View source for The Ghan

{{Short description|Tourist train in Australia}}
{{about|the train service in Australia|the Australian [[outback]] cameleers from Afghanistan and India|Afghan (Australia)|other uses|Ghan (disambiguation){{!}}Ghan}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2013}}{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox rail service
|box_width   =
|name        = ''The Ghan''
|logo        = [[File:The Ghan.svg|frameless|upright=0.5]]
|image       = Journey Beyond Rail Ghan passenger train.jpg
|image_width =
|caption     =''The Ghan'' passing through [[Mambray Creek|Nectar Brook]], South Australia in July 2025
|type        = [[Rail transport in Australia#Long-distance passenger|Transcontinental passenger rail]]
|status      = Operating
|locale      = Australia
|first       = 1929
|last        =
|operator    = [[Journey Beyond]] 
|website=      www.journeybeyondrail.com.au [https://journeybeyondrail.com.au/journeys/the-ghan/ &nbsp;]
|formeroperator= [[Commonwealth Railways]]<br>[[Australian National Railways Commission|Australian National]]
|ridership   =
|start       = [[Adelaide Parklands Terminal]]
|stops       =
|end         = [[Darwin railway station|Darwin Berrimah Passenger Terminal]]
|distance    = {{convert|2979|km|mi|abbr=on}}
|journeytime = 52 hours 30 minutes (average) 
|frequency   = Weekly
|line_used   = [[Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor]]
|class       =
|access      =
|seating     = All in roomette/twinette compartments
|sleeping    = Yes
|autorack    = No
|catering    =
|observation = No dome car
|entertainment= Piano
|baggage     =
|otherfacilities=
|stock       = [[Commonwealth Railways stainless steel carriage stock]]
|gauge       = {{RailGauge|1435mm}}
|el          =
|speed       =
|trainlength = {{convert|774|m|abbr=on}}<ref>{{cite web |title=About The Ghan |url=https://journeybeyondrail.com.au/about/about-the-ghan/ |website=Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions |language=en-AU |access-date=1 January 2021 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303215938/https://journeybeyondrail.com.au/about/about-the-ghan/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|map         = {{switcher
|{{maplink-road|id=Q936593}}
|Show interactive map
|{{The Ghan}}
|Show route diagram map
}}
|map_state   = 
}}

'''''The Ghan''''' ({{IPAc-en|ɡ|æ|n}})<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2b.c0.abc.net.au/abcpronunciation-external/Search.aspx#?S=Ghan|title=Ghan|work=ABC Pronounce|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=5 March 2007|access-date=28 May 2023}}</ref> is an [[experiential travel|experiential tourism]]-oriented passenger train service that operates between the northern and southern coasts of Australia, through the cities of [[Adelaide Parklands Terminal|Adelaide]], [[Alice Springs railway station|Alice Springs]] and [[Darwin railway station|Darwin]] on the [[Adelaide–Darwin rail corridor]]. 

Operated by Adelaide-based [[Journey Beyond]], its scheduled travelling time, including extended stops for passengers to do off-train tours, is 53&nbsp;hours 15&nbsp;minutes to travel the {{convert|2979|km|mi}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/train_006.pdf |title=Trainline 6 Statistical Report |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2018 |website=Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics |page=108 |access-date=3 February 2021 |archive-date=6 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206223827/https://www.bitre.gov.au/sites/default/files/train_006.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name= Timetable>[http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/fares_and_timetables/timetables/ Timetables] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412121449/http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/fares_and_timetables/timetables/ |date=12 April 2016 }} Great Southern Rail</ref> The Ghan has been described as one of the world's greatest passenger trains.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trainreview.com/train/the-ghan|title=TrainReview's guide to The Ghan|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030055719/https://trainreview.com/train/the-ghan|url-status=usurped}}.</ref><ref name="2979 k">{{cite news |last1=Malathronas |first1=John |title=11 of the world's most luxurious train journeys |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/luxury-train-travel/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=8 December 2015 |language=en |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510223907/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/luxury-train-travel/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Etymology==
[[File:Map of Australia's north-south rail corridor (Adelaide to Darwin).tiff|thumb|300px|The standard-gauge route of ''The Ghan'' (line completed to Darwin in 2004); the former narrow-gauge route ([[Central Australia Railway#List of stations, stopping places and localities|Central Australia Railway]], completed to Alice Springs terminus in 1929); and the standard-gauge line to Marree opened in 1957. Click to enlarge.]]
[[File:Govers_011.tif|thumb|The Ghan passing through Heavitree Gap in Alice Springs (Mparntwe) in June 1954]]
[[File:The Ghan train in Central Australia in 2012.jpg|thumb|''The Ghan'' is known for travelling through remarkable scenery on its transcontinental journey]]

