QR Mainline Upgrade

[Matthew Nolan <mnolan@uq.net.au>]

QR announced this week a $240 million upgrade of the line between
Rockhampton to Cairns, it was reported in todays CM. This is to enable
trains to run at 100 km/h constantly with the removal of 75% of speed
restriction areas. 

According to CEO Vince O'Rourke Qr will become more involved in
intermodal freight, delivering from door to door, or as he puts it, "a
more logistics enterprise". 

It is interesting that this amount of money is the minimum amount that
is considered to be required to upgrade the Sydney-Brisbane line in the
short-term. Further, the $122 million being spent on the diesel tilt
trains was considered by many to have been better spent in
infrastructure upgrade. 

It seems to be that QR is making a committment to both rollingstock and
infrastructure, perhaps the only rail system in Australia that can be
considered to being both. Of course, it helps that QR get to haul 90
million tonnes plus of coal every year.