THE steam train is ready and so are the tracks which means the West Coast Wilderness Railway will open its routes today.
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About 60 people have booked to board the new Queenstown Explorer train which will depart from Strahan's original harbour side Regatta Point Station this morning.
From there, passengers will take in the King River Gorge, the "rack" section of the railway track, magnificent rainforests and all stations to Queenstown and back again.
Passengers will also enjoy a walking tour of Queenstown and commentary throughout the trip.
The journey will be the first time that the West Coast Wilderness Railway will travel from Strahan since the state government started running the tour.
West Coast Wilderness Railway general manager Michael Saville said $12 million of major works had been performed to allow the reopening of the venture.
Works included track improvements, bridge rebuilding, sleeper repair, and remedial work to landslip areas.
Mr Saville said seats were already booking up over summer.
"We're full on the 30th of December on the Explorer train and we're getting close to full on the 29th," Mr Saville said.
He said the company always wanted to run the train at or about 70 per cent capacity.
Other new additions to the railway's summer experiences include a half-day River and Rainforest experience, which will leave from Strahan on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and include a high tea.
The Rack and Gorge experience will depart from Queenstown Station from Wednesday to Sunday and provide a morning tour down the steep grades of the rack and pinion that the West Coast Wilderness Railway is renowned for.
The $12 million track upgrade was funded by the former federal and state governments.