Media Statement: Central West train suspended for safety

[Fares_Fair]

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Scott Emerson
Friday, July 06, 2012

Central West train suspended for safety


The Queensland Government's Rail Safety regulator has ordered all trains to suspend operations in Central West Queensland.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson said the line would remain closed until the safety regulator's safety concerns are addressed.

"There are more than 70 wooden bridges in the region that need to be reinspected because of concerns that underwater inspections were signed off up to 18 months ago without actually being carried out," Mr Emerson said.

"A number of the bridges have pylons that are permanently immersed in water and this will be a significant program of work that could take up to a month."

"Unfortunately there will be a disruption to cattle and general freight services, along with the Spirit of the Outback passenger services, but this is a necessary step to ensure the safety of passengers and staff."

The closure relates to lines operated by Queensland Rail, including Emerald to Winton, via Longreach, the Clermont branch line and the Springsure branch line.

The line between Clermont and Capella, north of Emerald was closed Wednesday, due to the condition of two rail bridges at Capella Creek.

Experienced structures gangs from Charleville, Miles and Warwick have been brought in to help local crews with the work.

Queensland Rail will work with passengers, local communities and graziers to find alternative transport during the closure.

[ENDS] 6 July 2012

[ozbob]

Honestly .... what on earth is going on?

[Fares_Fair]

"There are more than 70 wooden bridges in the region that need to be reinspected because of concerns that underwater inspections were signed off up to 18 months ago without actually being carried out," Mr Emerson said.

Sounds possibly fraudulent ...

[somebody]

Ouch!  I hope if they find a problem demonstrably from the flood they prosecute those that signed off that the work had been done, with the full force of the law.  Lives would have been endangered.

[colinw]

This sounds like what happens when an organisation is in complete disarray and underfunded.

Wow, what a resounding success the destruction of the old QR and its replacement with QueenslandRail and QRN has been. I hope those responsible are proud of themselves.

It is unthinkable that the QR of old would have allowed something like this to occur.

or ...

Being cynical here, but maybe this is actually a load of political codswallop to beat up the opposition and soften up the public for some line closures & service withdrawals?

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Central Queensland rail line shut down due to safety concerns for wooden bridges

[SurfRail]

^ I'm planning my Westlander trip as soon as possible...

[Fares_Fair]

^ I'm planning my Westlander trip as soon as possible...

You'll just need to get out at creek crossings.... and walk.

[ozbob]

From the Couriermail 7th July 2012 page 19

Fear of faulty rail bridges

[ozbob]

This sounds like what happens when an organisation is in complete disarray and underfunded.

Wow, what a resounding success the destruction of the old QR and its replacement with QueenslandRail and QRN has been. I hope those responsible are proud of themselves.

It is unthinkable that the QR of old would have allowed something like this to occur.

or ...

Being cynical here, but maybe this is actually a load of political codswallop to beat up the opposition and soften up the public for some line closures & service withdrawals?

Very sad all round.  I would not be surprised if there are some bridges that need major repairs.

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Blindsided mayors fear line closure impact

Blindsided mayors fear line closure impact
Cameron Atfield
July 7, 2012

Outback Queensland mayors fear a hit to their cattle and tourism industries in the wake of yesterday's sudden closure of railway lines in the region.

The mayors of Longreach, Emerald and Barcaldine last night told brisbanetimes.com.au they had been blindsided by the state government's decision yesterday to indefinitely suspend rail movements in central west Queensland, amid fears wooden bridges had not been properly checked and could pose a safety risk.

The closure involved lines operated by Queensland Rail, including Emerald to Winton via Longreach, the Clermont branch line and the Springsure branch line.

Longreach mayor Joe Owens said he had no prior notice of the decision and he was particularly concerned about the potential impact the line closures would have on the cattle industry.

He said, at this time of year, there were a lot of cattle going through the Longreach saleyard.

"If it's only a week, then it's not a big drama. But if it goes longer than that ... the bigger the impact it's going to have," Cr Owens said.

"There are about 10 road trains of cattle per train – that's 30 road trains a week just to move the cattle. Add another 10 road trains a week to move the freight, depending on the train (and) another four buses a week both ways, that's an immense amount of traffic to be put on a road that's already reasonably busy.

