The former Central Australia Railway, which was built between 1878 and 1929 and dismantled in 1980, was a 1067 mm narrow gauge railway between Port Augusta and Alice Springs. A standard gauge line duplicated the southern section from Port Augusta to Maree in 1957 on a new nearby alignment. The entire Central Australia Railway was superseded in 1980 after the standard gauge Tarcoola–Alice Springs Railway was opened, using a new route up to 200 km to the west. A small southern section of the original line between Port Augusta and Quorn has been preserved and is operated as the Pichi Richi Railway.

Naming The line became known as the Central Australia Railway when the Commonwealth Railways took it over from the South Australian Railways in 1929. Before then, it was known by several names, in part because the northern end point had not be determined, funding being intermittent. Government acts and the press used a number of terms prior to construction including: Port Augusta Railway Northern Railway Great Northern Railway Port Augusta to (far) North Railway. After construction, railway was referred to as: Port Augusta-Oodnadatta railway North–South Railway in possible anticipation to extend the line to Darwin.

It has also often been referred to as the Great Northern Railway in the 1890s and into the twentieth century. The most southern part of the line between Port Augusta and Quorn is now referred to as the Pichi Richi Tourist Railway.

Another colloquial name used was The Ghan, after the passenger train that utilised the line. It is suggested that The 'Ghan name is in recognition of the Afghan Cameleers that plied their trade in the area well before the railway; however, see The Ghan (Etymology) for alternatives. This colloquial term for the railway appears to have been widely in use from at least the early 1930s; it may have been in use prior to this. The new Adelaide–Darwin railway line initially used The New Ghan as a trading name. It has now reverted to The Ghan, relegating the original line name colloquially as The Old Ghan.

History

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