The service's name is an abbreviated version of its previous nickname, ''The Afghan Express''. The nickname is reputed to have been bestowed in 1923 by one of its crews.<ref name=RBarrington>{{cite book|last=Barrington R|first=Babbage J|title=History of the Pichi Railway|year=1980|publisher=Pichi Richi Railway Preservation Society|isbn=0-959850-96-1}}</ref> Some suggest the train's name honours [[Afghan cameleers in Australia|Afghan camel drivers]] who arrived in Australia in the late 19th century to help the British colonists find a way to reach the country's interior.<ref>{{cite news|title=Australia: Going, going, Ghan|date=3 March 2004|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/03/03/outback.ghan.ap/|work=CNN|access-date=27 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070911043750/http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/03/03/outback.ghan.ap/|archive-date=11 September 2007}}</ref>

A contrary view is that the name was a veiled insult. In 1891, the railway from [[Quorn railway station|Quorn]] reached remote [[Oodnadatta]] where an itinerant population of around 150 cameleers were based, generically called "Afghans". "The Ghan Express" name originated with train crews in the 1890s as a taunt to officialdom because, when an expensive sleeping car was put on from Quorn to Oodnadatta, "on the first return journey the only passenger was an Afghan", mocking its commercial viability.<ref>''News'' newspaper, 10 July 1937, p. 4.</ref>

By as early as 1924, because of the notorious unreliability of this fortnightly steam train, European pastoralists commonly called it "in ribald fashion The Afghan Express".<ref>''Register'' newspaper, 20 October 1924, p. 9.</ref> By 1951, when [[Steam locomotive|steam engines]] were replaced by [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] locomotives, this disparaging derivation, like the cameleers, had faded away. Modern marketing has completed the name turnabout.

==Operations==
''The Ghan'' was privatised in 1997 and has since then been operated by [[Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions]] (formerly known as Great Southern Rail), initially as part of the [[Serco|Serco Group]]. Great Southern Rail was sold to Allegro Funds, a Sydney investment fund, in March 2015.<ref>[http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/business/south-australias-iconic-train-experience-the-ghan-bought-by-sydney-investment-fund/story-fni6uma6-1227284936534 South Australia’s iconic train experience The Ghan bought by Sydney investment fund] ''The Advertiser'', 30 March 2015. Accessed 31 March 2015.</ref>

The train usually runs once weekly. During December 2012 and January 2013, it ran only once every two weeks.<ref name=Timetable/> Until 2016, a second service operated between June and September, recommencing again in May 2019 due to demand.<ref name=Timetable/><ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-06/great-southern-rail-halves-services-the-ghan-indian-pacific/6676174 Great Southern Rail to halve services on The Ghan, Indian Pacific after Federal Government cuts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118213007/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-06/great-southern-rail-halves-services-the-ghan-indian-pacific/6676174 |date=18 November 2015 }} ''ABC News'', 6 August 2015.</ref> The train stops at Adelaide, Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin; the stops at Alice Springs and Katherine allow time for passengers to take optional tours.<ref>[http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/the_ghan/whistle_stop_tours.jsp "Want to see more of Australia along the way? Just whistle!"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122024950/http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/the_ghan/whistle_stop_tours.jsp |date=22 January 2013 }}, Great Southern Rail website.</ref>

