- Queensland Rail has reopened the North Coast rail line as far north as Townsville today, reconnecting communities following the North Queensland floods.
- Freight trains are now able to deliver essential goods allowing supermarket shelves to be restocked.
- The regional rail network remains closed from Townsville to Cairns on the North Coast line and from Charters Towers to Cloncurry on the Mount Isa line with recovery works continuing.
Queensland Rail's North Coast line reopened as far north as Townsville today (15 February 2025), following significant flooding that caused major damage between Mackay and Cairns.
Thanks to the hard work of our Queensland Rail employees and contractors who were mobilised to accelerate the recovery, the track was able to be reopened in under three weeks, despite challenging and ongoing weather conditions.
Recovery works involved clearing fallen trees and debris from the track, repairing more than 60 damaged sites which had washouts and scouring.
To get the job done, numerous track machines and excavators were mobilised and tonnes of ballast was poured.
The first train carrying containerised freight is scheduled to arrive at Townsville late this afternoon.
The North Coast line suffered damage to approximately six kilometres of track, with works to the Townsville to Cairns section ongoing.
As stated by Queensland Rail Head of Regional Scott Cornish:
"We are extremely grateful for the hard work of all involved to get the line back up and running as safely and quickly as possible, re-establishing this important freight and passenger connection.
"We thank our freight partners, passengers, and the community for their patience as we worked to reopen the line.
"During the floods, while the track was closed to rail traffic, we were able to support the community by operating our 'rail bus' - which we have affectionately named 'Olly'.
"'Olly' safely transported more than 3,500 people including emergency services and residents across Ollera Creek and between Ayr and Home Hill.
"While the track has reopened between Mackay and Townsville, the remainder of the line from Townsville to Cairns remains closed with recovery works ongoing.
"The Mount Isa line also remains closed from Charters Towers to Cloncurry due to floodwaters with significant impacts between Nonda and Maxwelton including Boundary Creek.
"Water remains over two kilometres of the line and we have a further 1.6 kilometres of track damage already identified.
"The high-pressure water flow has displaced rocks and soil resulting in some sections of track being suspended in the air.
"While we don't have a reopening date as yet, we have bog mats, machinery and materials in place for recovery as soon as we have safe access to the track.
"Our impacted passenger services including the Spirit of Queensland and Inlander are being replaced by road coaches where possible with customers being informed directly of impacts.
"We will continue to keep the community, customers and our freight operators informed of any updates."
