It is operated by a diesel-powered Tilt Train that runs five times a week on the North Coast line between Brisbane and Cairns, a distance of 1,681 kilometres (1,045 mi).

The two existing diesel tilt trains used on the Cairns service were also refurbished and extended in size, with the inclusion of first-class sleeping carriages.

[5] The resulting project was costed at $195 million and allowed for the operation of five services a week, with a total capacity of 1320 seats.

[5] The Auditor-General also believed Queensland Rail had overestimated how popular the new service would be, and had a mistaken belief that the 'luxury' component of the train would attract more high-paying customers.

[8] With the introduction of the Tilt Train, which has a maximum speed of 160 km/h (99 mph), the journey time was reduced to 24 hours 55 minutes.