The Electric Tilt Train is the name for two identical high-speed

tilting train A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train (or other vehicle) rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide abo ...

s operated by

Queensland Rail Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

on the North Coast line from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

and

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

which entered service in November 1998.

History

In March 1993,

issued a tender for the construction of two electric six-carriage

s. In October 1994, a contract was awarded to Walkers, Maryborough with

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

to supply the electrical and tilting equipment. QUEENSLAND RAIL TILT TRAIN CONSIST (1998)

After an extensive program, on 6 November 1998, Australia's first pair of tilting trains entered service on the ''Spirit of Capricorn'' between

and

. With a journey time of seven hours, they shaved over two hours from the schedule operated by

InterCity Express The Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE ()) is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany. It also serves some destinations in Austria, Denmark (ceased in 2017 but planned to resume in 2022), France, Belgium, Switzerla ...

sets. In July 1999, a second daily service was introduced between Brisbane and Bundaberg. Using traction equipment based on the

JR Shikoku 8000 series The is a tilting limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train operated by Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku) in Shikoku, Japan, since 1992. Operations * ''Ishizuchi The is a limited express train service in Japan operated by JR Shi ...

trains, the Tilt Train set an Australian train speed record of north of

in May 1999, a record that still stands. This also makes it the fastest narrow-gauge train in the world. In 2006, the electric sets underwent an $8.3 million refurbishment program at Mayne depot. In 2015, the tilt train sets again undertook refurbishment over the course of 12 months with the addition of high visibility yellow doors, and a modification of the front ends. The traction packages were given a complete overhaul to extend the life of the tilt train. The trains also had

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wave ...

installed to enable wireless internet for passengers. The first refurbished set re-entered service in July 2016. The second refurbished set re-entered service in July 2017.

Routes

City of Maryborough Platform 10 Roma Street Station Brisbane P1310695

Commencing in 1998, the electric Tilt Train operates from

. With a top service speed of and the ability to tilt five degrees in each direction, the Tilt Train is the fastest train in Australia, but has the same maximum allowed service speed as the

V/Line VLocity The V/Line VLocity, sometimes called the VLocity 160, is a diesel multiple unit train built by Bombardier Transportation (later Alstom) in Dandenong for V/Line, the regional rail operator in Victoria. Continuously in production since 2003, ...

train which operates in Victoria. The train operates the on the North Coast line and serves the intermediate towns of

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River (Queen ...

, Maryborough,

and

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. The Electric Tilt Trains run in a

multiple unit A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contr ...

configuration. A short-turn service from to also started in 2014. The electric Tilt Train features 2×2 economy seating, and 1×2 business class seating, mainscreen visual entertainment along with in-seat audio entertainment. Economy class passengers have a regular trolley service and a buffet style galley food service, while business class has a frequent trolley service and passenger attendants to tend to the needs of the passengers.

Notes and references

External links

SpecificationsTilt TrainFlickr gallery
{{Public transport in Queensland Electric multiple units of Queensland High-speed rail Named passenger trains of Queensland Tilting trains 1997 establishments in Australia 25 kV AC multiple units