The Ghan passengers flown to Darwin after flooding cuts off track

The first of the Ghan passengers for the 2023 travel season have arrived in Darwin, but not by train. Read what the guests thought about their unique experience.

The final leg of the iconic Ghan journey from Adelaide to Darwin was forced to take to the skies after flooding washed away part of the train track.

Hundreds of passengers scheduled on the luxury getaway traded their first-class cabins for economy airplane seats to finish their travels, as they flew into Darwin from Alice Springs on Tuesday afternoon.

Chaotic scenes ensued as the guests made their way from the Darwin airport tarmac to the bus terminal.

British traveller Rob Atherton said he was not pleased about the abrupt end to his scenic train getaway. Picture: Floss Adams.

One overseas tourist Rob Atherton said he was not happy with the change of travel plans.

“I’m a bit annoyed to be honest,” he said.

“I’ve come all the way from England and we won’t be back here again.”

He said he would be “going with the flow” with the tour group while spending two nights in Darwin before travelling to Cairns.

But not all passengers saw the changes to their scheduled travels as negative.

“The trip from Adelaide to Alice Springs was fantastic,” West Australian resident Sally Dashel, who was travelling with her son Shanhun said.

She said the train travelled past Alice Springs and as far as they could get before turning around and flying out of Alice Springs on Tuesday morning.

“We missed out on Katherine, but were told we’d get a refund,” she said.

Mother and Son Sally and Shanhun Dashel remained optimistic about the remainder of their Top End holiday. Picture: Floss Adams.

She said the pair were excited to spend a week in Darwin for the first time ever.

“We’re here to do some fishing and see the sights,” she said.

The train line, which services the experiential train journey ran by Journey Beyond as well freight operations ran by Aurizon, has been affected by wild weather across the Top End.

A section north of Tennant Creek was washed away and has been closed since Friday.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said repairs to the railway would be finished shortly.

“The advice we received is (the repairs) should only be another day or so,” he said.

“There hasn’t been substantial infrastructure damage — it’s been to the balise which is much easier for the contractors to be able to replace.”

The Ghan operators Journey Beyond have been contacted for comment.

A message on its website apologised for any inconvenience caused and that affected customers had been informed.

The Ghan holiday makers land via plane at the Darwin Airport after an unexpected end to their scenic train getaway. Picture: Floss Adams.

“We have been notified that the train line south of Katherine has been closed overnight due to flooding that may lead to a disruption to The Ghan travelling from Adelaide to Darwin on the 5th of March, and travelling from Darwin to Adelaide on the 8th of March.

“Please know we are committed to retaining as much of The Ghan experience as possible, as well as getting you to your destination as close to our planned time as possible for onward travel.

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said consideration would be made into whether a second railway line was needed.

“Assessments are made once we see weakpoints that are impacted, can that be more resilient and that’s something that the railway operator will take into consideration,” she said.

Originally published as The Ghan passengers flown to Darwin after flooding cuts off track