Rail network feels impact of post-cyclone flooding

The Mount Isa rail line has closed west of Julia Creek due to flooding as ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily continues to dump rain in areas of north-west Queensland. A severe weather warning for heavy, locally intense rainfall remained in force late this afternoon (Wednesday, Jan 31) for people in parts of Gulf Country and North West forecast districts. Queensland Rail has shared images of the track in the McKinnons Creek area of the Mount Isa line between January 29 and this morning. (see images above and below). Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell said that, given the amount of water that appeared to be flowing over, there could be significant damage to that section of track. He said the experience of 2019 had shown that when the infrastructure was damaged, Queensland Rail 'threw everything at it' to get the line open again as soon as possible. "Which is critical though - because the likes of Phosphate Hill and some of the other mines, if they can't get rid of their product and there's only so much they can stockpile, then they potentially have to shut the processing plant and the mine down," he said. "That just makes the whole process of continuing and getting restarted so much harder. It impacts cash flow. "Everything's reasonably well back to normal Townsville end, but if the rail line's cut, there's no product getting through to the port to get loaded to keep that whole supply chain moving." The Flinders Highway and the Landsborough Highway leading into Cloncurry are among the major roads cut in the region and Cr Campbell said councils would expect to see significant damage to local road networks as well. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily was located about 150km north of Mount Isa at 5pm today and was forecast to continue tracking steadily to the north-northwest into Thursday morning. The Bureau of Meteorology said it was then expected to stall just south of the Gulf coast on Thursday afternoon, where it would likely linger until it started to move southwards from Friday night. Queensland Rail Head of Regional Scott Cornish said recent heavy rainfall and flooding associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily was continuing to impact Queensland Rail’s regional network. "Thanks to the hard work of Queensland Rail crews, the North Coast line from Brisbane to Cairns remains open, after reopening on Sunday 28 January," he said. "Our teams worked tirelessly to remove trees and debris from the tracks in multiple locations and thankfully no significant damage was found. "The Mount Isa line, however, is closed west of Julia Creek due to severe flooding at McKinnons Creek. "While the water has subsided, the track has been damaged and the railroad has been eroded by flowing water. With more rain expected in the region, it’s possible the water levels could rise again. "The Central West line is also closed in multiple locations due to the ongoing severe weather. Crews will inspect and commence repairs to the track as soon as it is safe to do so."

Rail network feels impact of post-cyclone flooding

Industry Queensland

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