| Railways in South East Queensland | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Queensland Rail |
| Area served | South East Queensland |
| Locale | Brisbane |
| Transit type | Suburban rail |
| Number of lines | 12 |
| Number of stations | 154 |
| Annual ridership | 42.86 million (FY22/23) |
| Chief executive | Katarzyna Stapleton |
| Headquarters | Brisbane |
| Website | queenslandrail |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 1865 (1865) |
| Operator(s) | Queensland Rail |
| Technical | |
| System length | 689 km (428 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) |
| Electrification | 25 kV 50 Hz ACoverhead lines |
| Top speed | 140 km/h (87 mph) |
Railways in South East Queensland consist of a large passenger and freight rail network centred onBrisbane, the capital city of the Australian state ofQueensland. Suburban and interurban passenger rail services are operated byQueensland Rail, which also operates long-distance services connecting Brisbane to the rest of the state.Aurizon andPacific National are private companies which operate freight services. The passenger rail network in South East Queensland is known as theCitytrain network.[1]
Queensland Rail operates ten suburban and two interurban lines in South East Queensland, all of which are electrified. Centred in theBrisbane central business district, the network extends as far asGympie in the north,Varsity Lakes in the south,Rosewood in the west, andCleveland in the east toMoreton Bay.[2]
Each line is ascribed a colour and name on all Queensland Rail signage andmarketing collateral including timetables, posters and maps. There are 154 stations on the South East Queensland rail network. Services and ticketing are co-ordinated by the Queensland Government agencyTranslink.
Queensland Rail’s trains had 42.86 million boardings in the 2022–23 financial year, giving the SEQ rail network the fourth highest patronage out ofAustralia's suburban rail networks, behind that of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.[3][4]
The first railway in Queensland did not actually run toBrisbane, but ran fromIpswich toGrandchester. Opened in July 1865,[5] theline into Brisbane was not completed until the opening of theAlbert Bridge in July 1875.[6] Branch lines in the city itself did not start until the next decade, with thebranch line to Sandgate opened in May 1882, and the branch fromEagle Junction to Racecourse in September the same year.
Lines were opened from Brisbane toSandgate andAscot in 1882. The first section of theNorth Coast line opened toPetrie in 1888.[7] In 1891 this line was connected to the Maryborough line atGympie, creating a through line toMount Perry. Abranch line was built fromCaboolture toWoodford in 1909 andKilcoy in 1913, now closed. A branch line was opened fromMonkland (south of Gympie) toBrooloo in 1915. A line was opened from the firstSouth Brisbane station atStanley Street,Woolloongabba toBeenleigh in 1885, and extended toSouthport in 1889 andTweed Heads, New South Wales in 1903. This line was closed beyond Beenleigh in 1964.[8]
A branch line was completed betweenBoggo Road station andCleveland in 1889, although the section beyondLota station was closed and since reconstructed. A newSouth Brisbane station was built on Melbourne Street in 1891. This became the terminus of thestandard gauge line fromGrafton in 1930 andSydney in 1932. Adual gauge line was built from South Brisbane over theBrisbane River to Roma Street in 1978. Aline was opened in 1980 from a junction nearLindum station on theCleveland line to thePort of Brisbane at Fisherman's Island. This was converted to dual 1435/1067 mm gauge and extended in parallel with the duplicated passenger line toDutton Park in about 1995 under theKeating government'sOne Nation program.
TheBeaudesert line was opened betweenBethania andBeaudesert in 1888, and closed in 1996. TheCanungra line was completed toCanungra in 1915, now closed. The line from extended fromRoma Street toCentral stations in 1889, and toBrunswick Street station in 1890. TheFerny Grove line was opened from a junction atMayne toEnoggera in 1899. The shortLaidley Valley railway lines opened on 19 April 1911 but was never profitable.
