North Coast Line (NCL) opening dates chronologicallyKerr, J. 'Triumph of Narrow Gauge' Boolarong Publications 1990Quinlan, H. & Newland, R. 'Australian Railway Routes 1854-2000' ARHS NSW 2000
NCL opening dates This is a list of the NCL opening dates in chronological order. This list shows the known opening dates for all line construction, including deviations, plus the known dates of other significant NCL related events.
20 Dec 1880 Townsville-Stuart opens 6 Aug 1881 Maryborough-Gympie opens 11 May 1882 Roma Street-Sandgate (via Normanby) opens 30 Mar 1883 Baddow-Howard opens 1 April 1886 First section of duplicated track in Queensland, Albion-Eagle Junction, opens 22 Dec 1886 Mayne-Albion duplication opened 15 Aug 1887 Howard-Goodwood opens 20 Feb 1888 Goodwood-Bundaberg opens, links Bundaberg to Maryborough and Gympie 11 June 1888 Petrie-Caboolture opens 10 June 1889 Gympie-Cooran opens 18 Aug 1889 Roma Street-Central opens, first section in Queensland constructed as dual track 1 Feb 1890 Caboolture-Landsborough opens 1 May 1890 Bowen-Guthalungra opens, creating the 11th isolated system 17 Aug 1890 Eagle Junction-Northgate duplication opens 1 Nov 1890 Central-Mayne opens as dual track, completing the 'City Railway' 1 Jan 1891 Landsborough-Yandina opens 1 April 1891 Cooran-Cooroy opens 15 June 1891 Bundaberg-North Bundaberg, over Burnett River opens, links Mount Perry line to North Coast line 17 July 1891 Yandina-Cooroy opens, links Bundaberg, Maryborough and Gympie to Brisbane, Chrleville and Wallangarra 1 Oct 1891 Guthalungra-Bobawaba opens 1 July 1892 North Bundaberg-Rosedale opens 1 Aug 1896 Gladstone-Iveragh opens 1 Oct 1897 Rosedale-Iveragh opens, links Gladstone to Bundaberg and Brisbane 1897 Cairns-Gordonvale opens as Cairns Shire Tramway 1898 Steamer service between Gladstone-Rockhampton and Gladstone-Mackay-Townsville commenced 6 Nov 1899 Rockhampton-North Rockhampton over Fitzroy River opens as dual track, links Emu Park and Broadmount to Rockhampton and Longreach 1901 Stuart-Ayr tramway opened by Ayr Tramway Joint Board (ATJB) 1903 Bowen-Bobawaba line closed as public railway, leased to Bowen abattoir 18 Dec 1903 Gladstone-Rockhampton opens, links Longreach, Springsure and Clermont to Brisbane and beyond 1904 QR resumes operation of Bowen-Bobawaba line as a public railway 1910 Gordonvale-Babinda tramway opens 1910 Don (Bowen)-Proserpine tramway opened by Bowen Proserpine Joint Tramway Board (BPJTB) 1 Jan 1911 Stuart-Ayr Tramway purchased from ATJB by Queensland Railways 1 July 1911 Cairns-Babinda Tramway purchased from Cairns Shire Council by Queensland Railways 18 Oct 1911 Glenmore Junction (North Rockhampton)-Milman opens 9 Dec 1912 Babinda-Pawngilly opens 30 June 1913 Ayr-Carstairs opens 1 July 1913 Paget-Sarina opens 3 July 1913 Bobawaba-Home Hill opens 1 Sept 1913 Home Hill-Carstairs, including low level Burdekin Bridge opens, links Bowen to Townsville 1 Oct 1913 Milman-Yaamba opens 14 April 1914 Townsville-Kurukan opens 5 April 1915 Kurukan-Rollingstone opens 20 July 1915 Sarina-Koumala opens 3 Aug 1915 Yaamba-Kunwarara opens 1917 Duplication to Caboolture completed 31 March 1917 Kunwarara-Marlborough opens 2 May 1917 Rollingstone-Moongobulla opens 1 July 1917 Don-Proserpine purchased from BPJTB by Queensland Railways 19 April 1918 Mackay-Farleigh opens 29 July 1918 Moongobulla-Coolbie opens 26 Dec 1918 Coolbie-Bambaroo opens 5 June 1919 Marlborough-Styx opens 21 July 1919 Bambaroo-Toobanna opens 13 Sept 1919 Daradgee-Pawngilly opens 1 Dec 1919 Toobana-Ingham opens 9 August 1920 Styx-Wumalgi opens 10 Aug 1920 Koumala-Carmila opens 10 Jan 1921 Ingham-Lily Pond opens 4 June 1921 Wumalgi-St Lawrence opens 24 Sept 1921 St Lawrence-Carmila