sMighty Trains.

Incidents

[edit]
  • 18 February 1970: On a test run from Port Pirie, anIndian Pacificset struck a derailed freight train nearLocksleyripping the sides out of several carriages.[50][86]
  • 24 December 1975: 13 of the 25 carriages on the eastbound train derailed due to a collapsedbogieon the leading carriage, east of the remoteNullarbor Plainsiding ofRawlinna.[87]Three of the 200 passengers were injured; they were flown fromForresttoAdelaide.[87]
  • 24 January 1978: The westbound train derailed nearForbesas a result of wet weather washing away part of the track.[88]The train had been diverted south through Forbes, because of washaways between Parkes and Broken Hill. Three of the 153 passengers were taken to Forbes District Hospital.
  • 18 August 1999:Zanthus train collision– the westbound train was accidentally directed into acrossing loopoccupied by an eastbound train atZanthus.[89]
  • 3 December 1999:Glenbrook train disaster– aCityRailIntercitytrain ran into the back of the eastbound train atGlenbrookin theBlue Mountains,west of Sydney. Seven people died, all on the CityRail train.[89]
  • 26 November 2017: At 10:12 am, just 600 metres after departing from East Perth station, theIndian Pacific,heading for Sydney, derailed. "The second carriage jumped the tracks, grinding the train-ride to a halt".[90]
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^Tomlin, Sam (8 March 2016)."Railway for high rollers as Indian Pacific cuts economy class".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 29 February 2020.Retrieved15 February2020.
  2. ^"The Indian Pacific".Great Southern Rail.Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2018.Retrieved10 January2017.
  3. ^"About the Indian Pacific".Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions.Archivedfrom the original on 23 February 2021.Retrieved1 January2021.
  4. ^"TrainReview – Indian Pacific traveller ratings".Archivedfrom the original on 11 January 2021.Retrieved10 January2021.
  5. ^"The Nullarbor Plain Or Nullarbor Desert".Outback Australia Travel Guide.Archivedfrom the original on 6 February 2013.Retrieved28 March2021.
  6. ^"Indian Pacific Timetables".Great Southern Rail.2018.Archivedfrom the original on 19 February 2018.Retrieved3 March2018.
  7. ^"The Indian Pacific 2022 fares and timetables".Journey Beyond Rail.Archived fromthe originalon 11 August 2022.Retrieved18 April2022.
  8. ^"Taking your car – Indian Pacific".Great Southern Rail.Archivedfrom the original on 6 March 2017.Retrieved10 January2017.
  9. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway History Society Bulletinissue 349 November 1966 page 2
  10. ^abSydney to Perth in 62 HoursRailway Gazette21 March 1969 pages 211–215
  11. ^Coast to Coast Glamour Trains NamedRailway DigestOctober 1969 page 9
  12. ^The Indian-PacificNetworkJune 1970 page 4
  13. ^Who Owns the Indian Pacific?WAGR News LetterMarch 1971 page 4
  14. ^"Indian Pacific train turns 40".WA Today.theage.au. 23 February 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 4 June 2011.Retrieved25 February2010.
  15. ^Standard gauge across Australia: The commercial impactRailway Gazette International20 February 1970 pages 129–132
  16. ^Two Divisions for the Indian PacificNetwork1 May 1972 page 1
  17. ^Traffic grows on the Indian PacificRailway Gazette InternationalAugust 1982 page 284
  18. ^Three services weekly each way for the Indian PacificNetworkMarch 1973 page 2
  19. ^And Then There Were ThreeWAGR News LetterJune 1973 page 3
  20. ^A Fourth Indian PacificRailway DigestMay 1975 page 9
  21. ^New Motorail ServiceWestrail News LetterNovember 1976 page 8
  22. ^Motorail Increases CapacityWestrail News LetterMarch 1977 page 8
  23. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Societyissue 483 January 1978 page 7
  24. ^"Indian Pacific back after long strike". The Age. 26 April 1983.
  25. ^Indian Pacific Services ResumeCatch Pointissue 35 May 1983 page 4
  26. ^Indian Pacific Returns – In a Different FormRailway DigestMay 1983 page 153
  27. ^IntelligenceRailway Gazette InternationalJune 1983 page 408
  28. ^abHigham, Geoffrey (2007).Marble Bar to Mandurah: A history of passenger rail services in Western Australia.Bassendean: Rail Heritage WA. p. 150.ISBN978-0-9803922-0-3.
  29. ^"Western Report"Railway DigestSeptember 1986 page 281
  30. ^The Indian Pacific Goes to AdelaideNetworkOctober 1986 page 50
  31. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 615 January 1989 page 21
  32. ^More Passenger Services Get the ChopCatch Pointissue 84 July 1991 page 24
  33. ^"Interstate cutbacks"Railway DigestJuly 1991 page 231
  34. ^Cuts to Interstate Passenger TrainsThe Westlandissue 78 July 1991 page 7
  35. ^Further Cuts to Indian PacificCatch Pointissue 87 January 1992 page 22
  36. ^"Indian Pacific service cut to weekly"Railway DigestFebruary 1992 page 50
  37. ^"IP to come under sole control of AN"Railway DigestMarch 1992
  38. ^"IP handed to AN"Railway DigestFebruary 1993
  39. ^AN gets Indian PacificCatch Pointissue 94 March 1993 page 22
  40. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 670 August 1993 page 214
  41. ^"CLP Class Locos Take-Over Indian Pacific Workings"Railway DigestMarch 1994
  42. ^Great Southern Railway Consortium completes acquisition of Australian National Railways Passenger BusinessArchived10 April 2011 at theWayback MachineSerco Group plc 31 October 1997
  43. ^Indian Pacific Timetables 2016–2017Great Southern Rail