"I'd hate to be a motorist in a sedan car trying to come across the range when you've got six or eight road trains full of cattle trying to pull up."

As with Cr Owens, Emerald mayor Peter Maguire only found out about the line closures at 1.30pm via a phone hook-up with Queensland Rail.

"They're saying they've done inspections, but obviously no detailed inspections," Cr Maguire said.

"This is probably the result of the wet weather we've had over the past few years too, but for this to come out of the blue is a bit bloody disappointing."

Cr Maguire said the Spirit of the Outback would likely still service Emerald, "assuming they still run it".

"The line from Brisbane to (Rockhampton) to Emerald is all OK, but Emerald to Capella and Clairmont is a problem ... and that certainly has impact on a couple of cattle train movements a week," he said.

"The problem you'll get there is there'll be more trucks, road trains and cattle trucks on the bloody highways and roads shipping all these cattle that would normally go by rail.

"Then there's the extra cost. They have two train loads out of Clairmont each week and that's going to cost those people – the cattlemen – so many dollars per head more to send them by road than by train."

Cr Maguire said he expected the Cappella/Clairmont link to be affected for "about eight weeks", but he had not been given a timeline for other tracks.

"There would not be many goods on that line. There's no coal on that line – I suspect if it was a coal line it would be fixed in quick bloody fashion," he said.

After yesterday's snap decision to cease rail services, a cattle train was left stranded in Barcaldine.

Barcaldine mayor Rob Chandler said about 900 head of cattle were stranded for several hours yesterday afternoon.

"We sent a message down that those cattle were stranded in Barcaldine and the last I heard the regulator had let those cattle through," he said.

Cr Chandler said there was a need to "fix it and get on with it" so outback communities would not suffer.

"It's fairly serious. We need to know why the regulator has suddenly just shut the line down and, whatever the problem is, we need to get it fixed and get those trains back on the line as soon as possible," he said.

"If it's a matter of safety, then fine – the last thing we want is a passenger train on a crook line.

"If it's bridges, or whatever else it might be, then get some gangs out there and fix it."

Cr Chandler said he was also concerned about the impact the rail closures would have on the region's roads.

"If anyone's ever travelled west of Toowoomba when the grain harvest's on and you're passing your mining vehicles on that Warrego Highway, your grain trucks, your cattle trucks going into Dinmore and you look over and there's an empty railway line beside you, it doesn't make sense," he said.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/blindsided-mayors-fear-line-closure-impact-20120706-21mah.html

[ozbob]

From Central Queensland News click here!


http://media.apnonline.com.au/img/media/images/2012/07/06/RCQ_06-07-2012_ROP_03_IMGP6853_t325.jpg

Graziers angry over rail closure

Graziers angry over rail closure

Simon Green | 6th July 2012 10:43 AM

GRAZIERS were angry and left out of pocket following Queensland Rail's spur-of-the-moment decision to shut the rail line from Capella to Clermont for eight weeks to conduct bridge maintenance.

Peter Anderson, a regional AgForce representative from Glenlea Downs, north of Clermont, said landholders were hit with the news on Wednesday despite the fact cattle trains were booked for today and Sunday.

"They just came out and announced that the line would be closed for eight weeks," Mr Anderson said.

"There was no warning and no industry consultation."

"There is an extra cost to graziers and it is significant, in both time and money."

He said the operations of affected graziers had been left in disarray, and claimed the impromptu decision would result in an extra 80 to 90 decks of cattle on the road a week, for eight weeks.

"Trains are still running from Emerald, so cattle will have to be trucked down to Emerald in smaller trucks (due to size restrictions on the road)," he said. "That's extra pressure on a struggling road network that's already fallen behind."

Mr Anderson said QR would have known well in advance about the need for maintenance on the line and should have consulted with industry.

"In recent years the speed restrictions on that line have gotten stricter, so they have known that maintenance or repair work would have to be done for a long time," he said.

"The bridges have been deteriorating. But to shut the line with no industry consultation is wrong and it has put a lot of people out.

"Why didn't they consult with industry? Why couldn't they have worked out the most appropriate times to do the repairs? They've known this was coming for a long time.

