The Inlander (Queensland Rail)

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The Inlander
The-inlander.png
Overview
Service typePassenger train
StatusOperational
First service21 February 1953
Current operator(s)Queensland Rail
Route
StartTownsville
EndMount Isa
Distance travelled977 kilometres
Average journey time21 hours
Service frequency2 x per week
The Inlander
Legend
 Townsville
Charters Towers
Pentland
Torrens Creek
Hughenden
Richmond
Julia Creek
Cloncurry
Duchess
Mount Isa

The Inlander is an Australian passenger train. It was introduced by Queensland Rail on 12 February 1953 using new steel air-conditioned carriages built by Commonwealth Engineering, Rocklea.[1][2][3]

Background[]

Victorian Railways introduced air-conditioned trains in 1935, and Queensland Rail decided to follow suit in the late 1940s. Steel carriages were designed to travel to all parts of the system, meaning a maximum axle load of 9 tons, which was a challenge for the dining cars. New features included showers in the sleeping cars, roomettes in first class and head end power cars, especially necessary where trains may be delayed by floods or other events, as was often the case.

History[]

The Inlander was the first air-conditioned train in Queensland, replacing the Mail train with its wooden carriages and providing a more comfortable and cleaner service to this dry and dusty region.[4]

Today[]

As of September 2020, it operates twice-weekly on the Great Northern line from the coastal city of Townsville to the mining city of Mount Isa. The train is relatively slow, taking 21 hours (overnight) to complete a journey of 977 kilometres.[5] Until the end of 2014, the train consisted of sitting cars, sleeping cars with roomettes, twinettes and triple sleeping cabins and a club car where food could be purchased.

The sleeping cars were withdrawn from 1 January 2015. Catering is provided by at seat snack packs and a dining car.[6][7]

On 16 June 2021, a $1M Business case was announced by the Queensland State Government to investigate replacement of The Westlander, Spirit of the Outback and Inlander Services.[8]

Subsidy levels[]

In 2016, the service was estimated to have carried 4,511 people in the previous financial year, with the effective subsidy paid by the Queensland State Government for each passenger amounting to an estimated $3,436 (total subsidy $15.5m).[9]

In 2021, the service carried 2,833 people in the previous financial year, with the effective subsidy paid by the Queensland State Government for each passenger at $5,086.06. [10]

References[]

  1. ^ Robin Bromby (2004). The Railway Age in Australia. Lothian Press. p. 99. ISBN 0-7344-0715-7.
  2. ^ Dunn, John (2006). Comeng; A History of Commonwealth Engineering Volume 1: 1921–1955. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. p. 197. ISBN 1 877058 42 4.
  3. ^ "The Inlander - Today" Railway Digest September 2013 pages 40–42
  4. ^ The Inlander Queensland Rail
  5. ^ "Westlander & Inlander timetable" (PDF). Queensland Rail Travel. 19 September 2020.
  6. ^ The Inlander Factsheet Queensland Rail 3 January 2015
  7. ^ "Westlander and Inlander to lose sleeping and dining cars this month" Railway Digest January 2015 page 16
  8. ^ "Three train manufacturers shortlisted for Queensland train building program". Ministerial Media Statements. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. ^ Rural rail subsidised by up to $4,000 a trip, prompting overhaul call ABC News 28 July 2016
  10. ^ [https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/tableOffice/questionsAnswers/2021/1216-2021.pdf Annual patronage and government subsidy per passenger trip for direct operating costs] Parliamentary Question on Notice 13 October 2021

External links[]

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