Each train has an average of 28 [[Commonwealth Railways stainless steel carriage stock|stainless steel carriages]], built by [[Commonwealth Engineering|Comeng]], [[Granville, New South Wales|Granville]], in the late 1960s and early 1970s for the ''[[Indian Pacific]]'', plus a [[motorail]] wagon.<ref>[http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/the_ghan/history.jsp "History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202122818/http://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/site/the_ghan/history.jsp |date=2 February 2012 }}, Great Southern Rail website.</ref> The average length of the train is {{convert|774|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/trains/the-ghan|title=The Ghan stats|publisher=Great Southern Rail|access-date=27 March 2019|archive-date=31 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131080703/https://www.greatsouthernrail.com.au/trains/the-ghan|url-status=live}}</ref> Two [[Pacific National]] [[NR class]] locomotives haul the train, previously [[Australian National AN class|AN class]] or a [[Australian National DL class|DL class]] locomotives assisted. Locomotive crews are sourced from Pacific National, with the on-train staff employed by Journey Beyond.

==History==
Starting in August 1929, ''The Ghan'' ran on the [[Central Australia Railway]], originally built as a {{RailGauge|1067 mm}} [[narrow-gauge railway]] to Alice Springs under Chief Engineer, [[Commonwealth Railways]], [[N. G. Bell]]. In 1957, the {{railgauge|1435 mm}} [[standard gauge]] [[Marree railway line|Stirling North to Marree line]] opened, and the ''Ghan'' was curtailed to operate only north of [[Marree railway station|Marree]].{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

In October 1980, the remainder of the line was replaced by a standard-gauge line built to the west of the original line. An extension north from [[Alice Springs railway station|Alice Springs]] to [[Darwin railway station|Darwin]] opened in January 2004.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/09/1073437468664.html?from=storyrhs A distant dream becomes reality] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103085612/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/09/1073437468664.html?from=storyrhs |date=3 November 2012 }} ''[[The Age]]'' 10 January 2004</ref>

===Original Ghan===
Construction of what was then known as the Port Augusta to Government Gums Railway began in 1878 when [[Premier of South Australia]] [[William Jervois]] broke ground at [[Port Augusta railway station|Port Augusta]].<ref name=RBarrington/> The {{Track gauge|1067mm|comma=off}} line reached [[Hawker, South Australia|Hawker]] in June 1880, [[Beltana, South Australia|Beltana]] in July 1881, [[Marree railway station|Marree]] in January 1884 and [[Oodnadatta]] in January 1891.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/heritage/shas/sha_beltana.html|title=Interpreting Beltana's History, interpretative signs around the town|publisher=Heritage South Australia, Government of South Australia|year=2006|access-date=10 September 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060919230728/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/heritage/shas/sha_beltana.html|archive-date=19 September 2006}}</ref> Work on the extension to Alice Springs began in 1926,<ref>{{cite news|first=Barry|last=Mitchell|title=The Ghan|date=26 May 2006|publisher=ABC 2|url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/australiawide/stories/s1648039.htm|work=Australia Wide|access-date=27 January 2008|archive-date=26 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226075632/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/australiawide/stories/s1648039.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> and was completed in 1929. Until then, the final leg of the train journey was still made by camel.<ref name=Tregaskis>{{cite news|first=Moana |last=Tregaskis|title=On the 2&nbsp;pm from Adelaide to Alice |date=16 September 1990|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DE1F3CF935A2575AC0A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print|work=The New York Times|access-date=27 January 2008}}</ref>