"Those guys who had cattle booked on this week's trains are now in disarray ... stock is a perishable commodity. It can't just sit there waiting."

Queensland Rail was contacted for comment but did not respond before our press deadline.

[mufreight]

The line is still in service as far as Emerald so there is no justification for discontinuing the Spirt of the Outback service as it could continue operations as far as Emerald with buses for the rest of the journey between Emerald and Longreach.
With livestock the loading yards at Emerald are still in use so at worst livestock could be road freighted to Emerald and railed from there.
The surprising part of this supposed safety measure is that under past circumstances these suspect bridges would have speed and weight restrictions placed on them with 60 TAL locos used to operate trains west of Emerald, the passenger rollingstock used on the Spirit of the Outback is only around a 10 TAL and the livestock waggons being used are similar low axle load rollingstock.
If these timber bridges pose such a safety problem following flooding in the region then what would be the situation with the even more numerous timber road bridges in the area which see continuous use by frequently overloaded road trains.
One could be excused for coming to be of the belief that this is a precursor to the justification for closeing of these low volume freight lines by Mr Newmans appointed road centric Director General of Transport and Main Roads Mr Caltabiano.
Definately not a good look, time the National Party leg of the LNP reminds Mr Newman and the LNP faceless power brokers that Queensland does not end at the westernmoast coal mine.

[colinw]

Something smells a bit "off" about this. It all seems just a bit too convenient to me.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

Suspension of Central west Queensland rail services

Greetings,

The Minister for Transport has announced that rail services on the rail system west and north of Emerald have been suspended.

This of course does have a significant impact on graziers,  and the community generally.  See  http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8713.msg103545#msg103545

Suspension is due to a need to assess rail bridge condition.  It is worth pointing out that the road system has many wooden bridges as well, and they too have been subjected to similar conditions and are being strained by excessive overloaded road trains.

This rail closure has actually highlighted we need to increase rail freight services.  Roads are being destroyed and are becoming places of terror with ever escalating numbers of trucks.  Damage and trauma costs are mounting.

Best wishes
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track http://backontrack.org

[somebody]

Something smells a bit "off" about this. It all seems just a bit too convenient to me.

Yeah, I'd agree with that.

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
http://statements.cabinet.qld.gov.au/MMS/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=79814

The Honourable Scott Emerson

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Some Central West train line to reopen

The Queensland Government's Rail Safety Regulator has lifted the prohibition for trains to operate on two of the four lines in Central Western Queensland.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson said the lines between Emerald and Longreach, and Longreach and Winton would be opened with a number of restrictions in place.

"This will come as some relief to graziers and tourism operators in the region who rely on these lines for their business," Mr Emerson said.

"Queensland Rail will complete underground and underwater inspections on 13 remaining rail bridges over the coming days.

"Restrictions include a 15km/hr speed limit on all bridges yet to be inspected and track inspections prior to every train movement.

"The line between Clermont and Emerald will remain closed due to the condition of two rail bridges at Capella Creek, however special permits will be provided to allow larger trucks to operate along the route.

"In addition, the line between Emerald and Springsure will also remain closed pending Queensland Rail's inspections of bridge infrastructure.

"The line between Winton and Longreach is being repaired after the collapse of a number of timber piers on the Darr River rail bridge under the weight of a ballast train on February 22.

"The prohibition on this line has also been lifted after Queensland Rail provided the necessary safety assurances to the Rail Safety Regulator."

All four lines were closed yesterday due to concerns that inspection records dating back to November 2010 were falsified.

The CMC will oversee an investigation into the actions of two Queensland Rail bridge maintenance staff.

"The Rail Safety Regulator has also commenced a formal investigation into the conduct of Queensland Rail at both an individual and organisational level to determine whether they have complied with their rail safety duties," Mr Emerson said.

"The Newman Government is committed to improving the State's transport network, but not at the expense of safety.

"I've also demanded answers from Queensland Rail as to why it failed to meet its legal requirement to inform the rail safety regulator, as well as its failure to inform the Office of Government Owned Corporations and my office until more than five weeks after this matter was referred to the CMC.

