page_title: Rail electrification in Queensland
section_title: North Coast line scheme
hierarchical_section_title: Rail electrification in Queensland / North Coast line scheme
caption_attribution_description: English: Rockhampton Tilt Train, January 2006. Photograph by John Catsoulis, jtc@embedded.com.au
context_page_description: In the late 1970s and 1980s, a significant rail electrification program was completed in the Australian state of Queensland. The electrified Queensland network is the largest in Australia with over 2,000 kilometres electrified, the next biggest is New South Wales with 640 kilometres, that is served mainly as passenger operations.
  Today all suburban passenger services in South East Queensland are operated by Queensland Rail electric multiple units, as well as electric tilt train services as far as Rockhampton. An extensive network of freight lines are operated to service the Central Queensland coal networks is operated by Aurizon. The two networks are joined by the electrified North Coast line from Brisbane to Rockhampton, and the entire system is energised at 25 kV AC.
context_section_description: In 1986 the Queensland government announced it had deferred the electrification of the Abbot Point to Newlands line and would instead electrify the Caboolture to Gladstone section (469 km) of the North Coast line connecting the Brisbane and Central Queensland electrified systems.
  In addition, four major deviations were undertaken to improve the rail alignment, at Eumundi, a bypass of Gympie, at Maryborough West and at Benaraby. The Eumundi Range deviation eased the grade from 1 in 48 (~2.1%) to 1 in 90 (1.1%) and reduced the minimum curve to 550m radius. The Gympie bypass removed the steepest grade on the entire North Coast line, reducing the grade  from 1 in 45 (~2.2%) to 1 in 100 (1%). The Maryborough West project eliminated the need for passenger trains to back into or out of Baddow station. The realigned Benaraby bank crossed the original sharply curved alignment eight times.
  Electrification works commenced from Caboolture, and opened to Nambour on 28 April 1988 in time for World Expo 88. The electrification was opened to the new Gympie North station on 4 February 1989, and to Gladstone on 3 July 1989.
  A 120 km/h Intercity Express service was introduced from Brisbane to Rockhampton, reducing the journey by three hours, and all express freight trains were electrically hauled. An interesting outcome of this was the decision by QR to purchase larger diesel locomotives for use north of Rockhampton, in order to avoid the need to divide the freight trains there, as there was an imbalance between the maximum load the existing diesels could haul.
  A further improvement to the Brisbane to Rockhampton passenger service occurred with the introduction of the Tilt Train in 1998, reducing the journey time by another two hours.
  As coal export volumes grew significantly in the early 2000s, the 3900 class locomotives utilised on the North Coast linewere transferred to the Blackwater system, though as they had been geared for 100 km/h operation compared to the 80 km/h gearing for the coal locos, they were only considered to be a stop-gap measure. However, although new locomotives have since been put into service on the electrified coal systems, the locomotives have not returned to the line and are in storage. All freight trains to Brisbane are currently diesel hauled, with the Tilt Train being the only electrically powered service between Gympie North and Gladstone.
caption: Tilt Train in January 2006
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