The ''Trans-Australian'' (originally known as the ''Trans-Australian Express'') was an Australian passenger train operated by the

Commonwealth Railways The Commonwealth Railways were established in 1917 by the Government of Australia with the Commonwealth Railways Act to administer the Trans-Australia and Port Augusta to Darwin railways. It was absorbed into Australian National in 1975. O ...

initially between

Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state c ...

and

Kalgoorlie Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...

on the

Trans-Australian Railway The Trans-Australian Railway, opened in 1917, runs from Port Augusta in South Australia to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, crossing the Nullarbor Plain in the process. As the only rail freight corridor between Western Australia and the east ...

line, and later extended west to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, and east to

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South A ...

and

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

History

The train commenced operating between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie in 1917 following the completion of the

.Trans-Australian Passenger Train
comrail.com It was extended to

in 1937 following the conversion of this line to standard gauge. Initially the train was hauled by G class locomotives and from 1938 by C class locomotives. In 1951 it began to be hauled by GM class diesel locomotives. Originally it only conveyed sleeping accommodation but aside from a period in the 1960s, it was not until 1981 that seated accommodation was provided. In 1964 Commonwealth Railways purchased 24 carbon steel carriages from Commonwealth Engineering, Granville. These were later augmented by stainless steel carriages. It also operated with other rolling stock, de-motored Bluebird railcars being used by the late 1980s. Following the conversion of the line from Kalgoorlie to standard gauge the ''Trans-Australian'' was extended to

on 15 June 1969 replacing ''

The Westland ''The Westland'' was the name given in 1938 to the overnight train operated by the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) with sitting and sleeping cars between Perth and Kalgoorlie, where it connected with the '' Trans-Australian'' se ...

''.A Study of East-West Rail Passenger Services The 'Indian Pacific' and 'Trans Australian'
Bureau of Transport Economics May 1977 For a time from December 1973 the service ran daily with the ''Trans-Australian'' combined with the ''

Indian Pacific The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – thus, like ...

'' at Port Pirie on the days the latter ran. At this stage the service was operating five times per week, with the ''Indian Pacific'' operating on the other days to provide a daily service. This had ceased by May 1977 with each operating individually and the ''Trans-Australian'' reduced to three times weekly. After the Port Pirie to Adelaide line was converted to standard gauge in 1982, the ''Trans Australian'' was extended to Keswick Terminal in Adelaide. In the wake of a recession and cheaper air fares, the service was reduced from two services per week to one in February 1991 with this too cancelled from June 1991."Interstate cutbacks" ''Railway Digest'' July 1991 page 231

Gallery

References

External links

{{commons category-inline Interstate rail in Australia Named passenger trains of Australia Night trains of Australia Nullarbor Plain * Railway services introduced in 1917 Railway services discontinued in 1991 1917 establishments in Australia 1991 disestablishments in Australia Discontinued railway services in Australia

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links