Queensland Rail

New Generation Rollingstock
Industry	Railway operator
Founded	31 July 1865; 160 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)
Owner	Queensland Government
Number of employees	over 7,500 (Feb 2022)
Website	queenslandrail.com.au

Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator inQueensland, Australia. Queensland Rail is owned by theQueensland Government, and operates bothsuburban andinterurban rail services in South East Queensland, as well aslong-distance passenger train services connecting Brisbane to regional Queensland. Queensland Rail also owns and maintains rolling stock, in addition to approximately 6,600 kilometres (4,101 mi) of track and related infrastructure.

Queensland Railways was the first operator in the world to adopt anarrow gauge (in this case1,067 mm or3 ft 6 in) for a main line,^[1] and this remains the system-wide gauge in Queensland.^{[citation needed]}

Thecolony of Queensland separated fromNew South Wales in 1859, and the new government was keen to facilitate development and immigration. Improved transport to the fertileDarling Downs region situated west ofToowoomba was seen as a priority. As adequate river transport was already established between the capitalBrisbane and the then separate settlement ofIpswich, the railway commenced from the latter locality and the initial section, built over the relatively flat, easy country opened toBigge's Camp, at the eastern base of theLittle Liverpool Range, on 31 July 1865. Called theMain Line, the only significant engineering work on that section was the bridge over theBremer River to North Ipswich.^{[citation needed]}

Tunneling excavation through the Little Liverpool Range delayed the opening of the next section toGatton 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.^{[citation needed]}

Built by the Queensland Government to the unusual (for the time) gauge of1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), the line largely followed the alignment surveyed by a private company, theMoreton Bay Tramway Company, which had proposed to build a1,435 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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

Changing transport patterns resulted in the closure of many developmentbranch 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.^{[citation needed]}

Commencing in November 1979, the Brisbane suburban network waselectrified.

In 1978, discussions were commenced on the possible electrification of theBlackwater andGoonyella coal networks. This was due to an expected increase in coal traffic across the networks, an ageingdiesel-electric locomotive fleet and the increase indiesel 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 the25 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 theNorth Coast line.

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

• Stage 1: Electrification of the main line fromGladstone toRockhampton, 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 andHay Point, then west through the Goonyella system, southwest toBlair Athol and south toGregory – 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 toEmerald. This would allow electric freight from Rockhampton to Emerald.
• Stage 4: Electrification of the line fromNewlands coal mine toCollinsville and northeast to Abbott Point. This stage never went ahead. In 1986, it was decided to electrify theNorth Coast line between Brisbane and Gladstone instead and this became known as Stage 4.^[5][6]

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

In March 2003, Queensland Rail entered theHunter Valley coal market when Interail commenced a contract fromDuralie Colliery to Stratford Mine. Another coal contract was won in late 2003 for the haulage of coal from Newstan Colliery,Fassifern toVales Point Power Station. In 2004, Interail began running Brisbane toMelbourne andSydney to Melbourneintermodal services. In June 2005, Queensland Rail acquired theCRT Group.^[10]

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

QR was responsible for all Queensland freight services, and from 2002 operated interstate services under theAustralian Railroad Group,Interail and QR National brands. These were all spun out into a separate entity in July 2010, and laterprivatised asAurizon.^{[citation needed]}

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 (nowAurizon) from 1 July 2010.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2013, theQueensland 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 agovernment-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 theHigh 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 theFair Work Act 2009 and the federal industrial relations jurisdiction.^[19]

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]

QR operates urban and interurban rail services throughoutSouth East Queensland as part of theTranslink network. Rail services operate on twelve lines:Airport,Beenleigh,Caboolture,Cleveland,Doomben,Ferny Grove,Gold Coast,Ipswich/Rosewood,Redcliffe Peninsula,Shorncliffe,Springfield andSunshine Coast. QR operate these with theSuburban Multiple Unit (SMU),Interurban Multiple Unit (IMU) andNew Generation Rollingstock (NGR)electric multiple units.^[51]

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

• Tilt Train:Brisbane toRockhampton
• Spirit of Queensland: Brisbane toCairns
• Spirit of the Outback: Brisbane toLongreach
• Westlander: Brisbane toCharleville
• Inlander:Townsville toMount 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]

