Tour of Kuranda Scenic Railway service in descriptive text format

Welcome to the tour of the Kuranda Scenic Railway, one of the most unique rail experiences in Australia. It will transport you from Cairns through world heritage-listed rainforest to Kuranda, in Far North Queensland.

The Kuranda Scenic Railway typically has 12 or 15 carriages. The train featured in the virtual tour has 15 carriages, which includes three Gold Class carriages. There are also 12 Heritage Class carriages with bench seating. The Gold Class carriages have individual seating, ​​​and you can enjoy a drink and a selection of locally-sourced produce served to your seat by a dedicated Gold Class Attendant. There are accessible travel options available on each service, including spaces to store mobility devices, and seats and spaces for customers travelling with assistance animals.

Accessible facilities, station access and platform heights vary at each station on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. Platform heights differ, sometimes presenting a significant gap between the train and the platform. Step height can vary resulting in a steep incline when joining and leaving our services using the ramps and stairs.

Carriage 1

Let’s make our way through the train, starting with Carriage 1, the first of the Heritage Class carriages, and move all the way through to Carriage 15.There is an Onboard team operations area at the beginning of the carriage. Carriage 1 is a Heritage Class carriage and has six bays of seating, where the bench seats face toward each other and customers are seated on a shared bench. Most benches take up to four customers, while some are only for two or three people. Safety cards are available throughout the carriage via the pocket on the wall in the middle of each seating bay. These contain information about safely while travelling on board and emergency evacuation procedures. The seat number is located on the back of the seat, on the wooden beam that runs across the top of the bench. Storage is available under the Heritage Class bench seats for day packs to a maximum size of 23cm x 34cm x 48cm to fit under the seat. If travelling with a stroller, these can be stored folded under a seat if they are no more than 25cm (when folded). Please note that luggage storage space is very limited on Kuranda Scenic Railway services, so you should consider only carrying a day pack. There are some luggage racks available, and all luggage is unchecked (carry on). Find out more about taking luggage on Kuranda Scenic Railway. Sliding windows are available for use throughout the journey. Historical images of Kuranda Scenic Railway and the construction of the railway are presented throughout the carriage. An emergency stop cord is available in case of an emergency. Pull the cord to alert the driver and the Onboard team. This cord should be used to stop the train only in extreme circumstances. Penalties apply for misuse. Drinking water is available in each carriage. Let’s now move across the gangway (a ramp that joins the carriages) to Carriage 2. The gangway is the metal ramp that allows you to move between the carriages. Please refrain from standing on the gangway while the train is moving. The inter-carriage doors are normally closed while the train is moving and typically customers use the dedicated carriage doors to enter and exit the train.

Carriage 2

Carriage 2 is another Heritage Class carriage with bench-style seating. There are shelves on the left which are used as a storage area by the Onboard team for operations. Carriage 2 has similar features to those we mentioned in the first carriage. There are seven bays of seating. The last bay has a slightly shorter row of seats. It has bench-style seating with under seat storage, seat numbers, safety cards and drinking water. Sliding windows are available for use throughout the journey. There are historical images and an emergency stop cord to stop the train in an emergency. Carriage 2 has similar features to those we mentioned in the first carriage. There are seven bays of seating. The last bay has a slightly shorter row of seats. It has bench-style seating with under seat storage, seat numbers, safety cards and drinking water. Sliding windows are available for use throughout the journey. There are historical images and an emergency stop cord to stop the train in an emergency.

Carriage 3

Carriage 3 is another Heritage Class carriage, with seven bays of bench seating. It has the same features we’ve explored in the previous carriages, including a unisex toilet with a hand basin and mirror at the end of the carriage.

Carriage 4

Carriage 4 is a Heritage Class carriage with the same features we’ve explored in the previous carriages.

Carriage 5

Carriage 5 is another Heritage Class carriage with all the same features we mentioned in the previous carriages, including heritage-style bench seating. The final bench row of seats is slightly shorter than the others. Seats in this area may sometimes be booked for customers travelling with an assistance animal where floor space can be provided to comfortably accommodate the animal. Carriage 5 also has a unisex toilet, with a hand basin and mirror.