Although there were plans from the beginning to extend the line to Darwin, by the time the extension to Alice Springs had been completed, ''The Ghan'' was losing money and the plans for further extension to Darwin were suspended indefinitely.<ref name=Pfeiff>{{cite news |first=Margo |last=Pfeiff |title=Slicing Through Australia's Center |date=5 September 2004 |newspaper=The San Francisco Chronicle |url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Slicing-through-Australia-s-center-Intriguing-2727421.php |access-date=27 January 2008 |archive-date=6 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200206072820/https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Slicing-through-Australia-s-center-Intriguing-2727421.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The original ''Ghan'' line followed the same track as the [[Australian Overland Telegraph Line|overland telegraph]], which is believed to be the route taken by [[John McDouall Stuart]] during his 1862 crossing of Australia.<ref>{{cite news|first=Rosamund|last=Burton|title=Into the Red|date=9 December 2006|url=http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,25917,20932060-5012673,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909152705/http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,25917,20932060-5012673,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 September 2012|work=The Australian|access-date=28 January 2008}}</ref>

''The Ghan'' service was notorious for delays caused by washouts of the track. A [[flatcar]] immediately behind the locomotive carried spare sleepers and railway tools, so passengers and crew could repair the line. The very uncertain service via this route was tolerated because [[steam locomotive]]s needed large quantities of water, and Stuart's route to Alice Springs was the only one that had sufficient available water.{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

Initially operated fortnightly, in the 1930s, it was increased to weekly. From 1956 until 1975, it operated twice weekly, before reverting to a weekly service.<ref>Here & There ''[[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]]'' issue 506 December 1979 page 6</ref>
[[File:Anton_Faymann_041_Auto_Colour.jpg|thumb|The Ghan passing through Heavitree Gap in Alice Springs in 1957 or 1958]]
During [[World War II]], the service had to be greatly expanded, putting great pressure on the limited water supplies. As a result, de-mineralisation towers, some of which survive to this day, were built along the track so that bore water could be used. When a new line to Alice Springs was built in the 1970s, the use of [[diesel locomotive]]s meant that there was far less need for water, thus allowing the line to take the much drier route from [[Tarcoola railway station|Tarcoola]] to Alice Springs.

The last narrow gauge service departed Alice Springs on 26 November 1980.<ref>Here & There ''Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin'' issue 521 March 1981 page 24</ref>

===New line===
In October 1980, a new [[standard gauge]] line from [[Tarcoola railway station|Tarcoola]] on the [[Trans-Australian Railway]] to [[Alice Springs railway station|Alice Springs]] opened, and the train took the form it has today. The new line is approximately {{convert|160|km|mi}} west of the former line in order to avoid [[floodplain]]s where the original line was often washed away during heavy rain.<ref name=Tregaskis/> It was also hoped that the construction of the new line would improve the train's timekeeping.<ref name=Pfeiff/>

The first ''Ghan'' on the new line departed Adelaide on 11 December 1980.<ref>The Window Seat ''[[Network (periodical)|Network]]'' September 1980 page 27</ref> It initially operated as a broad gauge service to [[Port Pirie (Mary Elie Street) railway station|Port Pirie]]. Following the conversion of the [[Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line|Adelaide to Crystal Brook]] to standard gauge in 1982, it operated as a standard gauge train throughout. Operating weekly, a second service was operated between May and October.<ref>The New Ghan ''[[The Railway Magazine]]'' issue 967 November 1981 page 522</ref><ref>Intelligence ''[[Railway Gazette International]]'' June 1982 page 420</ref>

In November 1998, one service per week was extended from Adelaide to [[Southern Cross railway station|Melbourne]] while from April 1999, the other was diverted to operate to [[Central railway station, Sydney|Sydney]] via [[Broken Hill railway station|Broken Hill]].<ref>"GSR Announce Changes to Ghan & Overland" ''[[Railway Digest]]'' August 1998 page 10</ref><ref>GSR's Ghan Commences Melbourne Runs ''[[Catch Point (periodical)|Catch Point]]'' issue 129 January 1999 page 5</ref><ref>"Ghan Sydney Bound in April" ''Railway Digest'' February 1999 page 12</ref><ref>First Run of Ghan to Sydney ''Catch Point'' issue 131 May 1999 page 5</ref> The extensions were withdrawn in November 2002 and March 2003 respectively.<ref>Here & There ''Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin'' issue 786 April 2003 page 152</ref><ref>Last Ghan into Sydney pulls up short ''Railway Digest'' May 2003 page 8</ref>

