Alice Springs railway station is on the Adelaide–Darwin line in the town of that name.Alice Springs map SA Track & Signal
History The original railway station, in Railway Terrace, was opened on 2 August 1929, when the narrow-gauge Great Northern railway was extended there from Oodnadatta and named the Central Australia Railway. For the first 11 months, the station had the same name as the fledgling adjacent township, "Stuart", named after the explorer John McDouall Stuart. However, Australia-wide the locality had become widely known as Alice Springs, the name of the telegraph station to the township's north. Citing that reason, the Commonwealth Railways announced a change to that name on 8 July 1930.
Replacing a wooden structure, the present station servicing the new standard-gauge line opened on 9 October 1980 when a new line opened from Tarcoola.Fourth Council 1980-1984 Alice Springs Town Council The station was included in the sale of Australian National's passenger operations to Great Southern Rail on 1 November 1997."Goodbye AN passenger, hello Great Southern Railway" Railway Digest December 1997 page 7 It served as the terminus until the line was extended to Darwin in February 2004.
The building, designed by Adelaide architect Guy Maron, was awarded the Northern Territory Enduring Architecture Award in 2015, 35 years after its opening.
Station features In the foyer of the current station is a memorial by sculptor Gabriel Sterk commemorating the Afghan cameleers who transported supplies to Central Australia before the building of the railway line.The Ghan Memorial Monument Australia
Services Alice Springs station is served by the experiential tourist train, The Ghan, usually operating weekly in each direction.The Ghan Timetable April to December 2021 Journey Beyond
References
External links
Station details Australian Rail Maps Route Information Tarcoola to Alice Springs Chris' Commonwealth Railways