Great South Pacific Express
Encyclopedia
The Great South Pacific Express was a luxury train
service, run in a joint venture by Queensland Rail
and the Venice-Simplon Orient Express
, that ran between Kuranda
(near Cairns) and Sydney
in Australia
from 1998 until 2003. The train accommodated 100 passengers in up to 21 carriages, at a cost from approximately $3500 to $5500 depending on type of accommodation. The train also made occasional excursions to Canberra
, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley.
The service ended in June 2003 when losses of around $12 million over four years forced QR to stop the service. The carriages themselves were owned and built by Queensland Rail at a cost of $35 million, and after the demise of the service were sold to Orient-Express Hotels
for an undisclosed price in 2005, for use on their trains overseas. As of 2010 twenty of the carriages were still in storage at the Ipswich workshops, with Queensland Rail saying an Orient Express holding company owned them, while an Orient Express Hotels manager in London said they were still owned by Queensland Rail.
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
service, run in a joint venture by Queensland Rail
Queensland Rail
Queensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...
and the Venice-Simplon Orient Express
Venice-Simplon Orient Express
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a private luxury train service that travels from London to Venice that is popularly referred to as the Orient Express....
, that ran between Kuranda
Kuranda, Queensland
Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by rainforest. At the 2006 census, Kuranda had a population of 1,611.-History:...
(near Cairns) and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1998 until 2003. The train accommodated 100 passengers in up to 21 carriages, at a cost from approximately $3500 to $5500 depending on type of accommodation. The train also made occasional excursions to Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley.
The service ended in June 2003 when losses of around $12 million over four years forced QR to stop the service. The carriages themselves were owned and built by Queensland Rail at a cost of $35 million, and after the demise of the service were sold to Orient-Express Hotels
Orient-Express Hotels
Orient-Express Hotels Ltd is a hotel and leisure company that operates high end hotels, cruise and train services around the world. As of 2008 it owns or partly owns more than 40 individual deluxe hotels, three restaurants, six tourist trains and two river cruise businesses in more than 25...
for an undisclosed price in 2005, for use on their trains overseas. As of 2010 twenty of the carriages were still in storage at the Ipswich workshops, with Queensland Rail saying an Orient Express holding company owned them, while an Orient Express Hotels manager in London said they were still owned by Queensland Rail.
Further reading
- Great South Pacific Express Beckhaus, John Australian Railway Historical Society BulletinAustralian Railway HistoryAustralian Railway History , is the premier magazine covering railway history in Australia...
, June 1998 pp232–238 - Great South Pacific Express Short, Col Australian Railway Historical Society BulletinAustralian Railway HistoryAustralian Railway History , is the premier magazine covering railway history in Australia...
, December 2000 pp 443–455