Queensland Rail has mobilised recovery crews following ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji, which caused widespread damage across the state.
The North Coast line has fully reopened through to Cairns, with sections south of Townsville (Gumlu) to north of Mackay (Calen) repaired in recent days.
Crews used 1300 tonnes of ballast to complete washout, scouring and resurfacing works on the line, supported by three excavators and a loader to restore and prepare it for reopening yesterday January 14.
The Mount Isa line will remain closed from Gemoka west to Undina and the Central West line remains closed between Emerald and Winton.
Floodwaters are slowly receding on the Mount Isa line, where 56 sites have been identified for repairs and 13 kilometres of track have been damaged.
The Spirit of the Outback and Inlander services have both been cancelled for today January 15. Customers are being contacted directly regarding service impacts.
Queensland Rail said it is meeting regularly with freight operators to support load management.
The Spirit of Queensland service has resume normal operations between Brisbane and Cairns.
Queensland Rail Head of Regional Scott Cornish said he was proud of the effort of the North Queensland crews, which are being supported by staff mobilised from throughout Queensland.
“Seeing the recovery efforts firsthand across the region this week was a powerful reminder of the dedication of our teams, who continue to work tirelessly in challenging conditions to restore critical connections.
“We remain committed to supporting affected regions through the recovery, rebuilding safely, and reconnecting communities as soon as possible.”
Cornish said inspections have identified significant damage across the network, including major washouts, scouring, debris and damaged rail.
“As the weather event continues to unfold, we are unable to confirm recovery timeframes at this stage for our Mount Isa and Central West lines,” he said.
He said crews had been working around the clock to undertake detailed planning to ensure resources and materials were deployed efficiently across the widespread damage zone.
“Throughout this weather event, the safety of our customers and staff remain paramount,” he said.
“Thanks to weather monitoring stations across the network, which detect and send early warning signals to our network control centre, our crews were able to assist in repositioning trains to safe locations before the rain hit.
“In areas where rain has passed and floodwaters have receded, crews have commenced inspections and recovery works using specialised machinery, including hi-rail vehicles, ballast trains and bog mats.”
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