Queensland Great Train Rip-off

[Hogbay]

Dora Cairns 7 nights PNG on 25th May thought would try the train . Just got quote NSW Concession on Qld rail  one way $279 pp from Brisbane to Cairns. A Sydney to Brisbane XPT is $65.13 !!! Virgin Brisbane Cairns $119 . Got to find some backpackers they would have the low down 🙃

[MicCanberra]

Trains in Australia are not cheap and definitely not fast.

[Sparky74]

We are considering going back to Alaska next year. I investigated the Rocky Mountaineer as part of the land portion of our trip. I’m afraid the fare is out of our price range. The term, "eye-watering", springs to mind. 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, Sparky74 said:

We are considering going back to Alaska next year. I investigated the Rocky Mountaineer as part of the land portion of our trip. I’m afraid the fare is out of our price range. The term, "eye-watering", springs to mind. 

The same trip is much more flexible via tour coach. Much more to see, and they will stop for photo ops. Another alternate is on the public option - ViaRail.

[arxcards]

4 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Dora Cairns 7 nights PNG on 25th May thought would try the train . Just got quote NSW Concession on Qld rail  one way $279 pp from Brisbane to Cairns. A Sydney to Brisbane XPT is $65.13 !!! Virgin Brisbane Cairns $119 . Got to find some backpackers they would have the low down 🙃

Greyhound is $350.

 

I would go with the flight.

[mr walker]

1 hour ago, Sparky74 said:

We are considering going back to Alaska next year. I investigated the Rocky Mountaineer as part of the land portion of our trip. I’m afraid the fare is out of our price range. The term, "eye-watering", springs to mind. 

 

18 minutes ago, arxcards said:

The same trip is much more flexible via tour coach. Much more to see, and they will stop for photo ops. Another alternate is on the public option - ViaRail.

We explored the various options when we did our landtour (Calgary to Vancouver via Banff, Kamloops, Ketchikan, Whistler) ahead of our Alaska cruise in 2014. We elected to hire a car and drive it - the roads were good & we got to see what we wanted & for how long. Remain happy we made the right decision.

[cruiser3775]

Brisbane to Cairns on a train is a loooong way. The train takes 25 hours. If you think that $279 is expensive, try taking the Ghan or the Indian Pacific @ $1000 a day plus.    If you want to do this trip, I would suggest you plan it for a longer time, and get off and stay overnight at two or three places en route.

 

And I agree that the Rocky Mountaineer is one of those luxury expensive trains that ordinary locals don't travel on. You can get a good deal at reasonable prices on the standard VIA Rail train from Vancouver to Jasper, for example.

Edited May 9 by cruiser3775

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, mr walker said:

 

We explored the various options when we did our landtour (Calgary to Vancouver via Banff, Kamloops, Ketchikan, Whistler) ahead of our Alaska cruise in 2014. We elected to hire a car and drive it - the roads were good & we got to see what we wanted & for how long. Remain happy we made the right decision.

We caught the ferry to Prince Rupert, BC, then VIA Rail to Jasper, Alberta with an overnight at Prince George en route.

[cruiser3775]

12 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

We caught the ferry to Prince Rupert, BC, then VIA Rail to Jasper, Alberta with an overnight at Prince George en route.

That's a great route and still functioning. There used to be a train from Prince George  due south to Squamish, just outside Vancouver, which was a casualty of the pandemic. It was by far the most scenic train route I had ever travelled on.

[Blackduck59]

We have thought about "The Rocky Mountaineer" several times and the price is just not on for us. We haven't actually looked at pricing recently but that trip would be much less expensive by VIA Rail or as @mr walker said it is a very nice drive. For some reason people are willing to pay the inflated price for "Luxury Rail" journeys. I guess we maybe would too if we had the budget. I really have become weary of flying.

