QUEENSLAND Rail this year celebrates the 160th anniversary of the building of the first section of railway in Queensland.
Queensland Rail CEO Kat Stapleton said that building of the railway didn’t come without hitches.
She said records showed that there was considerable pushback against the 1863 Railway Bill because it cited choosing 3ft 6ins for the rail gauge – something that had not been used before on a main line.
“However, despite the debate, on February 25, 1864, the first sod of the Queensland railways was turned at North Ipswich, by Lady Bowen, the wife of the first Queensland Governor Sir George Bowen,” Ms Stapleton said.
Nearly everything the railway needed to operate – staff, locomotives and carriages – was imported from Britain.
The section to Bigges Camp (now Grandchester station) opened on July 31, 1865.
Ms Stapleton said railways played a vital role in the economic and social development of Queensland.
“The first railway wasn’t initially for the benefit of moving people, but to move wool and produce to the coast,” she said.
“And when gold was discovered in the late 1800s, we saw rail lines built to Mt Perry, Gympie, Charters Towers and Mount Morgan.
“Where the railways went, those communities expanded and flourished.”
Ms Stapleton said Queensland Rail had greatly matured as a company during its 160 years.
“It’s wonderful to look back at our beginnings as a ‘Pony Railway’ to see how far we’ve come today,” she said.
“Our network now extends more than 6,600km across the state and we have a workforce of 7,500 offering 8,392 services each week.”
