The Overland is the renowned train that journeys in between Adelaide and Melbourne within Australia and has now been serving the tracks for over 130 years, beginning in 1887. The train experience is through landscapes which is a substantial part of Australia’s heart as well as historical past. The name of the train is the ‘Overland’, even so it can get inaccurately referred to as ‘Overlander’ more often than not. This train was the country’s initial interstate passenger train trip that runs between state capitals. The Overland train first commenced in 1887 after the rail line in between Adelaide and Melbourne were first constructed. This train was to start with run as a joint venture with the Victorian Railways Organization and the South Australian Railways Organization and at that period it was named the ‘The Inter-colonial Express’ and later named the ‘The Adelaide Express’. The train travels between Melbourne’s Spencer Street station (now named Southern Cross Station) and also the Adelaide train station in North Terrace, Adelaide. The Overland used to run during the night and provided sleeping carriages and sitting carriages and for some years an eating car.

The train was re-named as “The Overland” in 1926. In the late 1940s a fresh fleet of steel made air-conditioned carriages was constructed and included in the train. The original steam locomotives were swapped out with diesel engine locomotives in 1953. In 1997 the service was bought out by Great Southern Railway after becoming privatized by the government. The Overland currently is operated by a private company with the business name of Journey Beyond. Following 120 years of operating as a night trip, the schedule was changed to being a daylight train. The Overland now goes two times weekly each way between Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station, which is in Spencer Street, Melbourne to the Adelaide Parklands Station in Keswick, South Australia. The train does stop at quite a few towns on the way to pick up and drop off passengers. The Overland currently leaves Southern Cross every Tuesday and Saturday morning at 8:05am, getting to the Adelaide Parklands Station at 5:40pm. This journey lasts practically all day. Coming back, the Overland leaves Adelaide Parklands Terminal at 7:45am and reaches Melbourne’s Southern Cross station at 6:50pm. The Overland has two classes of travel, standard and premium (first class) and has a dining carriage.

There is certainly some political concern around the Overland. Airfares in between Adelaide and Melbourne are priced significantly less as opposed to train costs that makes it challenging for the train to be reasonably competitive considering the travel times. Since 2007, the train continues to work having a $1.5 million annual input coming from the Victorian State Government. The South Australian Government supports the service included in a $1 million arrangement with the business. Opinions happen to be made with the financial assistance will not be continuing with the present contract with the Victoria State Government in place until June 2023. The South Australian state government quit helping the train back in 2018. The argument for the financial aid certainly is the provision of the train program to rural communities between Adelaide and Melbourne since among those towns are really reliant on the train support since its their only means of transportation for quite a few.