Rail services in the Australian state of Queensland remain disrupted, but daylight rail shuttle services have restarted in the north between Mackay and Cairns.
The special Sunlander services will run until 11 January and could be extended depending on the flooding situation in south Queensland.
In the general freight business, Queensland’s north coast line remains closed from Brisbane to Cairns after floods affected Bundaberg, while Rockhampton and full services are not expected to resume for at least a week.
Rail deliveries to ports at Mackay, Gladstone and Fisherman Islands may be halted by up to two weeks and services to south-west and central-west Queensland for grain deliveries will be halted due to flooding.
Rail freight haulage company QR National has relocated key assets such as locomotives and wagons away from flood zones to ensure they are available for coal and freight services.
Services have begun operating on three of the four major coal rail systems, the Newlands system, the Goonyella rail system and the Moura coal rail system to Gladstone port.
The Blackwater coal rail system remains closed due to floodwaters and QR National estimates that the flooded Dawson River will continue to affect the Blackwater line near Duaringa until next week.
