Passengers were stuck on a long-haul luxury train for more than 12 hours in Perth last night after a minor derailment of one of its carriages just 12 minutes into a four-day journey to Sydney.
The Indian Pacific was only 600 metres and 12 minutes into a four-day journey to Sydney when the wheels on one of the front carriages carrying several cars slipped off the track about 10:00am.
There were no reports of injuries or damage.
The train was pushed back to East Perth Station where crews arrived about 3:00pm to begin work to get the train back on track.
The carriage was painstakingly raised centimetres off the track with a hydraulic jack as crew assessed the damage.
It finally departed Perth about 10:00pm yesterday, according to a spokeswoman.
A Public Transport Authority spokesman said while it was incredibly frustrating, passengers were not likely to be too uncomfortable with restaurants and lounges on board the opulent train, which can cost up to $4,500 for a on-way trip Perth to Sydney.
She said compensation was being considered for passengers.
Coincidentally, the Midland Line on which the train became stuck was already closed to regular Transperth Trains for scheduled maintenance.
Regular city services have now resumed on the Midland line.