Carriage 6

Let’s now move into Carriage 6, which is the first of the Gold Class carriages, as well as the carriage with accessible facilities. Carriage 6 has double doors on each side which have a total width of 1410mm. It has four accessible spaces near the boarding assistance doors for customers to travel in a mobility device or transfer to a seat. These spaces are 16, 17, 20 and 21. There are two spaces on one side of the carriage and two on the other. The accessible spaces are 1200mm long x 755mm wide. The distance between of the aisle between the spaces is 695mm. Most types of wheelchairs or mobility scooters can be accommodated aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway services; however, size restrictions do apply. In general, these dimension limits are 750mm wide by 1100mm long. Find out more about accessibility on Kuranda Scenic Railway​ or speak to your consultant at the time of booking. If travelling in a mobility device, it is recommended that it is secured using the tie down straps. Please let our team know your preference when booking or on the day of travel. If using tie-down straps, the Onboard team can secure or release these when the train is stationary throughout the journey. Signage with raised text and braille, high visibility handrails and contrasting surface colours are provided. There is an accessible toilet which has a door that opens with a press button to the right of the door. The signage includes braille. The door toilet door entry is 740mm wide. The toilet is 460mm high. There is also a hand basin, mirror, baby change table, emergency button (to alert the Onboard team if required) and power point. This room is 1600mm wide and 2400mm long. Seating in Gold Class is tub style, with a ‘u’ shaped back and arm rest. There are six rows of seats, which face each other. There are two seats on one side and one on the other, apart from in the row closest to the accessible spaces, where there are two single seats on each side of the carriage. Please note that these seats cannot be moved or adjusted. The two seats in the row closest to the accessible spaces can be used by people with a disability who would like to transfer to a seat, and their carer. The tub chairs are 450mm long x 450mm wide. The tub chair seat height is 430mm. The ledge under the window can be used to rest your drink and morning/afternoon tea, which is served to customers with Gold Class experience tickets. Gold Class is offered on the 9.55am departure from Freshwater station to Kuranda and the 3.30pm departure from Kuranda to Freshwater. Drinking water is available in each carriage.The ledge under the window can be used to rest your drink and morning/afternoon tea, which is served to customers with Gold Class experience tickets. Gold Class is offered on the 9.55am departure from Freshwater station to Kuranda and the 3.30pm departure from Kuranda to Freshwater. Drinking water is available in each carriage. Sliding windows are available for use throughout the journey. The seat numbers in this carriage are located on the wall under the window frames. Grab rails are located at the entry and exit points and throughout the carriage with accessible facilities for safety. The aisle width between the seats is 390mm. There is a cord that runs down the length of the carriage on one side above the windows that is available in case of an emergency. Pull the cord to alert the driver and Onboard team. These handles should be used to stop the train only in extreme circumstances. Penalties apply for misuse. At the end of the carriage there is an area that is used by the Onboard team for operations. Opposite there is an entry and exit door. This is in addition to the one we explored earlier which is used for people who have requested boarding assistance. This door has steep steps used to join and leave the train. These are each approximately 250mm apart and 800mm high in total from the platform to the train entry. Find out more about accessibility on Kuranda Scenic Railway or speak to your consultant at the time of booking. The inter-carriage doors are mostly closed while the train is moving. There is a gangway that connects Carriage 6 to Carriage 7.

Carriage 7 and 8

Carriages 7 and 8 are Gold Class carriages. They do not have the accessibility features outlined in Carriage 6. On entry into these carriages, there is an Onboard team operations area. There are ten rows of ‘tub’ style seats, with two on one side and one on the other. The seats face towards each other. In Carriage 8, the first row only has two seats on one side – it does not have a single seat on the other side, as it does in Carriage 7. It has a unisex toilet at the end of the carriage, with a hand basin and mirror.

Carriage 9 and 15

Carriages 9–15 are more Heritage Class carriages with bench-style seating, as outlined in Carriages 1–5. These carriages have the same features outlined in the previous description of Heritage Class carriages. Carriages 9, 12 and 13 have a unsex toilet, while carriages 10, 11, 14 and 15 do not have a toilet. That brings us to the end of the descriptive tour of Kuranda Scenic Railway. We hope you found it useful to assist with planning your journey and look forward to welcoming you on board soon! ​