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Queensland Rail

An Electric Multiple Unit (left) and a New Generation Rollingstock (right) – Queensland Rail's oldest and newest operational trains – at Altandi, December 2018
Industry	Railway operator
Founded	31 July 1865; 158 years ago (1865-07-31)
Headquarters	Brisbane, Queensland , Australia
Area served	Queensland
Key people	Katarzyna Stapleton (CEO)
Revenue	$2.3 billion (2021/22)
Operating income	$392 million (2021/22)
Net income	$195 million (2021/22)
Number of employees	over 7,500 (Feb 2022)
Parent	Queensland Government
Website	queenslandrail.com.au

Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining rolling stock and approximately 6,600 kilometres (4,101 mi) of track and related infrastructure.

History

Beginnings

Queensland Railways was the first operator in the world to adopt a narrow gauge (in this case 1,067 mm or 3 ft 6 in) for a main line,^[1] and this remains the systemwide gauge within Queensland today.

The colony of Queensland separated from New South Wales in 1859, and the new government was keen to facilitate development and immigration. Improved transport to the fertile Darling Downs region situated west of Toowoomba was seen as a priority. As adequate river transport was already established between the capital Brisbane and the then separate settlement of Ipswich, the railway commenced from the latter locality and the initial section, built over the relatively flat, easy country opened to Bigge's Camp, at the eastern base of the Little Liverpool Range, on 31 July 1865. Called the Main Line, the only significant engineering work on that section was the bridge over the Bremer River to North Ipswich.

Tunneling excavation through the Little Liverpool Range delayed the opening of the next section to Gatton by 10 months, but the line was opened to Toowoomba in 1867, the ascent of the Main Range being the reason for the adoption of narrow gauge.

Built by the Queensland Government to the unusual (for the time) gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), the line largely followed the alignment surveyed by a private company, the Moreton Bay Tramway Company, which had proposed to build a 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge horse-drawn tramway but had been unable to raise funds to do so beyond an initial start on earthworks.

The adoption of a narrow gauge was controversial at the time and was largely predicated by the government's desire for the fastest possible construction timeframe at the least cost.^[2] This resulted in the adoption of sharper curves and a lower axle load than was considered possible using the standard gauge, and an assessment at the time put the cost of a narrow gauge line from Ipswich to Toowoomba at 25% of the cost of a standard gauge line. In a colony with a non-indigenous population of 30,000 when the decision was made, it is understandable.

The network evolved as a series of isolated networks. It wasn't until the completion of the North Coast line in December 1924 that all were joined.^[3] The exception was the Normanton to Croydon line which always remained isolated. At its peak in 1932, the network totaled 10,500 kilometres (6,524 mi).

Changing transport patterns resulted in the closure of many development branch lines from 1948 onwards, but at the same time the main lines were upgraded to provide contemporary services, and from the 1970s an extensive network of new lines was developed, particularly to service export coal mines.

Electrification

Commencing in November 1979, the Brisbane suburban network was electrified.

In 1978, discussions were commenced on the possible electrification of the Blackwater and Goonyella coal networks. This was due to an expected increase in coal traffic across the networks, an ageing diesel-electric locomotive fleet and the increase in diesel fuel costs. By early 1983, a decision had been made to electrify the networks and by early 1984, contracts were already starting to be let for the new locomotives and other works for the project. The decision was made to electrify with the 25 kV AC railway electrification system as used on the Brisbane suburban network. This would allow future connection of the Brisbane network with the coal networks via the North Coast line.

The project was to be carried out in four stages:^[4]

• Stage 1: Electrification of the main line from Gladstone to Rockhampton, including parts of Rockhampton marshalling yard, then west to Blackwater and the coal mines in the area. This was a total of 720 kilometres (447 mi) of the track.
• Stage 2: Electrification of the coal lines south of Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point, then west through the Goonyella system, southwest to Blair Athol and south to Gregory – linking the Goonyella system to the Blackwater system. This was a total of 773 kilometres (480 mi) of the track.
• Stage 3: Electrification of the main western line from Burngrove to Emerald. This would allow electric freight from Rockhampton to Emerald.
• Stage 4: Electrification of the line from Newlands coal mine to Collinsville and northeast to Abbott Point. This stage never went ahead. In 1986, it was decided to electrify the North Coast line between Brisbane and Gladstone instead and this became known as Stage 4.^[5][6]

