Adelaide Crows' Captain Mark Bickley, South Australian Minister for Tourism Joan Hall and children from the Variety Clubs of Victoria and South Australia will be among the first to experience the inaugural daylight rail service of The Overland between Adelaide and Melbourne on Sunday, 7 May.

The launch celebrations will take place for invited guests on the platform at Keswick Station in Adelaide with a sumptuous hot breakfast before the 9.00am departure of the first daylight journey.

"This is a very positive new stage for The Overland" remarked Great Southern Railway's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Stephen Bradford. "With the train becoming a daylight service between Adelaide and Melbourne we now have the opportunity to attract a greater number of tourists to interstate rail travel" he said.

A recent announcement by the Ministers for Transport in Victoria and South Australia (The Hon. Peter Batchelor and The Hon. Diana Laidlaw) ensured that their Governments would support The Overland for a 6 month trial period.

One of the features of the new timetable is the introduction of Adelaide to Melbourne services departing Keswick at 9.00am every Sunday, Monday and Thursday and Friday and arriving at Spencer Street Station, Melbourne at 7.45pm. The Overland will leave for Adelaide at 9.30pm the same night.

Along the route, regional communities of Ararat, Horsham and Dimboola will enjoy the introduction of a daytime service to Melbourne because of the new Overland schedule.

"Effectively the new timetable will contribute to the economic well being of the townships as commuter travel increases, bringing tourist dollars into the towns and making the trip to Melbourne more viable for residents. It's a very strong message of regional support from both the South Australian and Victorian governments" said Bradford.

For bookings contact Great Southern Railway on 13 21 47 or visit their booking offices located at Spencer Street Station in Melbourne and Keswick Terminal in Adelaide