Cairns railway station

Cairns railway station is a railway station in Cairns City, Queensland, Australia, serving the city of Cairns. The stations is the terminus of the North Coast line from Brisbane and the terminus for the Tablelands railway line to the Atherton Tableland. Two tourist railway services operate from here: the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Savannahlander. The station has two platforms. It is integrated with the Cairns Central Shopping Centre, with the platforms being built underneath parking areas.

Cairns
Station front in January 2013
LocationBunda Street, Cairns
Coordinates16.9257°S 145.7712°E / -16.9257; 145.7712
Owned byQueensland Rail
Operated byTraveltrain
Line(s)North Coast
Kuranda
Distance1679.83 kilometres from Central
Platforms2 side
Tracks2
Construction
Structure typeGround
Disabled accessYes
History
Rebuilt7 May 1996
Services
Preceding station   Queensland Rail   Following station
toward Brisbane
Spirit of QueenslandTerminus
TerminusKuranda Scenic Railway
toward Kuranda
Location
Cairns
Location within Queensland

History

The original station was built in 1891, as part of the opening of the first stage of the Tablelands railway to Atherton Tableland, extended over many years to many branches, serving timber, mining, pastoral and tobacco resources. The station building was two-storey timber, with ornate verandahs: typical of tropical architecture of the era.

The 1897 Mulgrave Shire Tramway headed south, was extended, then was absorbed into the North Coast Railway, connecting Brisbane to Cairns via many coastal towns which had hitherto been ports for railways to the hinterland. That route was completed in 1924, and Cairns became a major tourist destination; the line was known as the Sunshine Route; new stock was built in the 1930s for the main train, now named Sunshine Express.

After years of WWII and postwar austerity, the Queensland Railways Department embarked on improvements in the early 1950s. New airconditioned trains were added on key routes: the Brisbane - Cairns one was named The Sunlander. Cairns railway station was rebuilt in 1955: two storey cream brick of modern design. As the first modern station, and serving a major destination, it featured prominently in publicity material. Unlike other main stations on the line, it didn't gain a full dining room or bar, just a snackbar kiosk.

As well as the Brisbane trains, the station served regional and commuter trains south and inland: mainly railmotors of three vintages, plus some mixed trains.[1] These were withdrawn progressively. The extensive yards and loco facilities opposite the station were closed and dismantled to release the site for redevelopment. Surviving freight and servicing facilities were relocated to be adjacent to the cargo port. The tracks to the south were relocated out of street running and via the port too. The current station was opened by the Minister for Transport Vaughan Johnson on 7 May 1996, on the side of the site opposite the August 1955 station. It was built as part of the Cairns Central Shopping Centre and is underground the shopping centre's car park.[2]

Services

Cairns is the terminus of Traveltrain's Spirit of Queensland service.[3]

It is the starting point for Kuranda Scenic Railway, as well as scenic rail services including the Savannahlander.

Cairns station is the starting point for Premier Motor Services services to Brisbane.[4]

References
  1. Armstrong & Kerr 'Sunshine route jubilee' ARHS Qld Div. 1975
  2. "New Cairns Station Opened" Railway Digest June 1996 page 17
  3. "Spirit of Queensland timetable" (PDF). Queensland Rail Travel. 14 December 2018.
  4. Timetables Archived 10 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine Premier Motor Services

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