A start onelectrification of the suburban network was approved in 1950 but a change ofstate government in 1957 saw the scheme abandoned in 1959.[9] It was not until the 1970s that electrification was again brought up, with contracts let in 1975.[10] The first part of the new electric system fromDarra toFerny Grove opened on 17 November 1979.[11][12] The network was completed by 1988, with a number of extensions made since and additional rolling stock purchased. Services were initially operated under the Queensland Rail brand, with theCitytrain name established in 1995.[13]
To increase the capacity on a number of lines, the rail network in Brisbane has required some tracks to be duplicated. In June 2004,Queensland Government announced rail duplication of theGold Coast line betweenOrmeau andCoomera stations.[14] Between 2008 and 2010, work was carried out to duplicate the tracks betweenDarra andCorinda stations. Work included a link to theSpringfield line and upgrades toOxley and Darra stations.[15] In 2010, funding was allocated for the duplication of the rail line betweenKeperra toFerny Grove.[16]
A third track was laid betweenSalisbury andKuraby stations, a length of 9.5 km (5.9 mi). Previously two tracks, the added capacity allowsGold Coast line services to operate with less chance of delays. Seven railway stations along the section were significantly upgraded. The project was commissioned on 2 March 2008.[17]
A second track was laid betweenMitchelton andKeperra railway station, including an upgrade to the intermediate stations,Oxford Park andGrovely. Upgraded with two platforms, this upgrade allows additional services to operate on the line during peak hour, and will also remove waiting times outbound from Mitchelton and inbound from Keperra. Other improvements include lifts and footbridges, to meet the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport, and new, modern station buildings.[18] The further duplication of the railway between Keperra and Ferny Grove stations, plus an additional platform and parking at Ferny Grove has been completed.
The line betweenOrmeau andCoomera stations, 6.7 km (4.2 mi) in length, was duplicated in October 2006, allowing for additional capacity.[19] Similarly, the 16.6 km (10.3 mi) length betweenHelensvale andRobina stations was duplicated in July 2008, removing the need for a four-minute layover at Helensvale for Robina services to wait for the Brisbane service due to the single track either side of the station.[20]
5.2 km (3.2 mi) of track betweenCorinda andDarra stations was quadruplicated. Previously four tracks to Corinda then two to Ipswich, the quadruplication allowed for greater capacity, especially with theSpringfield railway line branching from Darra station.
13.7 km (8.5 mi) of track north ofCaboolture station toBeerburrum station has been duplicated and re-aligned, along with the construction of stations atElimbah and Beerburrum. Construction work began in 2007, and the project was commissioned on 14 April 2009.[21]
From Beerburrum station, 17 km (11 mi) of track toLandsborough is proposed to be similarly duplicated and re-aligned. This project started being built in 2020.[22]
TheAirport rail line opened to passengers in May 2001.[23] Under aBOOT scheme – build, own, operate and transfer – theQueensland Government licensedAirtrain Citylink to build the rail line, to own and operate it, and hand the entire infrastructure over to theQueensland Government after 35 years when the company will then cease to exist.[23][24] Airtrain Citylink contractedTransfield Services to build, operate and maintain the line[23] and finally Airtrain Citylink contracted Queensland Rail to providerolling stock for the rail line.[25]
In July 2007,Queensland Government announced the rail extension for the Gold Coast line.[26] The first stage was completed in 2009[27] which took the line toVarsity Lakes.[26] It was later proposed to take the line toTallebudgera but it did not proceed.[26] This is the first stage of the proposed progressive extension of the line to theGold Coast Airport. Further extension of the line including proposed stations atTallebudgera,Elanora andTugun is expected to be constructed after the completion of theCross River Rail project.[28]
A light rail line,G:link, on theGold Coast opened in July 2014.
TheSpringfield railway line is a line extending fromDarra railway station on theIpswich line to theSpringfield area. The 26 km (16 mi) extension of the network had a total cost of $475 million and was completed in December 2013.[29][30]
TheRedcliffe Peninsula railway line (previously known as the Moreton Bay Rail link) is a suburban railway line extending 27.5 km (17.1 mi) north-northwest fromBrisbane central business district (approximately 40.1 km (24.9 mi) fromCentral station. The line is part of the QR Citytrain network, branching from the existingCaboolture line immediately afterPetrie railway station, and extend to theRedcliffe peninsula. It was more seriously identified and anticipated in the 1970s, and the land was purchased in the 1980s although the line was not built. Construction commenced in 2013 and the line was opened to passengers on 4 October 2016.