  44. ^Indian Pacific Timetables 2015–2016Great Southern Rail
  45. ^Vincent, Peter (27 September 2006)."Railroaded into Fun".The Age.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2012.Retrieved25 January2008.
  46. ^The Indian-Pacific via NarranderraRailway DigestFebruary 1971 page 5
  47. ^MotivePower NewsMotive Powerissue 81 May 2012 page 17
  48. ^Staff, AG (22 September 2010)."Indian Pacific celebrates 40 years".Australian Geographic.Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2010.Retrieved22 October2010.
  49. ^Carriage ReviewRailway DigestNovember 1986 page 351
  50. ^abcDunn, John (2010).Comeng A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 3 1966–1977.Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 16–35.ISBN9781877058905.
  51. ^Standard gauge across Australia: The central link in the chainRailway Gazette International20 February 1970 page 133
  52. ^MarketRailway Gazette InternationalJune 1971 page 214
  53. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 436 February 1974 page 9
  54. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 480 October 1977 page 10
  55. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 683 September 1994 page 263
  56. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 722 December 1997 page 457
  57. ^New Indian Pacific liveryRailway DigestNovember 2005 page 46
  58. ^New livery for Pacific NationalRailways Illustratedissue 35 January 2006 page 47
  59. ^MotivePower RoundupMotive Powerissue 95 September 2014 page 72
  60. ^Motive Power RoundupMotive Powerissue 117 May 2018 page 74
  61. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 446 December 1974 page 3
  62. ^Altered Arrangements for the Indian PacificRailway DigestFebruary 1977 page 49
  63. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 497 March 1979 page 1
  64. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 522 April 1981 page 35
  65. ^"Compare Service Levels".Great Southern Railway. Archived fromthe originalon 28 March 2008.Retrieved18 April2008.
  66. ^High rollers only for rail as Indian Pacific cuts economy classArchived23 October 2016 at theWayback MachineABC News8 March 2016
  67. ^Economy class cuts to Indian Pacific prompt concern in Broken HillRailway DigestAugust 2016 page 10
  68. ^Taking Your Car – Indian PacificArchived23 October 2016 at theWayback MachineGreat Southern Rail
  69. ^"Special Agents".Sydney Morning Herald.10 February 1970.
  70. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 526 August 1981 page 61
  71. ^Indian Pacific and The Alice to Visit CanberraRailway DigestJuly 1984 page 244
  72. ^Inaugaural Run ex NewcastleRailway DigestJune 1975 page 12
  73. ^Promoting the Indian PacificNetworkJuly 1975 page 3
  74. ^Indian Pacific Visits NewcastleNetworkMay 1977 page 27
  75. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Societyissue 498 April 1979 page 5
  76. ^Evans, John (2004),"Australia's Longest Passenger Train"(PDF),Table Talk,no. 141, Australian Timetable Association Previously Australian Association of Timetable Collectors, p. 3,archived(PDF)from the original on 13 May 2018,retrieved13 May2018
  77. ^"The Indian Pacific's Commemorative Rail Journey"Railway DigestJuly 1995
  78. ^Platt, Craig (21 December 2007)."Getting into the Christmas Spirit(s)".The Sydney Morning Herald.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2012.Retrieved25 January2008.
  79. ^Simmonds, Diana (19 April 2007)."On the Right Track".The Australian.Retrieved25 January2008.[permanent dead link]
  80. ^Nader, Carol (17 December 2005)."Splendid Isolation".The Age.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2012.Retrieved25 January2008.
  81. ^"Air Doctor, Issue 325, February 2006. Page 10. Great Southern Railway Spreading The Joy Of Christmas. Retrieved 2 March 2009"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 26 March 2009.Retrieved22 May2009.
  82. ^"Indian Pacific Christmas Train, Australia".travelingboy.Archivedfrom the original on 21 July 2020.Retrieved1 September2020.
  83. ^"Bitten by the Travel Bug – All Aboard the Indian Pacific Christmas Train".Bitten by the Travel Bug.8 January 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 4 August 2020.Retrieved1 September2020.
  84. ^"Indian Pacific Outback Christmas".Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2008.Retrieved25 January2008.
  85. ^Indian Pacific, another SBS slow TV show, is boring and profoundArchived18 May 2019 at theWayback MachineABC News6 January 2019
  86. ^Here & ThereAustralian Railway Historical Society Bulletinissue 390 April 1970 page 2
  87. ^ab"Indian-Pacific derailed".The Canberra Times.Vol. 50, no. 14, 258. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 26 December 1975. p. 3.Retrieved10 January2017– via National Library of Australia.
  88. ^"Indian Pacific train derailed".The Canberra Times.Vol. 52, no. 14, 993. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 January 1978. p. 3.Retrieved10 January2017– via National Library of Australia.
  89. ^ab"Chronology of Australian Train Crashes".The Daily Telegraph.Australian Associated Press.6 June 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 2 September 2017.Retrieved10 January2017.
  90. ^Daly, Jon (26 November 2017)."'A pain-in-the-a**e': Indian Pacific derails 600m from East Perth Station ".WA Today.Archivedfrom the original on 26 November 2017.Retrieved26 November2017.

Bibliography

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