FREIGHT HITS ROAD LIFELINE OFF THE RAILS
THE Great Northern Line is the ‘ heart and soul’ that connects Townsville and Mt Isa by rail, but it has been neglected and now instead of freight running on trains, it is going on trucks.
This is the view of Cloncurry railwayman Joe Bakhash, 65. Mr Bakhash, who started working with Queensland Rail in 1981, was made redundant by Aurizon late last year.
He said he watched the Townsville to Mount Isa line fall into disrepair after the State Government privatised the rail system in 2009.
“Since then all the small towns along the line have lost railway staff,” Mr Bakhash said.
“It’s been a terrible thing for these towns. A lot of those people maintained the line,” he said.
“Most of the freight from the mines now goes to Townsville by truck. It’s just ridiculous. And it’s dangerous as well out there now on the highway because there are so many trucks.
“All our minerals should be on rail. It just makes sense.
“Now, our roads are starting to fall apart because of the trucks. We’ve got a lot of potential out here.
“We could have a lot more mines open, but all the infrastructure is falling apart.”
Cloncurry Mayor Greg Campbell said the line needed upgrading and more infrastructure needed to be put in place.
He said Cloncurry was working on establishing a Multi- User Rail Load- Out facility where freight could be stored until there was enough for a train load.
“It would be stored at the MultiUser Rail Load- Out Facility and then when there was 3000 tonnes or so it could be railed out to Townsville,” he said.
Cr Campbell said the facility could also be used as a depot for IT TAKES FIVE HOURS TO GET FREIGHT FROM CLONCURRY TO MOUNT ISA BY TRAIN. YOU CAN GET IT THERE ON THE BACK OF A TRUCK IN A BIT OVER AN HOUR. LOOKING unrecognisable, Aussie superstar Margot Robbie has morphed into Queen Elizabeth I.
Robbie shocked fans when the first images emerged of her in character as the British monarch, wearing a frizzy red wig and prosthetics ( right).
She will take on the royal role in Mary Queen of Scots in which she will star alongside fellow Australian actor Guy Pearce. more than 30 counts in total, sexually abused the orphans at BoysTown, near Beaudesert, between 1978 and 1983.
Judge Everson denounced him as “a cowardly, evil paedophile” who masqueraded as a follower of God while inflicting lifelong damage on the children meant to be in his care.
He sentenced Brophy to a head term of eight years behind bars but set a parole eligibility date of two years.