In late 1997, Great Southern Rail was the successful bidder for the Passenger Rail business of Australian National. This made Great Southern Rail the first government owned transcontinental passenger business to be privatised in Australia. Great Southern Rail originally consisted of a consortium of Australian and International financiers, operators and service providers. These partners all contributed solid financial backing. In October 1999, Serco Asia Pacific bought out the other partners, placing the company in a strong position for future growth.

Great Southern Rail is in the tourism business over and above being a rail transport operator. Great Southern Rail is customer focussed and committed to growth of tourism in Australia. Recent initiatives, eg. launch of the Great Southern Rail holiday program, the extension of The Ghan journey to Darwin, the relaunch of the newly refurbished Overland, the launch of Platinum Service and the launch of The Southern Sprit are evidence of this commitment.

Company Facts

Owner/ Operator
Great Southern Rail operates three trains: the Indian Pacific (Sydney-Adelaide-Perth), The Ghan (Adelaide-Alice Springs - Darwin), The Overland (Melbourne-Adelaide), The Southern Spirit (8 Transcontinental Journeys).

Mission Statement
Great experiences, exceptional service and shared adventures on journeys through a rich diversity of Australian landscapes inspiring a passion for travel by train.

Established
Great Southern Rail took over the operation of the three trains from Australian National Passenger Rail in November 1997.

The Company
Great Southern Rail is now owned by Serco Asia Pacific, a multi industry sector facilities manager. Within the rail industry, Serco also operates the Docklands light rail in London.

Chief Executive Officer
Tony Braxton-Smith