Brisbane commuters are being warned key rail lines across the city will remain out of action until the end of April, after an industrial dispute blew out timeframes on key maintenance work.
Queensland Rail chief executive Kat Stapleton said buses would replace trains for up to four additional days on some routes, with tracks between Boggo Road and Banoon stations – in Brisbane’s south – opening last.
“As a result of the need to deliver the works and the delay from protected industrial action over the Easter long weekend, the track closure has been extended to minimise future impacts on customers,” she said.
“We understand that our customers are frustrated by these delays, and we share that frustration.”
Works on tracks running from Bowen Hills to Eagle Junction and Northgate would be extended until April 15, while works north of Brisbane between Caboolture and Gympie North stations would finish on April 12.
Stapleton said the demand for rail replacement buses was high because so many sections of track needed to be closed. This meant some services would run at reduced frequency.
Amended track closure dates
- Caboolture to Gympie North tracks will now reopen one day later, on April 13.
- Bowen Hills to Eagle Junction and Northgate tracks will now reopen four days later, on April 16.
- Boggo Road to Banoon tracks will now reopen four days later, on May 1.
Rail operations were interrupted twice in April already after successive bouts of industrial action – first from train controllers represented by the Rail Tram and Bus Union on April 1, and later from electricians over the Easter long weekend.
About 150 to 200 workers represented by the Electrical Trades Union (ETU) opted not to show up to work in protected industrial action amid an ongoing pay dispute with the government-operated Queensland Rail.
The workers initially refused to work on anything other than faults posing a safety risk, but were told by Queensland Rail they would not be paid unless they performed their full duties.
Queensland Rail said it lost multiple days of track maintenance across the holiday weekend, which had extended timelines on maintenance work.
An opposition spokesperson said the extension would have a “deep impact on commuters and freight operators who are already battling the high price of fuel”.
Data from the last week of March revealed more people across south-east Queensland than ever before have turned to rail networks for weekday travel.
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