Queensland Rail also operate two tourist services:^[52]

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

Queensland Rail operated many named trains including:

• Capricornian:Brisbane toRockhampton, operated from 1970 until 1993 when replaced by theSpirit of the Outback
• Great South Pacific Express:Kuranda toSydney luxury train operated from 1999 until 2003^[57]
• The Midlander: Rockhampton toWinton, operated from 1954 until 1993 when replaced by theSpirit of the Outback^[58]
• Savannahlander:Cairns toForsayth, 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 toCairns, operated from 1953 until 2014 when replaced by theSpirit of Queensland^[60]

In 1936, the company owned 750 locomotives, 67 railcars, 998 coaches, 94mail cars, 177 brake vans and 18.699 goods wagons.^[61]

QR sourcedsteam locomotives from many manufacturers includingArmstrong Whitworth,Avonside Engine Company,Beyer, Peacock & Company,Dübs & Co,Kitson & Co,Nasmyth, Wilson & Co,Neilson and Company,North British Locomotive Company,Vulcan Foundry andYorkshire Engine Company all of the United Kingdom,Baldwin Locomotive Works of the United States, as well as Australian manufacturersClyde Engineering,Evans, Anderson, Phelan & Co,Islington Railway Workshops,Newport Workshops, Phoenix Engine Company,Toowoomba Foundry andWalkers Limited. It also built some in-house atNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops.^[62]

Dieselisation commenced in 1952 with early purchases being imported fromGE Transportation andEnglish Electric, before standardising on locally made products fromA Goninan & Co, Clyde Engineering, English Electric and Walkers Limited. Electric locomotives were purchased from Clyde Engineering, Walkers Limited andSiemens.Electric multiple units have been purchased from Walkers Limited,Downer Rail andBombardier 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 2021, QR announced that it had shortlisted three applicants (Alstom,CAF andDowner Rail) to manufacture 65 newelectric multiple units with each consists of six cars.^[63] In 2023, it was confirmed that the new six-car units would be built by Downer Rail, together withHyundai Rotem being a joint venture partner, at a new state facility in Torbanlea, near Maryborough.^[64][65] The new units will allow for expansion of the fleet and retiring of the EMU and ICE units.