[Bubbeh]

3 hours ago, Sparky74 said:

We are considering going back to Alaska next year. I investigated the Rocky Mountaineer as part of the land portion of our trip. I’m afraid the fare is out of our price range. The term, "eye-watering", springs to mind

Did the Rocky Mountaineer before COVID, while the service was great and the seating was comfortable, it was boring as bat sh!t.  We did it as an extension tour following an Alaska / Canada / Inside Passage trip.  Not cheap but it was a once in a life time experience.  Grumpy just loves train travel but I tend to think of it as like flying only it takes longer and is less exciting.

[Hogbay]

1 hour ago, cruiser3775 said:

Brisbane to Cairns on a train is a loooong way. The train takes 25 hours. If you think that $279 is expensive, try taking the Ghan or the Indian Pacific @ $1000 a day plus.    If you want to do this trip, I would suggest you plan it for a longer time, and get off and stay overnight at two or three places en route.

 

And I agree that the Rocky Mountaineer is one of those luxury expensive trains that ordinary locals don't travel on. You can get a good deal at reasonable prices on the standard VIA Rail train from Vancouver to Jasper, for example.

Indian Pacific is a private tourist train with drinks , dining and off train experience in a sleeper with a turn down . NSW rail offers 4 free train trips per year then half price fares .let's compare apples with apples .

[Bowm54]

8 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Dora Cairns 7 nights PNG on 25th May thought would try the train . Just got quote NSW Concession on Qld rail  one way $279 pp from Brisbane to Cairns. A Sydney to Brisbane XPT is $65.13 !!! Virgin Brisbane Cairns $119 . Got to find some backpackers they would have the low down 🙃

The $279 fare appears to be the lie flat sleeper with meals included. Which is not terribly bad, however the scheduled arrival only a few hours before the ships departure put me off taking the train.

The standard fare is a lot cheaper.

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Just now, Bowm54 said:

The $279 fare appears to be the lie flat sleeper with meals included. Which is not terribly bad, however the scheduled arrival only a few hours before the ships departure put me off taking the train.

The standard fare is a lot cheaper.

 

We did Brisbane to Cairns many years ago when they still operated Queenslander Class on the trains - pullman sleeper cabins, lounge/bar carriage, dining carriage. It was great, similar to the Indian Pacific but only 30 hours. I can't remember what it cost but it wasn't cheap.

 

Although they now only have sleeper seats if you like train travel it would be worth doing once.

[lyndarra]

5 hours ago, Bubbeh said:

Did the Rocky Mountaineer before COVID, while the service was great and the seating was comfortable, it was boring as bat sh!t.  We did it as an extension tour following an Alaska / Canada / Inside Passage trip.  Not cheap but it was a once in a life time experience.  Grumpy just loves train travel but I tend to think of it as like flying only it takes longer and is less exciting.

I have done Calgary/Vancouver as a pre cruise tour. Calgary to Jasper was by coach staying in Fairmont Hotels. Jasper to Vancouver was an overnighter with Via Rail which had sleeping berths and scenic observation dome cars. Best of both worlds. I agree doing the Rocky Mountaineer Calgary/Vancouver run could be boring - we were warned about that beforehand from friends who had had the experience.

[Hogbay]

4 hours ago, Bowm54 said:

The $279 fare appears to be the lie flat sleeper with meals included. Which is not terribly bad, however the scheduled arrival only a few hours before the ships departure put me off taking the train.

The standard fare is a lot cheaper.

 

What year 1989?

[Bowm54]

1 hour ago, Hogbay said:

What year 1989?

You are way out of date with the above attachment.

The Queenslander service finished years ago.

 

The service is now operated by a slimmed down train named the Spirit of Queensland. It operates approx every 2nd day in each direction.

One departure leaves Brisbane on a Friday, arriving in Cairns around midday Saturday.

The fares are radically different than illustrated above and more realistic. 

[arxcards]

Prices have been going up. Going by their price list, Brisbane to Cairns, concession is:

Coach = $185

Sleeper = $334.50

 

But, try making a booking for late this month, and the original post is 100% accurate for QLD Rail for an ADULT fare. Even when entering a concession into their booking page, it returns an adult fare. To get a concession fare, you need to setup an account and validate your concession before you can get that fare type.

https://queenslandrailtravel-booking.opendestinations.com/BookingSite/rail/search

 

Personally, I'm still on the plane.

