Spirit of Queensland
Existing Tilt Train in April 2008
|
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Service type | Passenger Train |
| Status | Operating |
| Locale | Queensland |
| First service | 28 October 2013 |
| Current operator(s) | Queensland Rail |
| Route | |
| Start | Brisbane |
| End | Cairns |
| Distance travelled | 1,681 kilometres |
| Average journey time | 24hrs, 55mins |
| Service frequency | 5 each way per week |
| On-board services | |
| Seating arrangements | yes |
| Sleeping arrangements | yes |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,067mm |
The Spirit of Queensland is a Queensland Rail long distance passenger rail service. It is operated by a Tilt Train that runs 5 times a week on the North Coast line between Brisbane and Cairns, running a distance of 1,681 kilometres.
In October 2010, the Queensland Government awarded a contract to Downer Rail for the construction of a new Tilt Train. The two existing diesel tilt trains used on the Cairns service were also refurbished and extended in size, with the inclusion of first class sleeping carriages. Known as the 'Sunlander 14' project, a total of 25 carriages would have been acquired:
By expanding the train length from 9 to 14 carriages, three 'luxury' sleeping carriages, one 'first class' lounge and one restaurant car could be included in the consist, replicating the services provided on The Sunlander. The construction of four new power cars allowed for the inclusion of the most up-to-date safety features in the driving car of each train, as well as minimising the risk of disruptions in the event that an incident occurred while a second power car was undergoing heavy maintenance.
The resulting project was costed at $195 million and allowed six services a week to operate, for a total capacity of 1320 seats. However, by 2012 costs had risen, with the Queensland Auditor-General reporting that the eventual cost would reach $358 to $404 million, due to Queensland Rail failing to take into account the requirement for upgraded maintenance facilities, as well as en route provisioning. The Auditor-General also believed Queensland Rail had overestimated how popular the new service would be, believing that the 'luxury' component of the train would attract more high-paying customers.
In 2013 the project was scaled back, with the train length being cut back to nine-cars with the removal of the luxury sleepers and restaurant cars, resulting in a revised project cost of $204 million.
In October 2013 the first refurbished Tilt Train entered service on the existing Brisbane to Cairns service. With the introduction of the Tilt Train the journey time was reduced to 24hrs, 55mins. The maximum speed of the Tilt Train is 160 km/h.
The Spirit of Queensland has now replaced the diesel hauled stock The Sunlander.
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Wikipedia