Class	Image (if applicable)	Type	Top speed (km/h)	Built	Number of units	Routes operated	Notes
Current city network fleet
SMU200		Electric multiple unit	100	1994–1995	12	City network (except Interurban services)	Units numbered 201–212 All units were refurbished from 2019 to 2024.[66]
IMU100		Electric multiple unit	140	1996–1997	10	City network	Units numbered 101–110 All units were refurbished from 2019 to 2025.[66]
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 All units are to be refurbished from 2022 - present,[67] and fitted with ETCS equipment.[68]
SMU260		Electric multiple unit	130	2008–2011	36	City network	Units numbered 261–296 All units are to be refurbished from 2022 - present,[67] and fitted with ETCS equipment.[68]
NGR700		Electric multiple unit	140	2015–2019	75	City network (exceptFerny Grove,Beenleigh &Rosewood[69][70])	Units numbered 701–775
Former city network fleet
EMU		Electric multiple unit	100	1979–1986	0	City network (except Interurban services)	As of July 2025, all EMU units have been retired.[71]
ICE		Electric multiple unit	120	1988–1989	0	City network	As of November 2021, all ICE units have been retired.
Traveltrain fleet
Electric Tilt Train		Tiltingelectric multiple unit	160	1997	2	North Coast line
Diesel Tilt Train		Tiltingpush-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	Traveltrain services and infrastructure trains	The most common use for the 1720 Class is as secondary motive power on theSpirit of the Outback and theWestlander as well as the main motive power on theKuranda 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, and 2163.
Tourist fleet
DL class		Diesel locomotive	50	1961	1	Gulflander	DL4 based atNormanton, used as backup for theGulflander's RM 93. Underwent major maintenance atNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops in 2019.
45 hp rail motor		Railmotor	40	1931	1	Gulflander	RM60 based atNormanton, used for charters.
102 hp rail motor		Railmotor	50	1950	1	Gulflander	RM93 based atNormanton, used for weekly Gulflander service. RM93 was converted to the General Manager's Inspection Car for the Central Division in 1972. It was then modified back to full railmotor seating capacity in 1981, and arrived in Normanton in 1982.
1800 class		Railmotor (trailers)	50	1952–1954	2	Gulflander	TP1809 is used on the Gulflander tourist railway as a trailer car. TP1811 was originally designated as RM1811, meaning it was a power car. It was formerly used as the commissioner's car and still has its upgraded suspension to this day.
Heritage fleet
A10 class		Steam locomotive	50[72]	1865–1866	2		No. 6 operational, Australia's oldest operational steam locomotive. Usually placed on display at theWorkshops Rail Museum when not required for special trains. No. 3 lasted in service until 1914, and has been retained for preservation and displayed at several locations; it is currently being restored to operation at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops.
B13 class		Steam locomotive	50	1883–1895	1		No. 48 located in a storage shed at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops and awaits removal of boiler lagging and repainting before it can be publicly displayed.
B15 class		Steam locomotive	65	1889–1899	1		No. 290 located in a storage shed at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops and is awaiting removal of boiler lagging and repainting before it can be publicly displayed.
PB15 class		Steam locomotive	65	1899–1926	2		No. 732 stored. No. 444 now displayed at the entrance to theWorkshops Rail Museum.
B13 1/2 class		Steam locomotive	50	1904–1905	1		No. 398 known as 'Pompey' is stored in bogie shop after being displayed outside at theWorkshops Rail Museum.
C17 class		Steam locomotive	80	1920–1953	3		No. 974 stored pending overhaul. No. 1000 being restored to working order. Unfortunately this effort had apparently stalled due to the need for a new welded boiler (similar to 971/974's). No. 2 located in a storage shed at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops awaiting removal of boiler lagging and repainting before it can be publicly displayed.
C19 class		Steam locomotive	80	1922–1935	1		No. 700 located in a storage shed at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops awaiting removal of boiler lagging and repainting before it can be publicly displayed.
B18¼ class		Steam locomotive	80	1926–1947	1		No. 771 located in a storage shed at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops awaiting removal of boiler lagging and repainting before it can be publicly displayed.
DL class		Diesel locomotive	50	1939	1		On display at theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops. Queensland's first diesel locomotive. Currently not operational.
AC16 class		Steam locomotive	80	1943	1		No. 221A operational. (USATC S118 Class)
DD17 class		Steam locomotive	80	1948–1952	1		No. 1051 is still awaiting reassembly and repainting after undertaking heavy overhaul including brakes, a welded boiler and cabin.
Beyer-Garratt		Steam locomotive	80	1950–1951	1		No. 1009 on loan to the adjacentWorkshops Rail Museum. As a permanent exhibition in the museum. Previous restoration attempts aborted due to insufficient parts, tools, workers and money.
BB18¼ class		Steam locomotive	80	1950–1958	2		No. 1079 operational. No. 1089 undergoing motion overhaul.
1150 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1952	1		1159 stored pending restoration.
1400 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1955	1		1407 sold to Mackay Steam Railway.
1170 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1956	1		1170 stored pending restoration.
1900 class		Railmotor	80	1956	1		1901 operational, also used as inspection and hired tourist vehicles.
2000 class		Railmotor	80	1956–1971	6		2034 and 2036 operational, on lease to Longreach based Outback Rail Adventure. 2057 stored due to a lack of engine despite some new internal modifications; including Disabled Access and Toilet facilities. 2005are currently stored.
1450 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1957	3		1450, 1455 and 1459 sold to Mackay Steam Railway.
1200 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1953–1954	1		1200 stored pending restoration.
1250 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1959	2		1262 on display atWorkshops Rail Museum. 1263 donated by ARHS(QLD). Stored in Townsville pending transport.
SX carriages		Passenger car	80	1961–1962	7		Set 45 formed into one 7-car set. Currently stored awaiting underframe work. A second set is also on site. SXV from Set 38 stored in bogie shop.
1600 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1962	1		1603 on display atBundaberg Railway Museum
1700 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1963	1		1710s cab used as a driving simulator at theWorkshops Rail Museum.
1460 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1964	1		1461 awaiting completion of mechanical restoration.
1270 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1964	2		1270 stored pending restoration. 1281 is on display, in good mechanical condition, at theWorkshops Rail Museum.
DH class		Diesel locomotive	50	1966	2		DH2 disassembled from previous restoration attempt. DH71 stored.
1620 class		Diesel locomotive	80	1967	3		1620 stored indefinitely after major failure requiring rewiring and engine work. 1650 donated by ARHS(QLD). Stored in good condition after partial restoration initiated by the previous custodian. 1651 donated by ARHS(QLD). Stored pending restoration.
Special fleet
		Vice-Regal Car	80	1903	1		Car 445 is a special saloon retained for use by theGovernor of Queensland and is still considered a working item of rollingstock in the QR fleet, however it is on permanent loan toWorkshops Rail Museum.[73]

