Rail transport in Queensland
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The rail network in Queensland, Australia, was the first in the world to adopt 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge for a main line, and, in 2013, was claimed to the second largest narrow gauge network in the world,[1] consists of:
- the North Coast Line (NCL) extending 1,680 kilometres (1,040 mi) from Brisbane to Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns
- Four east–west lines (and associated branch lines) connecting to the NCL:
- the Western line (including the Main Line) from Brisbane to Toowoomba and Charleville
- the Central Western line from Rockhampton to Longreach and Winton
- the Great Northern Railway from Townsville to Mount Isa
- the Tablelands line from Cairns to Atherton and Forsayth
- Four export coal networks:
- Moura to Gladstone
- Blackwater to Gladstone utilising the Central Western and NCL lines
- Goonyella to Hay Point
- Newlands to Abbot Point
- the original narrow-gauge Southern line that provided a rail connection to Sydney, extending from Toowoomba to the New South Wales border at Wallangarra, plus the South Western line west from Warwick to Thallon;
- Two lines extending south of Brisbane, a 140 km/h (87 mph) narrow gauge passenger line from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, and a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) line to the New South Wales border connecting to the line to Sydney
- the isolated Normanton to Croydon line, now operated as a tourist service as The Gulflander
- There was also an isolated section running from Cooktown to Laura with proposed destination of Maytown on the Palmer River goldfields. (Has since been removed)
- An isolated 19 kilometres (12 mi) 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) private freight line at Weipa hauling bauxite from a mine to the export terminal; and
- Over 3,000 km of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge sugar cane lines servicing 19 sugar mills (see Tramways section below).
Passenger services are provided by:
- Long distance trains from:
- Brisbane to Cairns
- Townsville to Mount Isa
- Brisbane to Rockhampton and Longreach
- Brisbane to Charleville
- Brisbane to Sydney by the standard gauge XPT
- the Brisbane-centric Translink network providing services:
- south to Beenleigh and Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast
- north to Ferny Grove, Shorncliffe, Kippa-Ring, Caboolture and Gympie;
- east to the Brisbane Airport and Doomben on the north side of the Brisbane River and to Cleveland on the south side of the river; and
- west to Ipswich, Springfield and Rosewood.
The Translink network consists of approximately 300 route km and 151 stations.[2]