===Connection to Darwin===
Construction of Alice Springs–Darwin line was believed to be the second-largest civil engineering project in Australia, and the largest since the creation of the [[Snowy Mountains Scheme]].<ref name="irj00">{{Cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-65171913.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160209043504/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-65171913.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 February 2016|title=Work Starts This Month on Alice-Darwin Line|access-date=16 March 2008|date=1 August 2000|author=Ian Hammond|work=International Railway Journal}}</ref><ref name="hon">{{Cite web|url=http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/heritagensw/mar99/7_art.htm |title=Tunnels, Dams & Power Stations |access-date=16 March 2008 |publisher=Heritage Council of NSW |year=1998 |work=Heritage Office News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304201802/http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/heritagensw/mar99/7_art.htm |archive-date=4 March 2012 }}</ref>
Line construction began in July 2001, with the first passenger train reaching Darwin on 3 February 2004, after 126 years of planning and waiting<ref>{{cite web|title=First Train|url=http://www.aarail.com.au/railway/the-project/first-train/|publisher=AustralAsia Railway Corporation|access-date=2 February 2016|archive-date=13 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313021118/http://www.aarail.com.au/railway/the-project/first-train/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=About the Ghan|url=http://www.aant.com.au/Travel/GreatSouthernRail/AbouttheGhan/|publisher=Automobile Association of the Northern Territory|access-date=2 February 2016|archive-date=28 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228212531/http://www.aant.com.au/Travel/GreatSouthernRail/AbouttheGhan/|url-status=live}}</ref> and at a cost of $1.3 billion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Croc Hunter Launches Another Beast|date=25 September 2003|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/25/1064083124591.html|work=The Age|access-date=27 January 2008|location=Melbourne|archive-date=17 December 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031217205512/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/25/1064083124591.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

''The Ghan's'' arrival in Darwin signified a new era of tourism in the [[Northern Territory]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Anne |last=Barker |title=International Journalists Cover the Ghan's Journey |date=3 February 2004 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1037234.htm |work=The World Today Archive |access-date=27 January 2008 |archive-date=11 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511173925/http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2004/s1037234.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> making travel to the region easier and more convenient.<ref>{{cite news |title=Train Track Opens Awesome Outback |date=1 February 2004 |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/01/31/australia.train.ap/ |work= CNN |access-date= 27 January 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070319083723/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/01/31/australia.train.ap/ |archive-date= 19 March 2007}}</ref> The rail link will allow for more freight to travel through the region, leading to a hope that Darwin will serve as another trade link with Asia.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Squires |title= Mile-long Train Blazes New Trail Through Parched Heart of Outback |date=15 January 2004 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/16/wtrain16.xml |work= The Telegraph |access-date= 27 January 2008 |location=London}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In preparation for the connection to Darwin, one of the locomotives was named after wildlife expert [[Steve Irwin]], an international symbol of [[outback]] Australia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leaders.slq.qld.gov.au/inductees/steve-irwin-1962-2006/|title=Steve Irwin (1962-2006)|website=Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame|access-date=19 October 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816105253/http://leaders.slq.qld.gov.au/inductees/steve-irwin-1962-2006/|archive-date=16 August 2017}}</ref> to promote the new service and tourism to the region.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ghan's New 'Steve Irwin' Loco to Bring Tourists to Top End|date=26 September 2003|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/09/26/954373.htm|work=ABC News|access-date=27 January 2008|archive-date=22 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222045925/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/09/26/954373.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Suspension during pandemic ===
The Ghan was suspended for five months from March to August 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions and border closures – the longest suspension in the train's existence. The first post-COVID train departed Adelaide for Darwin on 31 August 2020. The train would later be suspended again on its final run of the 2020 season due to a lockdown in South Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Return date for Australia's famous Ghan announced|url=https://trainreview.com/news/return-date-for-australias-famous-ghan-announced|access-date=2020-09-02|website=trainreview.com|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030125104/https://trainreview.com/news/return-date-for-australias-famous-ghan-announced|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

