The Ghan is the 48-hour, 2,979-km passenger service on the Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin railroad in Australia. The service is named after the Afghan camel drivers who trekked the same route before the advent of the railroad.

Table of contents
1 History
2 Operations
3 External Links

History

Initial construction was by South Australian Railways as a narrow gauge (3'6") line.

  • January 18, 1878: Construction of southern line from Port Augusta starts
  • 1879: South: Quorn reached
  • 1883: South: Marree reached
  • 1883: Construction of northern line from Palmerston (Darwin) starts
  • 1888: North: Pine Creek reached
  • 1891: South: Oodnadatta reached
  • 1910: First promise to complete the line in the Acceptance Act (but no date given)
  • 1926: Line acquired by Commonwealth Railways
  • 1926: North: Katherine reached
  • 1929: North: Birdum reached, terminus at Larrimah
  • August 6, 1929: South: Alice Springs reached, The Ghan starts running under current name
  • 1957: South: Line from Stirling North (near Port Augusta) to Marree rebuilt as standard gauge, now connected to Adelaide
    • Some sections of the narrow gauge track remain in operation as the Pichi Richi Railway
  • 1976: Northern line closed
  • October 1980: Standard gauge track from Tarcoola to Alice Springs opens
  • July 2001: Construction of Alice Springs-Darwin track starts
  • September 17 2003: Darwin reached

Operations

The Ghan runs twice weekly from Adelaide to Alice Springs and once a week to Darwin. Fares for a full one-way trip start at
A$440440.

External Links