Queensland Rail’s North Coast line has reopened in its entirety this weekend after major flood damage which saw the section between Townsville and Cairns closed for a month.

Queensland Rail crews have completed repairs to 164 sites on the North Coast line that were impacted by severe weather.

Almost 7km of railway track was damaged, with major washouts and scouring requiring culvert repairs, bridge rebuilds, resurfacing works and new formation poured in several locations.

“The North Coast line runs the length of coastal Queensland and spans 1,600 track kilometres so inspecting and repairing so much track and damage has been a mammoth job,” Queensland Rail head of regional Scott Cornish said.

“Safety is our number one priority and we are reminding road users to take care around level crossings now that trains are passing through once again.

“Please look out for trains and pay attention to the signs and signals in place for everyone’s safety.

“We know how important this vital link is in connecting our communities and I want to thank our hard-working crews who have done an incredible job.

“We are so pleased that containerised freight, sugar, grain and livestock, as well as our Spirit of Queensland services, can run again from Brisbane to Cairns.

“Queensland Rail continues to invest heavily in our rail lines and when we undertake renewal and maintenance works, we are always focussed on increasing the resilience of the network.”

Queensland Rail said the Central West line between Longreach and Winton had also reopened.