¹ This table only includes locomotives owned by Queensland Rail. QR also hires locomotives fromAurizon as required.

From its inception, QR's primary workshops were theNorth Ipswich Railway Workshops. It was replaced by theRedbank Railway Workshops in the 1960s. The Mayne Yard rail precinct is now the forefront for the repairs and maintenance of the fleet.^{[citation needed]}

Notable incidents involving Queensland Rail include:

• On 9 June 1925, 9 people were killed in an accident nearTraveston, atop a timber trestle bridge aboard the Rockhampton Mail service. The train was reported to have derailed, causing 2 cars (1 Passenger Car, and 1 Baggage Car) to fall into the Traveston Creek. The incident overall caused 9 fatalities and over 50 injuries.^[74]
• On5 May 1947, a crowded charter train de-railed and crashed nearCamp Mountain due to excessive speeds down a hill and a bend with 16 deaths.^[75] This accident is still the worst "loss of life" accident in Qld Rail history.
• On25 February 1960, the East BoundMidlander derailed and crashed 1.5 km away fromBogantungan (Located Between Emerald and Barcaldine) on what is now calledSpirit of the Outback Service. Floodwaters, had washed away a tree which hit some pylons holding the Medway Creek Bridge up. The east bound train hauled by two C17 locomotives, at the time had 120 passengers on-board. When the service arrived at the bridge at 2:32am, it plunged 7 – 1/2M into the creek bed after the bridge gave way. Floodwater quickly filled carriages. Both locomotives ended up in the water, as well as three passenger cars. Overall, seven People lost their lives and 43 people were injured. TheMedway Creek disaster is seen as the worst in QR's History.^[76]
• On 23 March 1985, two passenger trains collided head-on near Trinder Park station on theBeenleigh line. Two people died (one of whom was the driver of the south-bound train), and 31 people sustained injuries. Affected units EMU11 and EMU27 were both travelling concurrently on the single track section of the line, despite several "fail-safe" measures and the use of RCS (remote control signalling).^[77][78]
• On 21 September 2001, EMU units 05 and 60 collided with a cattle train nearPetrie, causing two carriages of Unit 05 and one carriage of Unit 60 to be scrapped, with the three remaining carriages merged to form EMU 60.^[79]
• On15 November 2004, aDiesel Tilt Train VCQ5 derailed atBerajondo on theNorth Coast Line due to excessive speed resulting in injuries to over 100 people.^[80]
• On 14 September 2012, EMU41 collided with a heavy vehicle that became grounded on the level crossing at St Vincent's Road, Banyo, on theShorncliffe line. The train driver performed all necessary braking measures, however they were not alerted in time and the train collided with the vehicle, causing extensive damage to the vehicle and the train (along with another train that was in the stationary near the crash). Injuries were sustained by both drivers.^[81]
• On 31 January 2013, IMU173 failed to stop atCleveland station and collided with the station toilet block resulting in major damage to the train and minor injuries to several commuters and staff.^[82]
• On 18 June 2021, A Queensland Rail operated Train – at the time being used for driver training collided with a LoadedAurizon Coal Train, at Westwood, West ofRockhampton. The incident occurred at 11:26am on an Aurizon operated trainline, while the locomotive was travelling to Bluff. The Queensland Rail Locomotive had three drivers onboard, two of whom suffered injuries. There was one fatality. The QR locomotive 2471 sustained severe damage, with the Aurizon locomotive sustaining less substantial damage. A report of the incident is due in Q2 2022.^[83]

In December 2014, the Queensland Audit Office published a report about QR's Sunlander 14 project. The Sunlander 14 project had a scope to acquire a total of 25 carriages to replaceThe Sunlander passenger train with a newDiesel Tilt Train, purchase additional luxury cars, for the two existing Diesel Tilt Trains and refurbish their existing carriages.

