Media Release 4 November 1998 Open House on Wheels On Saturday, 7 November 1998 the legendary Ghan train will be open to the public at Platform One, Spencer Street Station, Melbourne. The Ghan will be on display from 10am to 4pm. This is the first time The Ghan has been to Melbourne for an open day. This is an exciting opportunity for the Melbourne community to inspect a world class train. The Open Day is to celebrate the extension of The Ghan service from Melbourne to Alice Springs from 18 November 1998. The original Adelaide to Alice Springs service has been extended to leave Melbourne to Alice Springs via Adelaide and return on a weekly basis. First Class and Holiday Class Sleeper carriages, dining and lounge cars, one Coach Class carriage and a National Rail locomotive, painted in an aboriginal design will be open for public viewing. Open Day is a fantastic chance for Melburnians to view The Ghan before Sydneysiders, as the train does not commence services from Sydney until April next year. A Ghan merchandise stand and information booth will be set up on Platform One. Admission to the Open Day is free. A fantastic discount of 20% off the price of travelling on The Ghan will be available on the day. To collect this discount, visitors to The Ghan Open Day need to collect a flyer from Great Southern Railway staff. The Melbourne to Alice Springs journey will take 36 hours and travel an amazing 2,383 kilometres. The Ghan will leave Spencer Street Station, Melbourne, each Wednesday evening and will accommodate 275 passengers. Great Southern Railway staff will be on hand to answer any questions about The Ghan and the other two trains that they operate - The Indian Pacific and The Overland. *ENDS* Prepared and issued by Savage Communications on behalf of Great Southern Railway. For further information on Open Day or any of the three trains, please contact: Leslie de Wit Emma Sturgiss Great Southern Railway Savage Communications Tel: 08 8213 4520 Tel: 02 9959 3822 Mob: 0419 848 507 Mob: 0412 457 321