Interstate expansion

In September 1999, Queensland Rail was rebranded as QR.^[7] In March 2002, Queensland Rail purchased Northern Rivers Railroad and rebranded it Interail, fulfilling a long-held ambition of expanding beyond its state borders.^[8][9]

In March 2003, Queensland Rail entered the Hunter Valley coal market when Interail commenced a contract from Duralie Colliery to Stratford Mine. Another coal contract was won in late 2003 for the haulage of coal from Newstan Colliery, Fassifern to Vales Point Power Station. In 2004, Interail began running Brisbane to Melbourne and Sydney to Melbourne intermodal services. In June 2005, Queensland Rail acquired the CRT Group.^[10]

In June 2006, the Western Australian business of the Australian Railroad Group was purchased.^[11][12][13]

Privatisation and the current era

QR was responsible for all Queensland freight services, and from 2002 operated interstate services under the Australian Railroad Group, Interail and QR National brands. These were all spun out into a separate entity in July 2010, and later privatised as Aurizon.

In June 2009, the Queensland Government announced the privatisation of Queensland Rail's freight business.^[14][15] This resulted in Queensland Rail's freight assets being transferred to QR National (now Aurizon) from 1 July 2010.

In April 2013, the Queensland Parliament passed the Queensland Rail Transit Authority Bill 2013 that restructured Queensland Rail.^[16] The explanatory notes published for the bill outlined that the existing Queensland Rail Limited entity would remain although no longer be a government-owned corporation and that entity would become a subsidiary of a new Queensland Rail Transit Authority (QRTA), in effect creating a Queensland Rail group. Under the revised arrangements Queensland Rail Limited retained assets and liabilities and staff were transferred to the QRTA.^[17] As a result of transferring the staff to the QRTA, the government moved those employees from the federal industrial relations system to the state-based industrial relations system, giving the state more control over industrial arrangements.^[17][18] In November 2013, five labour unions commenced legal proceedings in the High Court of Australia alleging that the QRTA was subject to the federal industrial jurisdiction rather than the state system.^[18] In April 2015, the court ruled the QRTA was subject to the Fair Work Act 2009 and the federal industrial relations jurisdiction.^[19]

Company officers

Commissioners

The Commissioners of the Queensland Railways were:

• 23 December 1863 – October 1864: Abraham Fitzgibbon^[20][21]
• 28 October 1864 – 29 April 1869: Arthur Orpen Herbert^[22][23]

Note: from 29 April 1869 to 15 July 1870, the Secretary for Public Works was appointed Commissioner for Railways.^[23][24]

• 15 July 1870 – 12 March 1885: Arthur Orpen Herbert^[24][22]
• 12 March 1885 – 29 July 1889: Francis W. Curnow^[22]

Note: from 29 July 1889 a Board of three Commissioners was appointed to reduce political influence.^[25] This was reduced back to a single Commissioner in September 1895.^[26]

• 29 July 1889 – 30 June 1896: John Mathieson (Chief Commissioner)^[22]
• 29 July 1889 – September 1895: Robert John Gray (1st Assistant Commissioner)^[22]
• 29 July 1889 – 13 December 1894: Andrew Johnston (2nd Assistant Commissioner)^[22]
• 1 July 1896 – 30 September 1902: Robert John Gray^[22]
• 5 November 1902 – 24 March 1911: James Forsyth Thallon^[22]
• 30 March 1911 – 31 May 1911: Thomas Mulhall King^[22]
• 1 June 1911 – 31 October 1918: Barnard Charles Evans^[22]
• 1 November 1918 – 28 February 1938: James Walker Davidson^[22][27]
• 1 March 1938 – 28 February 1941: Curteis Anthony Murton^[28]
• 9 March 1941 – 27 February 1948: Percy Robert Turner Wills^[29]
• 1 March 1948 – 31 August 1952: Timothy Edward Maloney^[30]
• 1 September 1952 – 31 August 1962: Gerald Vincent Moriarty^[31]
• September 1962 – 4 July 1976: Alva George Lee^[32]
• 5 July 1976 – 17 December 1982: Percy James Goldston^[33][34]
• 13 January 1983 – April 1986: Douglas Vernon Mendoza^[35][36]
• 20 May 1986 – 31 July 1989: Ralph T. Sheehy^[37][38]
• 1 August 1989 – December 1989: Ross William Dunning^[39][40]
• December 1989 – 7 October 1990: Robin G. Read (Acting Commissioner)^[40][41]
• 8 October 1990 – 30 June 1991: Vincent John O'Rourke^[41]

