 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Passenger train |
| Status | Operational |
| First service | 21 February 1953 |
| Current operator(s) | Queensland Rail |
| Route | |
| Termini | Townsville Mount Isa |
| Distance travelled | 977 kilometres |
| Average journey time | 21 hours |
| Service frequency | 2 x per week |
The Inlander | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Inlander is an Australian passenger train. It was introduced by Queensland Rail on 12 February 1953 using new steel air-conditioned carriages built by Commonwealth Engineering, Rocklea. [1] [2] [3]
Victorian Railways introduced air-conditioned trains in 1935, and Queensland Rail followed suit in the late 1940s. Steel carriages were designed to travel to all parts of the system, meaning a maximum axle load of 9 tons, which was a challenge for the dining cars. New features included showers in the sleeping cars, roomettes in first class and head end power cars, especially necessary where trains may be delayed by floods or other events, as was often the case.
The Inlander was the first air-conditioned train in Queensland, replacing the mail train with its wooden carriages and providing a more comfortable and cleaner service to this dry and dusty region. [4]
As of September 2020 [update] , it operates twice-weekly on the Great Northern line from the coastal city of Townsville to the mining city of Mount Isa. The train is relatively slow, taking 21 hours (overnight) to complete a journey of 977 kilometres. [5]
The westbound service (3M34) departs Townsville railway station at 12:40pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrives at Mount Isa railway station at 9:35am on Thursdays and Sundays. [4]
The eastbound service (3231) departs Mount Isa Railway station at 1:35pm on Thursdays and Sundays and arrives at Townsville railway station at 10:10am on Fridays and Mondays.
Until the end of 2014, the train consisted of sitting cars, sleeping cars with roomettes, twinettes and triple sleeping cabins and a club car where food could be purchased.
The sleeping cars were withdrawn from 1 January 2015. Catering is provided by at seat snack packs and a dining car. [6] [7]
On 16 June 2021, a $1 million business case was announced by the Queensland State Government to investigate replacement of The Westlander, Spirit of the Outback and Inlander services' rolling stock. [8]
In 2016, the service was estimated to have carried 4,511 people in the previous financial year, with the effective subsidy paid by the Queensland State Government for each passenger amounting to an estimated $3,436 (total subsidy $15.5m). [9]
In 2021, the service carried 2,833 people in the previous financial year, with the effective subsidy paid by the Queensland State Government for each passenger at $5,086.06. [10]
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car.
The Overland is an Australian passenger train service between the state capitals of Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 828 km (515 mi). It first ran in 1887 as the Adelaide Express, known by South Australians as the Melbourne Express. It was given its current name in 1926. Now operated by private company Journey Beyond, the train undertakes two return trips a week. Originally an overnight train that stopped at large intermediate stations, it now operates during the day, stopping less frequently. The Overland was converted to standard gauge in the 1990s and now operates from Melbourne over the longer standard gauge line initially heading south to the port city of Geelong, before returning to its original route in Ararat. After departing Ararat the train stops in the Victorian towns of Stawell, Horsham, Dimboola and Nhill before crossing the South Australian border. The final stretch into Adelaide, after crossing the Murray River is over the scenic Adelaide Hills. The train contains Red Premium and Red seated accommodation and a bar/lounge car, Café 828.
The Spirit of the Outback is a long-distance passenger rail service in Queensland, Australia, operated by Queensland Rail's Traveltrain division.
The North Coast railway line is a 1,681-kilometre (1,045 mi) 1067 mm railway line in Queensland, Australia. It commences at Roma Street station, Brisbane, and largely parallels the Queensland coast to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The line is electrified between Brisbane and Rockhampton. Along the way, the 1680 km railway passes through the numerous towns and cities of eastern Queensland including Nambour, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville. The line though the centre of Rockhampton runs down the middle of Denison Street.
The Sunlander was a long distance passenger rail service operated by Queensland Rail on the North Coast line between Brisbane and Cairns in Queensland between June 1953 and December 2014. It has been replaced by the Spirit of Queensland.
The Westlander is an Australian passenger train operated by Queensland Rail on the Main and Western lines between Brisbane and the outback town of Charleville.
The Great South Pacific Express was a luxury Australian train service, run in by Queensland Rail and Venice-Simplon Orient Express.
The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt 1,067 mm narrow gauge for a main line, and now the second largest narrow gauge network in the world, consists of:
The Southern Aurora was an overnight express passenger train that operated between Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. First-class throughout, including the dining facilities, the Southern Aurora featured all-sleeper accommodation. The train first ran on 13 April 1962 after the opening of the North East standard gauge line from Melbourne to Albury, eliminating the break-of-gauge between the capital cities.
The Southern railway line serves the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. The 197-kilometre (122 mi) long line branches from the Western line at Toowoomba, 161 kilometres (100 mi) west of Brisbane, and proceeds south through Warwick and Stanthorpe to the New South Wales/Queensland state border at Wallangarra.
This is a list of significant railway accidents in Queensland, Australia.
The Great Northern Railway is a 1,067 mm railway line in Queensland, Australia. The line stretches nearly 1,000 kilometres linking the port city of Townsville, Australia to the mining town of Mount Isa in north-west Queensland. Along with a passenger service called the Inlander, it is a major freight route connecting the Mount Isa Mines to the Port of Townsville. In 2010 the line moved 5.8 million tonnes of cargo, and this is expected to increase significantly in coming years.
Charters Towers is a railway station on the Great Northern line at Charters Towers, 134 kilometres (83 mi) west of Townsville in North Queensland, Australia.
Townsville railway station is located on the North Coast line in Queensland, Australia. It serves the city of Townsville. The station has one platform. Opposite the platform lies a passing loop. It is also the starting point for the Great Northern line to Mount Isa.
The New South Wales stainless steel carriage stock was a type of passenger carriage operated by the New South Wales Government Railways from 1961 until 1993.
This article is intended as a catalogue of sleeping carriages used by the Victorian Railways and successors.
The Midlander was a passenger train that operated in Queensland, Australia between 1954 and 1993. It travelled on the Central west line between Rockhampton and Winton.
A Travelling Post Office (TPO) is a postal receiving, sorting and delivery service situated on a train, usually in a specially designated carriage that is part of a passenger train. In Queensland, Australia, the service was provided from 1877 to 1932.
Two types of steel bodied air-conditioned carriage stock have been used on long distance Queensland Rail services.
The first carriages built specifically for The Overland train service operated by the Victorian and South Australian Railways (V & SAR) were introduced in 1949. By the end of 1951, eight new sleeping cars and six new sitting cars had entered service. Additions to the fleet continued until 1972; in all, 44 carriages were built. About eight were still in service in March 2020 on The Overland operated by Journey Beyond. Other carriages have been transferred to different services or sold.
