Construction
of what is now known as the Ghan began in 1878 when premier of South Australia
Sir William Jervois broke ground at Port Augusta. The line reached Hawker
in June 1880, Beltana in July 1881, Marree in January 1884 and Oodnadatta
on 7 January 1891.
It wasn't until 1926 that development to Alice Springs began, and that
section was completed in 1929. Prior to completion, the final leg of the
train journey was still completed by camel. In fact, the train's current
name honors Afghan camel drivers who arrived in Australia in the late
19th century to help find a way to reach the country's unexplored interior.
While there were plans from the beginning to extend the line through to
Darwin, by the time the Alice Springs connection was complete, the Ghan
was running at a financial loss, and plans for connection to Darwin were
put on indefinite hold. The original Ghan line followed the same track
as the overland telegraph, which is believed to be the route taken by
John McDouall Stuart during his 1862 crossing of Australia.
New line
The original Ghan ran for the last time in 1980 and now its preservation
is in the hands of The Ghan Preservation Society who repair sections of
the old narrow gauge track and some notable sidings. It was not until
October 1980 that a new standard gauge line from Tarcoola, South Australia
(a siding on the Trans-Australian Railway) to Alice Springs was constructed,
and the train took the form it has today. The new line is located approximately
160 kilometres (100 miles) west of the former line, in an effort to prevent
washout due to rain. It was also hoped that the construction of the new
line would improve the on-time performance of the train.
Connection to Darwin
Construction of Alice Springs - Darwin line was believed to be the largest
civil engineering project in the 50 years since the creation of the Snowy
Mountains Scheme, the largest in Australia's history. Line construction
began in July 2001, with the first passenger train reaching Darwin on
February 4, 2004, after more than a century of planning and waiting and
at a cost of AUD$1.3 billion.
The Ghan's arrival in Darwin signified a new era of tourism in the Northern
Territory,making travel to the region easier and more convenient as well
as providing better access to and for Aboriginal communities in the region.
The rail link will allow for more freight to travel through the region,
leading to a hope that Darwin will serve as another trade link with Asia.
In preparation
for the connection to Darwin, one of the locomotives was named for Steve
Irwin in a hope that the internationally-recognized face of Australia
would help promote the new service and tourism to the region.
Operations
The Ghan at Alice Springs, 12 March 2007.The Ghan is operated by Great
Southern Railway Ltd, part of the Serco Group. In addition to the Adelaide,
Alice Springs and Darwin, the train also makes a stop at Katherine. The
stops at Katherine and Alice Springs allow time for optional tours.
The Ghan
runs twice-weekly from Adelaide to Alice Springs, and once or twice a
week to Darwin, depending on seasonal traffic and demand. Initial demand
for the Darwin connection, including sold out trains, was far more than
planners had expected, leading to the increase in service even in the
off-peak times.
Incidents
On 24 October 2002, the Ghan collided with a school bus in Salisbury in
South Australia. Although there weren't significant injuries to the Ghan
passengers, four people on the bus were killed.
On 12 December 2006, the Ghan collided with a truck at a level crossing
and derailed 35 km south of Adelaide River in the Northern Territory.
Seven of the 11 carriages came off the tracks. One woman was critically
injured, other passengers received only minor injuries. The truck driver
involved was arrested, according to the NT police, charged and found guilty
of a number of charges related to the accident.
On 4 March 2007, rains washed out a portion of the track between Darwin
and Adelaide River. During the time that it took to repair the track,
all trains terminated in Katherine.
On 6 August 2007, the Ghan collided with a truck at a level crossing 50
km north of Adelaide in South Australia. Three passengers were reported
with minor injuries, suffering from shock. The truck driver was temporarily
trapped in his vehicle.
Text from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org