[ENDS] 8 July 2012

[ozbob]

Good to see some commonsense with respect to these closures.

One wonders what the real story is ...

[Jonno]

I suspect an over excited Minister focused on "highlighting the failing of his opponent" rather than the letting the truth tell the story.  Regulator was always going to restrict speeds and loads. That is standard practice. 

Great to see rural communities clearly understanding the value of rail compared to city "give me my car park" cousins!!

[SurfRail]

Great to see rural communities clearly understanding the value of rail compared to city "give me my car park" cousins!!

To be fair, the squeakiest wheels in this instance would be graziers and the meat industry - but still a good win for everybody to get the livestock off the road.

[colinw]

I didn't know the Springsure branch was still open beyond Minerva coal mine. Are grain & livestock trains still operating on the Springsure & Emerald - Clermont branches?

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> Rail services partially return on suspended line

[ozbob]

Seems cattle trains on both .. don't know about grain.

From the Weekly Times click here!

Cattlemen hit by train shutdowns in Qld

Cattlemen hit by train shutdowns in Qld
AAP |  July 6, 2012

QUEENSLAND cattlemen will be among the worst-hit of an emergency suspension of train services in the state's centre and west.
The rail safety regulator has ordered the suspensions because the Government says safety inspections after recent floods were checked off a list, but never actually done.

More than 70 bridges must be checked, leaving authorities no choice but to shut down passenger, cattle and other freight services immediately.

Queensland Rail will work with passengers, local communities and graziers to find alternative transport, Transport Minister Scott Emerson said.

"A number of the bridges have pylons that are permanently immersed in water and this will be a significant program of work that could take up to a month," he said.

The suspensions apply to lines operated by Queensland Rail, including Emerald to Winton via Longreach, the Clermont branch line and the Springsure branch line.

AgForce, a rural lobby group, said the closures could add $20,000 a week to the cost of shipping cattle out of the Clermont district alone.

Spokesman Peter Anderson said the closures were another hit the industry didn't need.

"We already have a failing road network that can't keep up with the expanding a resource sector," he told AAP.

"Now we'll have to put another 20 to 25 road trains a week on the Clermont road between Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning."

Mr Anderson said it was not just a matter of the trucks extending their trip from the rail heads.

The configuration of the trucks has to change from three double decker trailers down to two between some towns.

"That means more time and money, and extends the time the cattle are on the trucks," he said.

Mount Isa MP Rob Katter said it proved Labor failed to look after regional infrastructure to the detriment of the state's economy.

[ozbob]

Premier has been on ABC News radio expressing some concerns with the failure to communicate the issues to the Minister and DG TMR. 

Seems an official inquiry has been commenced into the circumstances.  All will have to wait for that outcome now.

Hopefully the bridge inspections can be completed quickly and full services restored.

[ozbob]

From ABC Rural click here!

Closure of Queensland rail lines hampers beef industry

Closure of Queensland rail lines hampers beef industry

By Arlie Felton-Taylor

Monday, 09/07/2012

Australia's largest meat processor says the closure of two rail lines in central Queensland will create turmoil for the beef industry.

The State Government has closed the lines from Emerald to Clermont and Springsure because of concerns that safety inspections on a number of wooden bridges were not carried out.

The Rail Safety Regulator has been requested to conduct an inquiry into why it took Queensland Rail five weeks to inform it of the alleged safety breaches.

John Berry, from abattoir operator JBS, says about 5,000 head of cattle are moved on central western rail network every week.

He says closure of the rail link to Clermont worries him the most.

"We need to give some priority to the Clermont line, it's two services a week and there's a lot of cattle moved out of there," he said.

"We understand the need for inspections.

"We believe it could take eight weeks, but hopefully it'll take less than that.

"That's a very important part of the movement of cattle in that part of the country.

Audio:

Meat processors, livestock agents and graziers are worried about the rail closure.

The Emerald lines to Clermont and Springsure remain closed and the line between Winton and Longreach will be closed for another week.

--> http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rural/201207/r969647_10500752.mp3

[ozbob]

From News.com.au click here!

Newman takes aim at QR over safety lag

Newman takes aim at QR over safety lag

Queensland Rail may have broken the law by taking five weeks to inform the state's rail safety regulator about major safety concerns, the premier says.

