<P> During World War II the service had to be greatly expanded, putting great pressure on the limited water supplies . As a result, de-mineralisation towers, some of which survive to this day, were built along the track so that bore water could be used . When a new line to Alice Springs was built in the 1970s, the use of diesel locomotives meant that there was far less need for water, thus allowing the line to take the much drier route from Tarcoola to Alice Springs . </P> <P> The original Ghan was featured in an episode of BBC Television's series Great Railway Journeys of the World in 1980, presented by Michael Frayn . </P> <P> The original Ghan ran for the last time in 1980, and the Ghan Preservation Society repairs sections of the old narrow gauge track and some of the sidings . In October 1980, a new standard gauge line from Tarcoola to Alice Springs on the Trans - Australian Railway opened, and the train took the form it has today . The new line is approximately 160 kilometres (99 mi) west of the former line in order to avoid floodplains where the original line was often washed away during heavy rain . It was also hoped that the construction of the new line would improve the train's timekeeping . </P> <P> The modern Ghan has featured in an episode of Channel 5's series Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways, and the Mighty Trains series . In November 1998, one service per week was extended from Adelaide to Melbourne while from April 1999, the other was diverted to operate to Sydney . </P>

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