The railway line between Mount Isa and Townsville has reopened on schedule following the derailment of an Aurizon freight train on December 30.
Despite that, Inlander passenger services on the line remain impacted, thanks to the weather.
Sections of two other lines in Queensland's north, the north coast and central west lines, are similarly impacted by heavy rainfall, affecting both freight and passenger services in these areas.
A localised extreme weather event is believed to have been responsible for the derailment east of Charters Towers, which involved a number of wagons and saw some of the soluble phosphorus-based fertiliser the train was carrying spilt.
Queensland Rail acting CEO Kat Stapleton said a taskforce of 50 people, a combination of Aurizon and QR staff, undertook the repairs to the Mount Isa line in less than a week, despite challenging wet weather conditions.
They included the replacement of culvert piping, track, ballast and sleepers, which were stored locally, fast-tracking the recovery efforts.
"We are extremely thankful for the hard work of all involved in the line's recovery, especially during the holiday season," Ms Stapleton said.
Queensland Rail is working towards the gradual resumption of freight and passenger services on the Mount Isa line as soon as it is safe to do so, but services remain impacted.
Ms Stapleton said Queensland Rail was working closely with freight partners to ensure the quick resumption of freight services along the line.
The Inlander passenger service, which operates two return trips per week, will be replaced by road coaches where conditions are safe to do so.
Customers booked on the Inlander service are encouraged to visit www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au or call Queensland Rail Travel on 1800 803 009.
In the meantime, freight services are not running west of Emerald on the central west line at present.
Queensland Rail Acting Head of Regional Martin Ryan said they understood the importance of the rail network in delivering freight services to regional communities and were working with freight partners to resume operations as soon as it was safe to do so.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
