Kuranda Scenic Railway

Kuranda railway station
Overview
Headquarters	Brisbane
Locale	Kuranda
Dates of operation	1891–present
Technical
Track gauge	1,067 mm
Length	37 km (23 mi)
Other
Website	www.ksr.com.au

The Kuranda Scenic Railway is a tourist railway service that operates along the heritage-listed Cairns-to-Kuranda railway line. Constructed in 1891, the line runs from Cairns, Queensland, over the Great Dividing Range to the town of Kuranda on the Atherton Tableland. Along the way, the route passes through the Macalister Range, as well as the suburbs of Stratford, Freshwater and Redlynch. Along the way, the train also stops at a lookout, which provides views of Barron Falls.^{[citation needed]}

Train services operate every day of the year except on Christmas Day. A one-way trip takes approximately one hour and 55 minutes.^[1]

The railway line is 37 km (23 mi) in length.^[2] It is still used for some freight services and other passenger services, including The Savannahlander.^{[citation needed]}

Attractions

The tropical gardens at Kuranda rail station are a well-known attraction in the area. Downhill, the line cuts through the Barron Gorge National Park. The tourist train stops at a lookout, with a sweeping view of Barron Falls. The route passes a number of smaller waterfalls, including Stoney Creek Falls. From the station, it’s a short walk into town where there is a zoo, markets, art galleries and ethnic Aboriginal crafts. At the bottom of the mountain, Freshwater railway station has an information centre, a gift shop, and a café that is housed inside an old train carriage. As the train travels up and down, a detailed and informative commentary of the railways' construction is provided.^{[citation needed]}

History

Construction of the railway began in 1886.^[3] The railway was completed as far as Kuranda by 1891. Passenger services began operations on 25 June 1891.^[4]

Many people died during the construction of the numerous tunnels and bridges of the line. 15 hand-made tunnels and 37 bridges were built to climb from sea level to 328 metres (1,076 ft) up the Macalister Range.^[3] Three million cubic metres of earth had to be excavated during construction.^[2]

The first operation of a tourist train from Cairns to Kuranda was in 1936, using four longitudinal seating carriages.^[5] In 1995, major repairs had to be carried out after a severe rock fall damaged the track. On 26 March 2010, the train was derailed by a landslide injuring 5 of the 250 passengers on board.^[6] The service was closed until 7 May 2010 in which during its closing, a geotechnical review of the track and risk assessments were completed.^[7]

Awards

In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Kuranda Scenic Railway was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "structure and engineering feat".^[8]