Note: from 1 July 1991 the position of Commissioner for Railways ceased to exist, replaced by a Chief Executive Officer, reporting to a board of Directors.^[42]

Chief Executive Officers

Name	Tenure	Notes
Vincent John O'Rourke	July 1991 – December 2000
Bob Scheuber	December 2000 – April 2007
Stephen Cantwell	April 2007 – November 2007
Lance Hockridge[43]	November 2007 – 30 June 2010
Paul Scurrah	1 July 2010 – 2 December 2011[44]	From formation of revised Queensland Rail entity following Public float of QR National. Previously Executive General Manager of QR Passenger subsidiary.[43]
James Benstead	December 2011 – August 2013
Glen Dawe	August 2013[45]– January 2014[46]
Helen Gluer	3 April 2014 – 27 October 2016[47]
Neil Scales	October 2016 – March 2017
Nick Easy	March 2017 [48]– December 2021[49]
Katarzyna (Kat) Stapleton	April 2022 – present [50]

Services

South East Queensland rail

QR operates urban and interurban rail and bus services throughout South East Queensland as part of the Translink network. Rail services operate on twelve lines; Beenleigh, Caboolture, Cleveland, Doomben, Exhibition, Ferny Grove, Gold Coast, Ipswich-Rosewood, Redcliffe Peninsula, Shorncliffe, Springfield and Sunshine Coast. QR operate these with the Electric Multiple Units (EMU), Suburban Multiple Units (SMU), Interurban Multiple Units (IMU) and New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) class electric multiple units.^[51]

Due to low patronage, the Corinda to Yeerongpilly and Doomben to Pinkenba lines have had their services replaced by buses, while due to track capacity constraints, services on the Sunshine Coast between Caboolture and Nambour are supplemented by a bus service. However, track duplication is currently underway, to improve the efficiency of the Sunshine Coast Line.

Long-distance trains

Queensland Rail operate long-distance passenger rail services, under the brand name Queensland Rail Travel:^[52]

• Tilt Train: Brisbane to Rockhampton
• Spirit of Queensland: Brisbane to Cairns
• Spirit of the Outback: Brisbane to Longreach
• Westlander: Brisbane to Charleville
• Inlander: Townsville to Mount Isa

Connecting road coach services are operated.^[53]

Annual patronage all travel and tourism servies in 2022-23 was 690,000.^[54] In 2007/08, the subsidy for the Brisbane-Cairns route (NCL) was $130 million, or $900 per passenger. In 2001/02 it was $270 million.^[55][56]

Tourist trains

Queensland Rail also operate these tourist trains:^[52]

• Gulflander: Normanton to Croydon
• Kuranda Scenic Railway: Cairns to Kuranda

Former services

Queensland Rail operated many named trains including:

• Capricornian: Brisbane to Rockhampton, operated from 1970 until 1993 when replaced by the Spirit of the Outback
• Great South Pacific Express: Kuranda to Sydney luxury train operated from 1999 until 2003^[57]
• The Midlander: Rockhampton to Winton, operated from 1954 until 1993 when replaced by the Spirit of the Outback ^[58]
• Savannahlander: Cairns to Forsayth, operated from 1995 until 2004 when contracted out to a private operator^[59]
• Spirit of Capricorn: Brisbane to Rockhampton, operated from 1988 until 2003
• The Sunlander: Brisbane to Cairns, operated from 1953 until 2014 when replaced by the Spirit of Queensland^[60]

Rolling stock

QR sourced steam locomotives from many manufacturers including Armstrong Whitworth, Avonside Engine Company, Beyer, Peacock & Company, Dübs & Co, Kitson & Co, Nasmyth, Wilson & Co, Neilson and Company, North British Locomotive Company, Vulcan Foundry and Yorkshire Engine Company all of the United Kingdom, Baldwin Locomotive Works of the United States, as well as Australian manufacturers Clyde Engineering, Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co, Islington Railway Workshops, Newport Workshops, Phoenix Engine Company, Toowoomba Foundry and Walkers Limited. It also built some in-house at North Ipswich Railway Workshops.^[61]

In 1936, the company owned 750 locomotives, 67 railcars, 998 coaches, 94 mail cars, 177 brake vans and 18.699 goods wagons.^[62]

Dieselisation commenced in 1952 with early purchases being imported from GE Transportation and English Electric, before standardising on locally made products from A Goninan & Co, Clyde Engineering, English Electric and Walkers Limited. Electric locomotives were purchased from Clyde Engineering, Walkers Limited and Siemens. Electric multiple units have been purchased from Walkers Limited, Downer Rail and Bombardier Transportation, the latter of two which are still present in Queensland to this day.