==Media depictions==
The original ''Ghan'' was featured in an episode of [[BBC Television]]'s series ''[[Great Railway Journeys of the World]]'' in 1980, presented by [[Michael Frayn]].

The modern ''Ghan'' featured in an episode of [[Channel 5 (UK)|Channel 5]] series ''[[Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways]]'', and the ''[[Mighty Trains]]'' series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.discovery.ca/extra/mighty-trains |title=Watch video online &#124; Discovery |website=Discovery.ca |access-date=27 August 2017 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828013133/http://www.discovery.ca/extra/mighty-trains |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2018, it was also the subject of [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] [[slow television]] documentary ''The Ghan: Australia's Greatest Train Journey''. The entire journey from Adelaide to Darwin which was filmed in 2017, was condensed into a three-hour highlights show with no voiceover or narration, much of it featuring footage directly from the front of the locomotive and various helicopter views.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/tv-ratings/this-should-be-the-most-boring-show-on-tv-but-people-love-it/news-story/3f3300ec3768aa05ac70e88b0cf9ea0a|title=This should be the most boring show on TV but people love it|website=news.com.au|date=10 January 2018|access-date=18 January 2019|archive-date=7 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107221145/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/tv-ratings/this-should-be-the-most-boring-show-on-tv-but-people-love-it/news-story/3f3300ec3768aa05ac70e88b0cf9ea0a|url-status=live}}</ref> An extended 17-hour version of the show aired on SBS's secondary channel, [[SBS Viceland]].<ref>[https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/sbs-to-air-17hour-episode-of-slow-tv-hit-the-ghan-20180111-h0go26.html SBS to air 17-hour episode of 'slow TV' hit The Ghan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121432/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/sbs-to-air-17hour-episode-of-slow-tv-hit-the-ghan-20180111-h0go26.html |date=19 January 2019 }} ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 11 January 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.</ref>

In October 2019, the train featured in BBC Two's episode one of [[Michael Portillo|Michael Portillo's]] ''[[Great Australian Railway Journeys]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009v31|title=BBC Two - Great Australian Railway Journeys, Series 1, Port Augusta to Darwin: The Ghan|date=2019|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=29 October 2019|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020162434/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009v31|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Ghan is the setting of Benjamin Stevenson's 2023 novel, ''Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect'', in which a group of crime writers attempt to solve a murder on board the train.<ref>{{cite web |title=Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/benjamin-stevenson/everyone-on-this-train-is-a-suspect/ |website=Kirkus Reviews |access-date=20 October 2024 |language=en |date=17 November 2023}}</ref>

