Cairns by train · Cairns by train
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Cairns by train
Cairns by train
Cairns Station is right in the city centre, easily within walking distance of the waterfront and most hotels.
Queensland Railways Tilt train and The Sunlander services connect Cairns to Brisbane (via Townsville and Rockhampton), taking 32 hr for the full journey. Even though the Tilt Train reaches speeds of 160km/h between Townsville and Brisbane, the diesel Tilt Train running between Brisbane and Cairns runs at a maximum of 80km/h between Townsville and Cairns due to the poor alignment of the line. Although a trip between Townsville and Cairns takes 4 hours by car, it can take over 7 hr by train.
The Tilt Train departs Cairns for Brisbane at 9:15AM on Wednesdays and Sundays, arriving at Townsville at 3:15PM and Brisbane at 9:10AM the next day.
The Sunlander departs Cairns for Brisbane at 9:15AM on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving at Townsville at 4:10PM and Brisbane at 3:55PM the next day.
The Kuranda Scenic Railway , also operated by Queensland Rail , runs from Cairns to Kuranda, stopping over the majestic Barron Gorge to allow passengers to leave the train and enjoy the beautiful view over the water.
Trains depart Cairns at 8:30AM and 9:30AM daily arriving at Kuranda at 10:15AM and 11:15AM.
The Savannahlander also travels from Cairns to Kuranda but then continues on to the outback town of Forsayth. It leaves Cairns at 6:30AM every Wednesday with a compulsory overnight stop at Almaden (with transfers available to Chillagoe), before arriving at Forsayth Station at 5:45PM on Thursday. The Savannahlander does not run between December and March.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Cairns
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Cairns - updated May 2024
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Cairns Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.