With the closure of many rural branch lines in the 1990s there was excess motive power on the QR and it was chosen to standardise by using Clyde based diesel locomotives. Most, if not all of the English Electric locomotives were withdrawn by 2000.

In June 2021 QR announced that it had shortlisted 3 applicants (Alstom, CAF and Downer Rail) to manufacture 20 (later expanded to 65) new electric multiple units.^[63] These will allow for expansion of the fleet and retiring of the remaining EMU and ICE units.

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Commissioner_for_Railways_(Queensland)
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Class	Image (if applicable)	Type	Top speed (km/h)	Built	Number of units	Routes operated	Notes
City network fleet
EMU		Electric multiple unit	100	1979–1986	22 (August 2023)	City network (except Interurban services - Sunshine Coast, Airport, Gold Coast)	Currently being progressively retired since July 2018. Most of the fleet (including units 01-32, 34, 35, 42, 54, 58, and 60–88) has been withdrawn.
SMU200		Electric multiple unit	100	1994–1995	12	City network (except Interurban services)	Units numbered 201-212
IMU100		Electric multiple unit	140	1996–1997	10	City network	Units numbered 101-110
SMU220		Electric multiple unit	100	1999–2001	30	City network (except Interurban services)	Units numbered 221-250
IMU120		Electric multiple unit	140	2001	4	City network	Units numbered 121-124
IMU160		Electric multiple unit	130	2006–2011	28	City network	Units numbered 161-188
SMU260		Electric multiple unit	130	2008–2011	36	City network	Units numbered 261-296
NGR700		Electric multiple unit	140	2015–2019	75	City network (except Ferny Grove, Beenleigh & Rosewood[64][65])	Units numbered 701 - 775
Former City Network fleet
ICE		Electric multiple unit	120	1988–1989	0 (November 2021)	City network	As of November 2021, all ICE Units have been retired from the City Network Fleet. They previously operated between Roma Street and Gympie North stations. It is not yet known what will happen to these units after retirement.
Traveltrain fleet
Electric Tilt Train		Tilting electric multiple unit	160	1997	2	North Coast line (as far as Rockhampton)
Diesel Tilt Train		Tilting push-pull train	160	2003–2014	3	North Coast line
Locomotive fleet1
1720 class		Diesel locomotive	100	1966–1970	8 Operational 4 Stored 1 Under overhaul	Kuranda Scenic Railway, Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains.	The most common use for the 1720 Class is as secondary motive power on the Spirit of the Outback and the Westlander as well as the main motive power on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, the locomotives also see regular use on Infrastructure Trains. QR owned locomotives include 1724, 1725 (stored), 1732, 1734 (overhaul)*, 1738, 1744*, 1746, 1751 (stored)*, 1752 (stored), 1754 (stored), 1764*, 1771* and 1774* *Locomotives in Kuranda Scenic Railway livery
2150 class		Diesel locomotive	100	1978–1979	1 Operational 2 Rebuilt	Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains.	QR owned locomotives include 2152 (rebuilt to 2902), 2158 and 2163 (rebuilt to 2903).
2170 class		Diesel locomotive	100	1982–1984	1	Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains.	2195A is the only QR owned 2170 class.
2400 class		Diesel locomotive	100	1977–1978	4 Operational 1 Rebuilt	Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains.	QR owned locomotives include 2410, 2411, 2413 (rebuilt to 2901), 2414 and 2415.
2470 class		Diesel locomotive	100	1980–1983	5 Operational 1 Stored	Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains.	QR owned locomotives include 2471 (stored), 2472, 2473, 2474, 2485H and 2490H.
2900 class		Diesel locomotive	100	2022-current	4 Operational 1 Under construction 1 Planned	Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains.	Converisons from other classes of 90 ton Clyde locomotives ongoing. Converted locomotives include 2413, 2152, 2163 and 2495.
Tourist train fleet
DL class		Diesel locomotive	50	1961	1	Gulflander	DL4 based at Normanton, used as backup for the Gulflander's RM 93. Underwent major maintenance at North Ipswich Railway Workshops in 2019.
45 hp rail motor