[Korimako]

19 hours ago, Bubbeh said:

Did the Rocky Mountaineer before COVID, while the service was great and the seating was comfortable, it was boring as bat sh!t.  

The Rocky Mountaineer has been on my bucket list for some time, so I'd really like to know why you thought it was boring. I might then take it off the list and save myself $$$$$$.😀

Thanks 

[Bubbeh]

51 minutes ago, Korimako said:

The Rocky Mountaineer has been on my bucket list for some time, so I'd really like to know why you thought it was boring. I might then take it off the list and save myself $$$$$$.😀

If you normally enjoy train travel you will probably enjoy the RM.  For the most part, I don't like train travel.    I'm told the scenery was spectacular but, lets be honest, once you've seen one snow capped mountain or one rapids flowing through a gorge, you've seen them all.  However, it is extremely well organised and the staff were excellent.  It's just not for me.  I've also done the Indian Pacific and The Ghan and wouldn't give you two knobs of goat poo for those either.  Yet,  know people who rave about their experience on both of these trips.

[valantine80]

We did Calgary to Vancouver on Rocky Mountaineer tour in 2007 which involved coach from Calgary to Jasper and then train to Vancouver. It was very well organised and staff very nice. Mounties met the train in Kamloops.We were able to choose level of accommodation. Scenery was lovely but the couple of days on the train was enough.

[cruiser3775]

My experience with booking Queensland trains is that their website is clunky and unco-operative.  If you ring them, you get an actual person in Brisbane who will answer all your questions and do the booking for you.

1 hour ago, Bubbeh said:

I'm told the scenery was spectacular but, lets be honest, once you've seen one snow capped mountain or one rapids flowing through a gorge, you've seen them all

That sums up what many people think about natural scenery travel in the Canadian Rockies and in Alaska. I don't understand it. For me, the mountain scenery is ever changing and spectacular. The regular VIA train from Vancouver to Jasper goes though much of the same route as the Rocky Mountaineer and is much kinder on the budget.  

Edited May 10 by cruiser3775

[arxcards]

2 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

 

That sums up what many people think about natural scenery travel in the Canadian Rockies and in Alaska. I don't understand it. For me, the mountain scenery is ever changing and spectacular. The regular VIA train from Vancouver to Jasper goes though much of the same route as the Rocky Mountaineer and is much kinder on the budget.  

I am in your camp. Another spectacular view around the next bend.

[Blackduck59]

4 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

My experience with booking Queensland trains is that their website is clunky and unco-operative.  If you ring them, you get an actual person in Brisbane who will answer all your questions and do the booking for you.

That sums up what many people think about natural scenery travel in the Canadian Rockies and in Alaska. I don't understand it. For me, the mountain scenery is ever changing and spectacular. The regular VIA train from Vancouver to Jasper goes though much of the same route as the Rocky Mountaineer and is much kinder on the budget.  

I have driven the Vancouver to Jasper route several time and it is ever changing. Of course the jewel of the drive is the "Icefield Parkway" no train for that. The Rocky Mountaineer tours that include the Icefield parkway are driving you there in a motor coach, believe me it's better by car and it's different travelling north to south and south to north. You have to be careful with the VIA service, be sure you are travelling through the best part in daylight. That's why the Rocky Mountaineer stops overnight and you stay in hotels, you are always moving in daylight.

[bazzaw]

20 hours ago, Bowm54 said:

You are way out of date with the above attachment.

The Queenslander service finished years ago.

 

The service is now operated by a slimmed down train named the Spirit of Queensland. It operates approx every 2nd day in each direction.

One departure leaves Brisbane on a Friday, arriving in Cairns around midday Saturday.

The fares are radically different than illustrated above and more realistic. 

Did the Queenslander Brisbane to Cairns a couple of times years ago - boring as whatever!!! All you see from the train is scrubby bush  flat country up to a point up North and from there on, nothing but canefields . All of this as opposed to the crossing of the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas from either San Francisco area or Vancouver area