Indian Pacific
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| Overview | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service type | Transcontinental passenger rail | ||||
| Status | Operating | ||||
| Locale | Australia | ||||
| First service | 23 February 1970 | ||||
| Current operator(s) | Great Southern Rail | ||||
| Former operator(s) |
New South Wales Government Railways South Australian Railways Commonwealth Railways Western Australian Government Railways Australian National |
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| Route | |||||
| Start | Sydney Central | ||||
| End | East Perth | ||||
| Distance travelled | 4,352 kilometres | ||||
| Average journey time | 65 hours | ||||
| Service frequency | Weekly | ||||
| Line used |
Main Western Broken Hill Broken Hill-Crystal Brook Crystal Brook-Adelaide Trans-Australian Eastern Goldfields Eastern |
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| On-board services | |||||
| Seating arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Sleeping arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Auto-rack arrangements | Yes | ||||
| Technical | |||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Operating speed | 115 km/h | ||||
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| Route map | |
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The Indian Pacific is an Australian passenger rail service that operates between Sydney, on the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the Indian Ocean. It is one of the few truly transcontinental trains in the world. The train first ran in February 1970 after the completion of gauge conversion projects in South and Western Australia.
The train's route includes the world's longest straight stretch of railway track, a 478-kilometre (297 mi) stretch of the Trans-Australian Railway over the Nullarbor Plain.
The service was originally operated jointly by the New South Wales Government Railways, South Australian Railways, Commonwealth Railways and Western Australian Government Railways, until February 1993 when Australian National took full ownership. In October 1997, the Indian Pacific was sold to Great Southern Rail.
A one-way trip originally took 75 hours, but with line and efficiency improvements it now takes 65 hours. The train currently has two classes, branded as Platinum and Gold Service. A motorail service conveys passengers' motor vehicles between Adelaide and Perth.
The first Indian Pacific service left Sydney on 23 February 1970, becoming the first direct train to cross the Australian continent, made possible by the completion of the east-west standard gauge project a few months earlier.
The service was originally operated jointly by the four operators whose networks it traversed, with revenues and costs apportioned New South Wales Government Railways (28.5%), South Australian Railways (10%), Commonwealth Railways (45%) and Western Australian Government Railways (16.5%).
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