Overview
- Queensland Rail shut all services between Darra and Rosewood and between Central and Cleveland on Wednesday, disrupting about 300 trips and affecting roughly 20,000 people and 40,000 journeys.
- RTBU train controllers had planned a 24-hour, low-impact ban limited to coal and mineral trains on Wednesday, but Queensland Rail told staff they would not be paid unless they performed full duties, which unions called an effective lockout and QR disputed.
- Following Wednesday’s cancellations, Queensland Rail said Thursday services should run but warned the Electrical Trades Union would not fix unplanned faults unless safety is at risk, which could trigger fresh delays at short notice.
- Cross River Rail’s chief executive said the ETU action could block the Easter shutdown needed to de‑energise tracks for heavy works, warning the lost window may push the project schedule back by up to 12 months.
- The dispute spans six enterprise agreements covering about 5,600 workers, with unions lodging more than 500 claims and QR offering smaller pay rises than sought, as talks continue at the Fair Work Commission without a deal.