Can I still travel by train from Toowoomba to Brisbane?
This is a question we get asked all the time. The short answer is yes you can. Two train services run from Toowoomba to Brisbane – on a Thursday and a Saturday. So all aboard.
The Westlander travels twice a week from Brisbane to Charleville and return. It arrives on its return leg, in Toowoomba at 6.50am for a 7.00am departure on Thursdays and Saturdays. So if you would like to relive the age of rail and are interested in a scenic and leisurely trip (arriving at Roma Street at 11.25am) to Brisbane then why not hop on the Westlander. The best thing about the trip, apart from the fabulous scenery as you traverse the Toowoomba, Minden and Marburg Ranges, is the cost. Tickets start from $26.50 one way. So maybe train down and bus back. Tickets are available from Queensland Rail.
Note: You will have to wait until Tuesday or Thursday for the return leg and the timing isn’t great, departing around 7.00pm and arriving at 11.25 pm.
So if you want to steep yourself in history, then consider a train trip from Toowoomba to Brisbane. Of course this is a far cry from the
heyday of rail when trains ran several times a day to Brisbane. For example in 1910 over 93,000 tickets were issued from the Toowoomba
station. So it's still possible to experience the joy of train travel from the city of Toowoomba
In 1882, as the timetable below indicates, two trains a day travelled to Brisbane and three from Dalby to Toowoomba. Oh, those were the
days. Perhaps one day this will happen again and the packed platform of passengers waiting to board will return.