ALL rail services in the state's central west were suspended on Friday, after the regulator said there were concerns about the safety of more than 70 wooden bridges.

A number of investigations are under way into claims some safety inspection records were falsified.

Premier Campbell Newman says the government will investigate why it took Queensland Rail so long to inform the regulator about potential safety issues.

He says Queensland Rail may have broken the law.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this," he told ABC Radio.

"I promise Queenslanders we're not going to put up with an organisation that is top-heavy, that is wasting their money, but is not actually doing the fundamental job - making sure the network is safe and that it's delivering service to people who rely on Queensland rail."

On Sunday, the regulator allowed services to resume on two of the four lines affected by the suspensions in the central west.

The Emerald to Longreach and Longreach to Winton tracks are operating again but with speed restrictions.

The routes between Clermont and Emerald, and Emerald to Springsure will remain closed pending bridge inspections.

The government on Sunday said the Crime and Misconduct Commission would oversee an investigation into two Queensland Rail bridge maintenance staff.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/newman-takes-aim-at-qr-over-safety-lag/story-e6frfku9-1226420728913

[ozbob]

From The Bulletin click here!

Glitch puts focus on road trains

Glitch puts focus on road trains

Kathleen Calderwood | 10th July 2012 6:37 AM

JENNIE and Jim Purvis were among the lucky few able to breathe a short sigh of relief after Wednesday's closure of the Capella to Clermont railway line.

The couple who own Kilmarnock, 41km south of Clermont, have sold and transported the bulk of their cattle for the season, but they know this isn't the case for many of their neighbours.

These producers now have to transport their cattle to Emerald on roads that are riddled with roadworks, causing concern over costs and safety.

"I'm heaving a sigh of relief that we've managed to get off the biggest mob we'll be selling for the year," Mrs Purvis said.

"For years we've been sending our cattle by road transport to Clermont but I guess if they couldn't go through Clermont and then on rail, we'd send them by road transport to Emerald (but) that's a lot further than 41km."

Two rail bridges at Capella Creek were the cause of the closure which may last for up to eight weeks. Special permits can be obtained from the Department of Transport and Main Roads to allow larger road trains to operate under escort.

JBS Australia operates two trains a week from Clermont, each carrying upwards of 900 head of cattle. Director and manager corporate and regulatory affairs John Berry said: "We're very positive about the quality of the discussion with Minister Emerson's office and Vaughan Johnson has been a strong support for making sure that livestock rail continues."

[ozbob]

Carefully vetted ' fan club' or real people will be on the list ..

===============

Premier
The Honourable Campbell Newman

Monday, July 16, 2012

Newman visits south west Queensland

Premier Campbell Newman will visit the communities of Meandarra, Cunnamulla and Quilpie over the next two days.

Mr Newman said he was looking forward to visiting the region, which had largely been forgotten by the previous Labor Government.

Mr Newman will be the first Premier in 40 years to visit Meandarra, the last being Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen who opened the local show in 1972.

"I'm committed to getting out of George Street and talking to people right across our State," Mr Newman said.

"For too many years Queensland was run by remote control from the south east corner. My Government is one for all Queenslanders.

"I'm really looking forward to meeting the locals who live, work and contribute to these communities - the teachers, students, councillors, graziers and local business owners – so I can get a real insight into the issues they are facing."

The Premier will attend a meet and greet morning tea at Meandarra and will visit the local museum.

In Cunnamulla Mr Newman will meet local councillors, AgForce members, irrigators and grape growers. He will also drop into the local school and have a tour of the town.

In Quilpie the Premier will attend a community barbecue and business breakfast.

"It doesn't matter how small the town, they need to know the LNP Government will support them and is listening to them," Mr Newman said.

"Agriculture is the backbone of these regions and we've made a number of changes to help out people on the land, such as re-establishing a standalone Department of Agriculture and working to reducing red tape.

"We're also giving councils real decision making powers, and I want to hear of any problems they've encountered because of the former Labor government's city-centric view of the world."

The Premier will be joined by local Members Howard Hobbs and Vaughan Johnson on different parts of the trip.

[ENDS] 17 July 2012