Tilt Train

This article is about Queensland Rail's Tilt Train service in Australia. For tilting trains in general, see tilting train.

Tilt Train is the brand name for the high-speed tilting train service operated by Queensland Rail. The service runs on the North Coast line from Brisbane to Bundaberg and Rockhampton, serving the intermediate towns of Gympie, Maryborough and Gladstone. The service operates using Electric Tilt Train rolling stock.

Tilt Train

Tilt Train Wordmark
Overview
Service type	Passenger
Current operator(s)	Queensland Rail
Route
Termini	Brisbane Bundaberg Rockhampton
Line(s) used	North Coast
Technical
Rolling stock	Electric Tilt Train

v t e Tilt Train[1][2]
Legend
Brisbane (Roma Street) Caboolture Landsborough[a] Nambour Cooroy[a] Gympie North Maryborough West Howard[a] Bundaberg Miriam Vale[a] Gladstone Mount Larcom[a] Rockhampton

History

On 6 November 1998, Australia's first pair of tilting trains entered service between Brisbane and Rockhampton. Simply marketed as the "Tilt Train", the journey time was reduced from nine hours to seven hours. In July 1999, a second daily service was introduced between Brisbane and Bundaberg. In May 2003, the Tilt Train service completely replaced the Spirit of Capricorn service.

Rolling stock

Main article: Electric Tilt Train

Tilt Train at Roma Street

With a top service speed of 160 km/h (100 mph) and the ability to tilt five degrees in each direction, the Electric Tilt Train is one of the fastest trains in Australia. The train has a similar maximum allowed speed to the V/Line VLocity, the Transwa Prospector railcar and the New South Wales XPT, although the XPT is rarely able to achieve its maximum operating speed due to track condition and curvature. In May 1999, the train achieved a top speed of 210 km/h under test conditions.^[3]

Economy Class interior

The Electric Tilt Train features 2×2 Economy class seating and 1×2 Business class seating. All seats include an audio and visual entertainment system. A trolley service is provided in Business class, and an onboard cafe is available on some journeys.^[4] Wi-Fi internet access was introduced in 2016.^[5]

Awards

In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Tilt Train was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an iconic "innovation and invention".^[6]

See also

• High-speed rail in Australia