It was this train that ran Australia’s first east-west rail service on standard gauge, which departed from Sydney’s Central Station on Monday, February 23 1970 and arrived in Perth on Friday, February 27 to 10,000 people.

On the train’s 40th birthday locomotive NR21 pulled the Indian Pacific from Adelaide’s Keswick Station for Sydney.

The train comprised of 24 carriages, including one locomotive and three motorail with 164 guests and 19 crew members on board.

Great Southern Rail’s Marketing and Executive Coordinator Robyn Williamson said the company is proud to be part of the train’s history.

“It’s good to be part of the history of something historic. The Indian Pacific is such an Australian icon,” she said.

Its popularity has seen it attract tens of thousands of passengers per year.

“There are people who go on trips on the Indian Pacific every year because they love it so much,” Ms Williamson said.

The 65-hour, 4,352km trip crosses the Nullarbor, the crossroad of Australia Port Augusta, historic gold-rush town Kalgoorlie and the Blue Mountains.

At 478km, the world’s longest section of railway track in the Nullarbor Plain is part of the Indian Pacific’s journey.

The Indian Pacific today can carry up to 348 passengers with 25 carriages and get up to 686 metres long.

With a two metre wing span, the wedge-tailed eagle, Australia’s largest eagle, was chosen as the Indian Pacific’s symbol to represent the train’s “epic journey,” Great Southern Rail spokesman Russell Westmoreland said to a WA Today reporter.

East-west travel by rail started in 1917 when all track sections between colonies were completed, but non-uniform gauges between the colonies meant passengers had to change several trains along the way.

The uniform standard gauge across the continent was completed in 1969.

By Anthony Caggiano for RailSA

 
 

Featured photographs of the Indian Pacific

As the half-full tram headed south along King William St about 7.40am this morning, a Jeffries compost truck smashed into its windscreen as the truck swung around to reverse into the driveway of the Town Hall.

The windscreen of the tram was smashed and the truck came to rest about 7m along the tram. Damage to the tram is estimated at $40,000.

The female driver of the tram was treated at the scene by paramedics for minor injuries.

Passenger Peter Tziavaras was seated about two metres behind the driver and the truck scraped past his head.

“It was a pretty big hit, it was a very big hit. The whole tram went to the right very, very suddenly then flicked back in,” Mr Tziavaras said.

Fellow passenger Ruth Bear said there was a “tremendous sound of glass”.

“I thought it was going to tip over,” she said.

“The whole tram shook, it was quite scary, everyone (on the tram) was scared, but it was nothing like what the driver went through.”

Andrew Laird, who was also on the tram, said the “truck just came out of nowhere”.

“There was a big bang and a shudder and it actually felt like the tram was lifting off the tracks,” he said.

Mr Laird said two off-duty police officers helped get passengers off the tram.

Shane McDonald, who was driving the truck, said he was reversing into the driveway off King William St.

” When I checked my mirrors there was no one around, then the tram sounded its horn and there was a collision,” he said.

“It was my first accident in driving trucks in seven years and hopefully it will be the last.”

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Police and paramedics were called to the crash near the Carrington St intersection about 10.15pm after the green Renault sedan encroached into the tram lane.

The driver, 73, was shaken by the incident but was not visibly injured.

It is understood he later suffered a heart attack while being taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

He was reported to be in a stable condition late last night.

None of the tram’s 25 passengers or the tram driver were injured.

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