==Noteworthy incidents==
* On 24 October 2002, ''The Ghan'' collided with a school bus in [[Salisbury, South Australia]]. Four people on the bus were killed, but there were no significant injuries to ''Ghan'' passengers.<ref>{{cite news |first=Penelope |last=Debelle |title=Four Die After Ghan Collides with Packed School Bus |date=25 October 2002 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/24/1035416934419.html |work=The Age |access-date=27 January 2008 |location=Melbourne |archive-date=31 May 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040531202347/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/10/24/1035416934419.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*On 12 December 2006, ''The Ghan'' collided with a [[Road train|truck]] at a level crossing and derailed {{convert|35|km}} south of [[Adelaide River, Northern Territory|Adelaide River]] in the [[Northern Territory]]. Seven of the eleven carriages came off the tracks. One woman was critically injured; other passengers received only minor injuries. The truck driver involved was arrested, according to the NT police,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ghan-derailment-victim-critical/2006/12/13/1165685714582.html |title=Ghan derailment victim critical |date=13 December 2006 |access-date=13 December 2006 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |publisher=[[Australian Associated Press]] |archive-date=6 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606170320/http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ghan-derailment-victim-critical/2006/12/13/1165685714582.html |url-status=live }}</ref> charged and found guilty<ref>{{cite news |title=Court finds Ghan crash driver guilty |date=1 December 2007 |url=http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2007/12/01/2741_ntnews.html |work=National Nine News |access-date=19 December 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> of a number of charges related to the accident.
* On 4 March 2007, rain washed out a portion of the track between Darwin and Adelaide River. During the period of repairs, trains terminated at [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Rains Wash Section of Ghan Rail Link |date=4 March 2007 |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Rains-wash-section-of-Ghan-rail-link/2007/03/04/1172943259959.html |work=The Age |access-date=27 January 2008 |location=Melbourne |archive-date=2 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102155056/http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Rains-wash-section-of-Ghan-rail-link/2007/03/04/1172943259959.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*On 6 August 2007, ''The Ghan'' collided with a sewage [[Road train|truck]] at a level crossing {{Convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Adelaide]] in South Australia. Three passengers suffered from shock and minor injuries. The truck driver was temporarily trapped in his vehicle.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/travel/ghan-train-smashes-into-truck/2007/08/06/1186252597897.html|title=Ghan train smashes into truck|date=6 August 2007|access-date=6 August 2007|work=[[The Age]]|publisher=[[Australian Associated Press]]|location=Melbourne|archive-date=2 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102155102/http://www.theage.com.au/news/travel/ghan-train-smashes-into-truck/2007/08/06/1186252597897.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*On 6 June 2009, a nineteen-year-old American tourist clung to the outside of ''The Ghan'' for two hours and {{convert|200|km}} when he was locked out of the train following a stop in Port Augusta. A technician heard his screams and stopped the train.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Loughlin |first=Toni |title=American tourist defies death on train across Australian desert |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/08/train-american-tourist-australia-chad-vance |access-date=24 July 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=8 Jun 2009 |archive-date=24 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724093458/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/08/train-american-tourist-australia-chad-vance |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>

File:Ghan passengers stretch their legs, winter ca 1948 at Finke (Dorothy Pyatt -- SLSA B 77447-51).jpg|Ghan passengers stretch their legs at one of the many stops to take on water – [[Finke, Northern Territory|Finke]], north of the [[South Australia]] / [[Northern Territory]] border, winter ca 1948

File:Central Australia Railway -- The Ghan (narrow-gauge) climbing out of the Finke River depression, probably May 1974 (Hugh S Williams).jpg|Flash floods regularly washed away bridges and track on the narrow-gauge railway. ''The Ghan'' is climbing out of the Finke River depression after track was laid on the river bed as a cheap solution.

File:Ghan train crossing flooded Finke River, Northern Territory, Australia ca 13 Feb 1953 (Peter Dunham).jpg|Proceeding through the Finke River was possible with trains hauled by steam locomotives but not with [[Diesel locomotive#Diesel–electric|diesel-electrics because of their low-slung traction motors]]

File:Central Australia Railway -- The Ghan (narrow-gauge) ready to depart Alice Springs ca 1973 (Hugh S Williams).jpg|''The Ghan'' in the narrow-gauge diesel-hauled era (pre-1980): the train, headed by an [[Commonwealth Railways NJ class|NJ class]] locomotive, is ready to depart Alice Springs, about 1973

File:Restaurant car old Ghan-train.jpg|A latter-day narrow-gauge ''Ghan'' restaurant car retained at the [[Old Ghan Heritage Railway and Museum]], [[Alice Springs]], in 2009

File:The Ghan at Darwin station (across the lawns), 2005.jpg|''The Ghan'' at [[Darwin railway station]], East Arm, in 2005