opens, linking Mackay to Rockhampton and beyond 1 March 1922 Gargett-Pakula opened 28 Aug 1922 Pakula-Owens Creek opened 18 Dec 1922 Innisfail-El Arish opens 1 Dec 1923 Farleigh-Proserpine opens, linking Townsville and Ingham with Mackay and beyond 3 Dec 1923 El Arish-Feluga opens 10 Dec 1924 Lily Pond-Feluga, Innisfail-Daradgee opens, linking Cairns to Townsville and rest of Queensland Railways system 1936 Townsville-Stuart duplication opens 1957 Burdekin High level bridge opens 1963 Stuart-Nome duplication opens 17 Nov 1979 Roma Street-Bowen Hills (via Central) section electrified 1979 Brunswick Street-Northgate third line completed 24 Nov 1980 Midgee-Rocklands-Gracemere opens 3 March 1982 Roma Street-Bowen Hills (via Normanby) section electrified 18 Sep 1982 Bowen Hills-Northgate electrified 23 April 1983 Northgate-Petrie electrified 26 May 1986 Rocklands-Port Curtis Junction opens, Gracemere-Port Curtis Junction and Midgee-Port Curtis Junction sections closed 28 June 1986 Petrie-Caboolture electrified 6 Sept 1986 Gladstone-Rockhampton electrification commissioned 28 April 1988 Caboolture-Nambour electrification commissioned 23 May 1988 Maryborough bypass opens 9 Dec 1988 Gympie bypass opens 4 Feb 1989 Nambour-Gympie North electrification commissioned 1989 Gympie North-Gladstone electrification commissioned 2 May 1993 Mackay realignment opens 1 Sep 1993 Bowen realignment opens 1995 Gladstone-Rocklands duplication completed 2009 Caboolture-Beerburrum duplicated
By section This is a list of the NCL opening dates in sectional order.Kerr, J. 'Triumph of Narrow Gauge' Boolarong Publications 1990Quinlan, H. & Newland, R. 'Australian Railway Routes 1854-2000' ARHS NSW 2000 This list shows the original opening date of each NCL section, ignoring any subsequent deviations etc.
Start End Date Ref Roma Street Central 1889-08-18 Central Mayne 1890-11-01 Mayne Northgate 1882-05-11 Northgate Petrie (North Pine) 1888-03-01 Petrie Caboolture 1888-06-11 Caboolture Landsborough 1890-03-01 Landsborough Yandina 1891-01-01 Yandina Cooroy 1891-07-17 Cooroy Cooran 1891-04-01 Cooran Gympie 1889-06-10 Gympie Maryborough 1881-08-06 Baddow Howard1883-03-30 Howard Goodwood (Gregory) 1887-08-15 Goodwood Bundaberg 1888-02-20 Bundaberg North Bundaberg 1891-06-15 North Bundaberg Rosedale 1892-07-01 Rosedale Iveragh (Eurimbla) 1897-10-01 Iveragh Gladstone 1896-08-01 Gladstone Rockhampton1903-12-18 Rockhampton North Rockhampton1899-11-06 Glenmore Junction Milman (Jardine) 1911-10-18 Milman Yaamba1913-10-01 Yaamba Kunwarara 1915-08-03 Kunwarara Marlborough 1917-03-31 Marlborough Styx 1919-06-05 Styx Wumalgi 1920-08-05 Wumalgi St Lawrence 1921-06-04 St Lawrence Carmila 1921-09-24 Carmila Koumala 1920-08-07 Koumala Sarina 1915-07-21 Sarina Mackay 1913-06-07 Mackay Farleigh 1918-04-19 Farleigh Proserpine 1923-12-01 Proserpine Bowen 1910-07-02 (by Bowen Proserpine Joint Tramway Board) Bowen Guthalungra 1890-05-01 Guthalungra Bobawaba (Wangaratta) 1891-10-01 Bobawaba Home Hill1913-07-03 Home Hill Carstairs 1913-09-01 Carstairs Ayr 1913-06-30 Ayr Stuart 1901-03-27 (by Ayr Joint Tramway Board) Stuart Townsville 1880-12-20 Townsville Kurukan 1914-04-14 Kurukan Rollingstone 1915-04-05 Rollingstone Moongobulla 1917-05-02 Moongobulla Coolbie 1918-07-29 Coolbie Bambaroo 1918-12-26 Bambaroo Toobanna 1919-07-21 Toobanna Ingham 1919-12-01 Ingham Lilypond 1921-01-10 Lilypond Feluga 1924-12-10 Feluga El Arish 1923-12-03 El Arish Innisfail 1922-12-18 Innisfail Daradgee 1924-12-08 Daradgee Pawngilly1919-09-13 Pawngilly Babinda 1912-12-09 Babinda Harvey Creek 1910-02 (by Cairns Shire Council, CSC) Harvey Creek Aloomba 1903-06-12 (by CSC) Aloomba Gordonvale 1898-08 (by CSC) Gordonvale Cairns 1897-05-03 (by CSC)
References