The project was initially costed at $195 million and allowed for the operation of five services a week. However, costs had risen by 2012, and the Queensland Auditor-General reported that the eventual cost would be from $358 to $404 million, because QR had failed to take into account the requirement for upgraded maintenance facilities, as well as en route provisioning.^[84] The Auditor-General also believed, due to issues with the business case that QR had overestimated how popular the new service would be, and had a mistaken belief that the 'luxury' component of the train would attract more high-paying customers.^[85]

In 2013, the project was scaled back, with the train length being reduced to nine cars by removing the luxury sleepers and restaurant cars. That resulted in a revised project cost of $204 million. The Auditor-General's report in particular highlighted that due to the fixed-price construction contract the cost per train car increased and that opportunities were missed to pursue broader long distance train fleet renewal.^[84]

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TheRedcliffe Peninsula railway line opened on 4 October 2016 and created a revised timetable that resulted in a 9% increase in services across the network.^[86] Queensland Rail did not have sufficient traincrew to operate the increased services. On 21 October a substantial interruption of service occurred involving the cancellation without notice of 167 services (12% of the scheduled services for the day) due to compulsory rest periods required for the train crew (a break of at least 32 hours required when a crew member has worked 11 consecutive days or 14 consecutive shifts).^[86]

Following the service interruptions, the head of the train service delivery unit was stood down.^[87] and an interim timetable implemented that reversed the increase in services and demand for traincrew.^[86] Several weeks after the service interruptions, Queensland Rail CEO Helen Gluer announced her resignation from the company, along with chairman Michael Klug.^[88] It was announced on 27 October 2016, that the Director-General of the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Neil Scales, would replace Helen Gluer and that an inquiry known as the Queensland Rail Train Crewing Practices Investigation would be led by Phillip Strachan into the events.^[89]

On 25 December 2016, another substantial service cancellation event occurred due to a lack of available traincrew to operate the services.^[90][91] On that day, 261 services, or 36% of scheduled services did not operate.^[86] The underlying reason for the cancellations was a lack of available drivers to operate services. Queensland Rail's Chief Operating Officer resigned several days later.^[91]

The inquiry into Queensland Rail's train crewing conducted by Phillip Strachan was completed in February 2017. The report made a number of findings and provided 36 recommendations that the Queensland Government accepted. The findings included that Queensland Rail had experienced a 9% increase in demand for traincrew due to the revised timetable while also experiencing a 7% decrease in traincrew productivity as a result of revised industrial arrangements, had intentionally operated for a number of years with an under-supply of traincrew and utilised the shortfall to provide paid overtime opportunities, had reduced train crew intake during 2014–15 in the lead-up to the opening of the new line, had restrictions on external recruitment and had a longer driver training period than like organisations.^[86] The report also highlighted unclear governance arrangements and a short term focus within the operations section that relied on intuition rather than accurate forecasting and a reluctance to share bad news as contributing factors.^[92][86] The recommendations from the report centred around demand management, supply management, people and process management and governance arrangements.^[86]

Following the completion of the Strachan inquiry, Philip Strachan was appointed as Chair of the Queensland Rail Board replacing Acting Chair Nicole Hollows,^[93] who had been appointed following the resignation Michael Klug.^[94] A Citytrain Response Unit was established within the Department of Transport and Main Roads to oversee the implementation of the recommendations from the Strachan inquiry.^[95] The Citytrain Response Unit subsequently commissioned a whole of business review into the organisation that was conducted byDeutsche Bahn and delivered in July 2017^[96] and published reports tracking the progress of the implementation of the recommendations.^[97] Executive bonus payments were also suspended for 2017.^[98]

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