Queensland Rail operates twelve rail lines across South East Queensland, centred on theBrisbane central business district. Lines that share a colour connect through the central city. The Exhibition line is a special events service connecting theBrisbane Showgrounds. Note that some stations are counted multiple times on this list.
| Line | First Service | Image | Length | Stations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airport line | 2001 |  | 15.9 km (9.9 mi) | 2 (branch) | |
| Beenleigh line | 1881 (electrified 1982–84) | .jpg) | 41.5 km (25.8 mi) | 22 | |
| Caboolture line | 1888 (electrified 1982–86) |  | 49.6 km (30.8 mi) | 13 | |
| Cleveland line | 1888 (electrified 1982–88) |  | 37.3 km (23.2 mi) | 25 | |
| Doomben line | 1882 (electrified 1988) |  | 8 km (5.0 mi) | 11 | |
| Ferny Grove line | 1899 (electrified 1979) |  | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) | 11 | |
| Gold Coast line | 1996 |  | 20 | ||
| Ipswich/Rosewood line | 1876 (electrified 1979–93) |  | 57 km (35 mi) | 32 | |
| Redcliffe Peninsula line | 2016 |  | 12 km (7.5 mi) | 6 (branch) | |
| Shorncliffe line | 1882 (electrified 1982) |  | 11 km (6.8 mi) | 18 | |
| Springfield line | 2013 |  | 13.6 km (8.5 mi) | 4 (Branch) | |
| Sunshine Coast line | 1881 (Electrified 1988) |  | 180 km (110 mi) | 29 | |
Additionally,Translink operates several bus routes along corridors on behalf of Queensland Rail where the railway line has been closed to passenger traffic or supplements low-patronage lines at specific times of the day.[31] To relieve congestion on the single trackNorth Coast line north ofBeerburrum, the rail service is supplemented by a bus service operated byKangaroo Bus Lines on weekdays betweenCaboolture andNambour as route 649.[32]
There are 154 stations on the South East Queensland rail network.[2] The four Brisbane city stations —Roma Street,Brisbane Central,Fortitude Valley andBowen Hills — are served by all suburban and interurban lines and together form the core of the network.
Translink is responsible for the rail network's fares and tickets. The agency facilitates integrated ticketing with public transport throughout South East Queensland using thego card.[33] Passengers must touch the card on a card reader at the start and finish of each journey, and when transferring between services.
Suburban and interurban passenger services are operated under the Citytrain brand ofQueensland Rail, and are co-ordinated byTranslink. Long-distance passenger services operate from Roma Street around the state under the Traveltrain brand, while an interstate service toSydney is operated by New South Wales operatorNSW TrainLink using itsXPT fleet.
In a city with a population of 2 million, passenger traffic on the suburban network doubled in the 10 years from 1979 to 1989 to reach 50 million journeys a year in 1989, and by 1992 it had increased by another 10%.[34]
In June 2009 as part the split of Queensland Rail's commuter rail and the freight business,[35] TheCitytrain brand was dropped in favour of using the redesignedQueensland Rail brand. Since then most traces of theCitytrain brand have been removed from rolling stock and station signage.
On 8 March 2017, the Queensland Government released a report called "Fixing the trains: a high-level implementation plan to transform rail in Queensland" This report officially resurrected theCitytrain network naming for the first time since the split. Since this report, the Citytrain brand has slowly made its way back into reports. This brand re-emergence does not seem to be a controlled and deliberate action, but rather appeared in the report due to the Citytrain brand being well known amongst many within the Brisbane area. The report unofficially initiated a return of the Citytrain branding, and established the Citytrain Response Unit to respond to the plan.
The station announcements on passenger trains are voiced by voiceover artist Ross Newth.[36]
Aurizon operates the majority of freight services on both the1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard and1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauges, withPacific National on the standard gauge and their narrow gauge Pacific National Queensland division also operating services.
