Step aboard The Ghan for the 2979km trip from Adelaide to Darwin via Australia's Red Centre - one of the world's great railway journeys. We travel in Gold Service for this incredible experience. Find out what the cabin is like, see highlights from the journey and see a selection of the silver service meals on offer.
The Ghan is the world's longest passenger train (excluding trains that also feature freight cars, such as the Auto Train in the USA). Today's train has 35 carriages hauled by two NR class diesels and is 876m long.
This is the first of two videos documenting my experience on The Ghan. In this video I travel from Adelaide to Alice Springs.
This video was filmed 11-12 October 2020 when there was no community transmission of COVID-19 in South Australia and the Northern Territory, so face masks were not required. A range of measures were in place on the train to minimise health risks including pre departure temperature checks and reduced capacities in the dining and lounge cars. Passengers were seated in a checkerboard layout in the dining car.
The second video, from Alice Springs to Darwin, is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjTcUBj9lEs
The Ghan is operated by Journey Beyond Expeditions.
The Ghan fares and timetable:
https://journeybeyondrail.com.au/guest-information/fares-and-timetables/the-ghan-2020-2021-fares-timetable/
🚉 Train: The Ghan
🚉 Operator: Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions
🚉 Locomotives: Two NR class diesels (NR70, NR74) operated by Pacific National
🚉 Cabin: B1
🚉 Route: Adelaide Parklands Terminal (Keswick) - Alice Springs railway station
🚉 Train number: 1AD8
🚉 Class: Gold Service twin cabin, single occupancy (originally booked as Gold Service single cabin)
🚉 Travel dates: 11-12 October 2020
EQUIPMENT:
🚉 Camera: GoPro Hero 8, GoPro Hero 6 and iPhone XR
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Service levels
02:25 Train composition
03:19 Lunch
03:40 Gold Service twin cabin tour
07:40 Crystal Brook - Stirling North
09:20 Old Ghan railway, Port Augusta
10:36 Departing Port Augusta
10:55 Dinner
11:12 Carriage and lounge tour
11:55 Cabin in night mode
12:30 Port Augusta - Tarcoola
12:52 Sunrise in Marla
14:30 Track conditions
15:24 SA-NT border
15:51 Brunch
16:09 Scenery approaching Alice Springs
17:17 Fares
18:16 Arriving Alice Springs
18:43 Local sights
19:12 Preview of Part 2
Video credits:
Footage at Calomba, South Australia, by Redhen Railcar SAR. Recorded 25 October 2020. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjHD7hSVNVj3Hwm6zmgFhrA
Image credits:
Camel Train, Blinman, 1907, State Library of South Australia collection B 49155
https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+49155
The Ghan route map: Bidgee, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Australia rail map:
Lencer - Own work GMT and SRTM3V2 OpenStreetMap Passenger-Rail-Australia-Map.png by User:MagpieShooter
Soundtrack:
Stinson by Reed Mathis (YouTube Music Library)
Communicator by Reed Mathis (YouTube Music Library)