‘Critically important’ Mount Isa rail line upgrades at Maxwelton done

Crowds of cacophonous cattle will be loaded on to trains at a tiny North Queensland township after the wet season as ‘critically important’ upgrades have been finished.

A “critically important” feedlot next to a recently completed $4.2m rail upgrade at Maxwelton will be a huge boost for central North Queensland after the coming wet season.

Maxwelton is the latest benefactor of a string of rail upgrades along the North Queensland east-west corridor.

Queensland Rail has finished a $4.26m siding extension at Maxwelton, quadrupling the siding to 1.4km long.

Richmond mayor John Wharton said the extension would be a large benefit for the region, and after the coming wet season new feedlots next to the siding would be built.

Those lots would be “critically important” for getting the cattle up to weight before they’re put on to the train, he said.

Richmond Shire Council mayor John Wharton. Picture: Blair Jackson

“With the construction of grain handling facilities at Maxwelton and the expansion of farming in the region, it is very possible that in the very near future, grain could be loaded on a train at Maxwelton for the Townsville Port,” Cr Wharton said.

Queensland Rail head of regional Scott Cornish said construction crews performed an “outstanding job to complete this challenging task, working through prolonged wet weather” to install new tracks and signals.

Some 300km of Queensland Rail’s Mount Isa rail line was damaged by floods in 2019.

The upgrade was good for freight operators and secured the longevity of the Mount Isa line, Mr Cornish said.

The larger siding means trains can slow down while other trains pass, and up to two cattle trains a week can get into the siding.

“The full-length siding allows trains to stow and other traffic to pass, increasing the capacity of the rail line while also providing operational flexibility for other services in the area,” Mr Cornish said.

The Julia Creek rail siding was also recently substantially lengthened.

Meat and Livestock Australia said last month saleyard prices were down 40 per cent from 2022, a similar dip as during the 2019 drought.

Originally published as ‘Critically important’ Mount Isa rail line upgrades at Maxwelton done