The main rail freight terminal is in the southern Brisbane suburb ofAcacia Ridge, located off theBeenleigh suburban line at the northern end of theline from New South Wales. Afreight line was opened from Acacia Ridge to Fishermans Island and thePort of Brisbane in 1980,[11] running alongside the Beenleigh line fromSalisbury to Dutton Park, then follows theCleveland line to Lindum.Dual gauge access on the line was promised by the Federal Fraser government in 1983, but it was not until 1997 that the work was carried out, eliminating thebreak-of-gauge and enabling trains to run direct from the port across the New South Wales border.[37]
Approximately four million tonnes of freight is moved from outsideSouth East Queensland to points within it; 1.1 million tonnes was to interstate destinations. One of the largest internal traffic flows is the movement of coal along the Western Line to theSwanbank Power Station and the Port of Brisbane.[38]
TheFisherman Islands intermodal terminal was opened in 1994.[11] Other rail freight terminals have been located atSouth Brisbane,Boggo Road,Yeerongpilly,Clapham, andSalisbury.[39]
All of theQueensland Rail City Network rolling stock is electric andair conditioned.
All trains areelectric multiple units with a driver cabin at both ends.
Suburban trains are occasionally scheduled on interurban lines if other rolling stock is not available. While using suburban trains on interurban lines increases operational flexibility, the trains are not provided with toilets or high-backed seats.
75 new six-carNew Generation Rollingstock trains were ordered in early 2014 and were delivered between late 2015 and late 2019.[42] A new maintenance facility for these trains was built atWulkuraka. The first NGR entered service on 11 December 2017.
20 new six-car Queensland Train Manufacturing Program trains were ordered in early 2020, with TMR considering ordering an additional 45 trains in the next decade.[41]
A number of upgrades and extensions are under construction or planned for the rail network in South East Queensland. In 2011, the Queensland Government released a major transport plan Connecting SEQ2031, which aimed to double public transport usage in South East Queensland.[43][44] It proposed a number of service upgrades and rail extensions, including Cross River Rail, the Gold Coast light rail, a new high frequency Brisbane subway in the central city fromToowong toBowen Hills, and a new North-west rail line branching from Cross River Rail atAlderley toStrathpine.[44]
 On 26 August 2007, the then-Minister for Transport and Main Roads,Paul Lucas, announced the Inner City Rail Capacity Study to look at underground rail access under theBrisbane central business district. Dismissing aCity Loop-style scenario similar toMelbourne, citing the relatively small size of the CBD and "technical and operational constraints", Lucas imagined an underground line fromBoggo Road station toWoolloongabba, then across theBrisbane River to connect with theExhibition railway line, with major new stations at Woolloongabba,Gardens Point/Queensland University of Technology, and in the CBD. The study also investigated the feasibility of the Exhibition line operating all year with new stations, and the upgrading of existing lines with additional tracks. Lucas allocatedA$5 million to the study and appointedAecom andParsons Brinckerhoff as consultants to "look at options for boosting rail capacity in the city centre, including potential for an underground tunnel".[45] This project,Cross River Rail, is now under construction and scheduled to open to the public in early 2026.[46] In 2017, work began on a second rail river crossing for Brisbane as theMerivale Bridge nears capacity. The project includes just under six kilometres of new underground rail, three new underground stations atBoggo Road,Woolloongabba andAlbert Street, new underground platforms atRoma Street station, and an upgrade to the existingExhibition station. The new inner-city route will be used by theNew Generation Rollingstock.||
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| Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail is a corridor upgrade project for the Beenleigh and Gold Coast Lines. The project will quadruplicate the tracks between Kuraby and Beenleigh, upgrade six stations, relocate three others, make the entire area grade-separated, and implement ETCS Level 2 from Salisbury to Varsity Lakes.[47] |
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| TheMaroochydore railway line, also known as the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail (DSC), is a new rail line from Beerwah to Maroochydore, servicing the growing southern Sunshine Coast communities of Birtinya, Caloundra, Nirimba, Aroona and Kawana.[48] The corridor shares the proposed Kawana Motorway corridor from Birtinya to Maroochydore, intertwined along its route. North of Maroochydore there is allowance for a future extension to the Sunshine Coast Airport. In the south, the corridor is predominantly flat with minimal curves to provide the fastest speeds possible through open grass floodplains and the glasshouse plantation forests. |
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