Just confirmed on 3AW that Michael Portillo is doing Great Australian Railway Journeys which will start in Canberra and go around Australia on the Ghan and many others.
It will be shown on the SBS…
While The Ghan and The Indian Pacific are obvious choices, there are not many other Australian railway journeys for Michael to travel on, given many lines and services have been closed in the past 20-30 years. The show will last two seasons at most.
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Isn’t that enough?
Spirit Of The Outback is another. Plus hopping on/off the XPT or Xplorers and exploring old ports/cities like Scott McGregor did.
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Yes, they don’t have to be long journeys necessarily to be of interest.
The ones that instantly come to mind are Cairns to Kuranda Scenic Railway and the Zig Zag Railway at Lithgow.
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Oh deary me. Being stuck on an XPT for 14 hours doesn’t exactly evoke images of a great railway journey. If you choose to travel in economy class, you can guarantee that at least one group occupying your carriage will be noisy feral scum who are travelling on free Disability Support Pension travel vouchers.
Even if you escape the perils of economy class, the first class section is drab and even the sleeper cabins are fairly dire.
Hopefully they’ll just focus on the luxury trains like the Indian Pacific and The Ghan. QR’s longer distance trains seem to be a step above NSW TrainLink’s…
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Good luck to him in SA. Unless he jumps on the tourist Cockle Train to from Goolwa to Victor Harbor, or one of our miniature tourist railways, his next best bet here would be a freight train.
SA used to have lots of train lines. Now most are abandoned routes to demolished townships, and those that aren’t are used only for freight; even that’s declining. All that’s left are metropolitan services.
He was sighted in Melbourne recently on the Hurstbridge and Lilydale lines (not sure whats so great about those though), so Puffing Billy may be part of it. Theres also Pichi Richi Railway in SA which uses part of the old Ghan line.
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Queensland Tilt train is obvious. It technically fits the definition of high speed rail.
He can try travelling on Melbourne’s Metro Trains, that’s if they run on time or not graffitied on! 
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He could try V/Line if the trains run at all
And a Queensland cane train would be a unique experience.
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Michael can also ride on the tourist railway on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.
Isn’t his thing more the destination and clinging to his Bradshaw’s guide rather than the rollingstick?
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My Mum LOVES this show!
She won’t be pleased if its on a commercial network though… She only really watches the ABC and to a lesser extent SBS.
If the show had to last more than 2 seasons, they could spend an entire season just waiting for a Sydney Train to arrive on time. Travel on one of the grey sweatboxes where it’s 48 degrees inside to make it more “authentic” 
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Zig Zag still hasn’t reopened. But they are both great short rail trips.
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Confirmed by mediaweek that it will be on the SBS.
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3AW has received reports that Michael Portillo will be back in Australia sometime in June to do another series of Great Australian Railway Journeys.
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