If a player travels through the train tunnel, they typically bypass the finish line, not moving on to the next lap as the other racers. It is possible, but very difficult, to cross the train track while the train is there by driving through the gap between the coaches. It is possible to drive on the train's track however, this costs the racer time. CPU drivers pull their brakes and stop at the railroad crossings when a train passes by. If the player runs into one of them, they are thrown in the air.

Depending on what mode is being played, the trains may or may not have coaches attached to them: when playing in single-player, the trains each have a tender and passenger cars, whereas in two-player mode, the trains' lengths are halved, having a tender and only one passenger car each, and in three- or four-player mode, the trains consist only of the engine, with no tender or passenger cars present.

The trains constantly move around the track, often passing through the racers' path. The course's most notable feature is the two trains that go through a mesa. If the player drives over the sand, their kart moves slower, and if they enter the darker portion of the sand, Lakitu pulls them out, as it is an out-of-bounds area. After this encounter, the racers race along the edge of the map and eventually advance back to the finish line. After passing the tracks, the players race alongside the track of the train (though it is in a cave and not visible), eventually running into it a second time. At the end of the turn, the racers encounter the train for the first time.

Upon the first turn, racers see how empty the desert really is. The race starts out next to a large cliff formation. Luigi racing on Kalimari Desert Course layout Kalimari Desert (left) / Kalimari Desert 2 (right) ( Shy Guy with the Bolt Buggy, Red Monster tires, and Beast Glider) ( Dry Bowser with the Bone Rattler, Monster, and Super Glider) (200cc) ( Dry Bones with the Standard Kart, Monster, and Super Glider) (150cc) ( Shy Guy with the Cact-X, Wood tires, and Swooper)

Mario kart 64 music extendesd