File:NR45 + NR10 + Ghan Alice Springs, 2015 (02).JPG|''The Ghan'', southbound, on the curve into Alice Springs, 2015

File:NR45 + NR10 + Ghan Alice Springs, 2015 (03).JPG|The train, further back, looking towards Alice Springs

File:Ghan awaiting departure in Darwin - panoramio.jpg|''The Ghan'' at [[Darwin railway station|Darwin station]] in 2011; the [[NR class|locomotive]] was one of several bearing the train's logo and red livery

File:Ghan-Loco.jpg|''The Ghan'' at its southern departure point, the [[Adelaide Parklands Terminal]]
File:First-class restaurant car on The Ghan train, 2009.jpg|The first-class restaurant car on ''The Ghan'' (standard gauge), 2009

File:Pichi Richi Railway diesel locomotive NSU52 crosses Saltia Bridge, near Quorn, South Australia, with passenger train on 26 Oct 2019 (Caleb Jenkins).jpg|An [[Commonwealth Railways NSU class|NSU class]] diesel locomotive that hauled ''The Ghan'' in the narrow-gauge era, now operating at the [[Pichi Richi Railway]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{cite book|last=Bromby|first=Robin|title=Rails to the Top End: the Adelaide-Darwin transcontinental railway|year=2004|publisher=Paul Fitzsimons|location=Alice Springs, NT|isbn=0958176019|edition=4th}}
*{{cite book|last=Fuller|first=Basil|title=The Ghan: the story of the Alice Springs railway|year=2012|publisher=New Holland Publishers|location=Chatswood, NSW|isbn=9781742572758}}
*{{cite book|last1=Grady|first1=Ian|last2=Fuchs|first2=Don|title=The Ghan - Australia's grand rail journey: Adelaide to Darwin via the Red Centre and Top End|year=2007|publisher=Golden Gecko Press|location=Winston Hills, NSW|isbn=9780980371604}}
*{{cite news |last=Brunhouse |first=Jay |title=All Aboard! New Ghan: out of Darwin |url=http://www.intltravelnews.com/2013/05/all-aboard-%C2%BB-new-ghan-out-darwin |access-date=24 October 2013 |newspaper=International Travel News |date=July 2006 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191621/http://www.intltravelnews.com/2013/05/all-aboard-%C2%BB-new-ghan-out-darwin |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite news|last=Rickard|first=Lucy|title=Iconic outback train trip|url=http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-feature/the-iconic-outback-train-trip-20120501-1xx14.html|access-date=7 May 2014|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 June 2012|archive-date=29 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429002822/http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-feature/the-iconic-outback-train-trip-20120501-1xx14.html|url-status=live}}
*{{cite web|last1=Huxley|first1=John|title=On board The Ghan: travelling Adelaide to Darwin on a luxury train|url=http://www.traveller.com.au/making-tracks-on-the-ghan-grorbi|website=Traveller.com.au|publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]|access-date=8 January 2018|date=28 September 2016|archive-date=8 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180108123000/http://www.traveller.com.au/making-tracks-on-the-ghan-grorbi|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*{{Wikivoyage inline}}
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://nla.gov.au/nla.aus-vn2594535 The Ghan ephemera] digitised and held by the [[National Library of Australia]]
*[https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/1124160067596 The Ghan Australia's Greatest Train Journey] 3-hour "[[Slow television|Slow TV]]" documentary by [[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS TV]], first broadcast 7 January 2018 (video not accessible outside Australia)
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bq3jnv The Ghan Australia's Greatest Train Journey] aired on [[BBC Four]] on 28 October 2018

{{AustralianInterstateRail|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghan}}
[[Category:Adelaide-Darwin railway corridor]]
[[Category:Interstate rail in Australia]]
[[Category:Luxury trains]]
[[Category:Named passenger trains of Australia]]
[[Category:Railway services introduced in 1929]]
[[Category:Passenger rail transport in the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Rail transport in South Australia]]
[[Category:1929 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Motorail]]