Community & Business
28 October, 2021
130 years of railway history
QUEENSLAND Rail celebrated the 130th anniversary of both the Kuranda Scenic Railway (KSR) and the Gulflander at recent separate ceremonies.
Both the trains have a deep history rooted within the North Queensland mining rushes of the Tablelands and Palmer regions in the 1800s.
After majority of the mines went dry the trains turned to freight before finally establishing themselves as iconic tourist trains exploring the remote and beautiful parts of Far North Queensland.
Queensland Rail North Queensland operations manager Steven Ballegooyen said Kuranda Scenic Railway is a popular tourism railway, moving around 2000 customers per day in peak periods.
“It is a very popular service so usually pre-COVID we were moving about 450,000 customers on the services,” he said.
“The railway was completed in 1891 which is why we are celebrating the 130 years this year.
“From a tourism perspective, the KSR takes tourists into Kuranda, it’s one of the way a tourist can get from Cairns to Kuranda without driving up and down the range.”
Mr Ballegooyen said it was important to celebrate these engineering feats 130 years on.
To commemorate the 130- year celebration, frontline workers are being rewarded with free travel on the KSR between October 20 and December 10 and all locals will receive half price Heritage Class seats until the 10th of December.
