North Coast Line (NCL) opening dates chronologically
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. A list of the NCL opening dates by section is here.
20 Dec 1880 Townsville-Stuart opens6 Aug 1881 Maryborough-Gympie opens11 May 1882 Roma Street-Sandgate (via Normanby) opens30 Mar 1883 Baddow-Howard opens1 April 1886 First section of duplicated track in Queensland, Albion-Eagle Junction, opens22 Dec 1886 Mayne-Albion duplication opened15 Aug 1887 Howard-Goodwood opens20 Feb 1888 Goodwood-Bundaberg opens, links Bundaberg to Maryborough and Gympie11 June 1888 Petrie-Caboolture opens10 June 1889 Gympie-Cooran opens18 Aug 1889 Roma Street-Central opens, first section in Queensland constructed as dual track1 Feb 1890 Caboolture-Landsborough opens1 May 1890 Bowen-Guthalungra opens, creating the 11th isolated system17 Aug 1890 Eagle Junction-Northgate duplication opens1 Nov 1890 Central-Mayne opens as dual track, completing the 'City Railway'1 Jan 1891 Landsborough-Yandina opens1 April 1891 Cooran-Cooroy opens15 June 1891 Bundaberg-North Bundaberg, over Burnett River opens, links Mount Perry line to North Coast line17 July 1891 Yandina-Cooroy opens, links Bundaberg, Maryborough and Gympie to Brisbane, Chrleville and Wallangarra1 Oct 1891 Guthalungra-Bobawaba opens1 July 1892 North Bundaberg-Rosedale opens1 Aug 1896 Gladstone-Iveragh opens1 Oct 1897 Rosedale-Iveragh opens, links Gladstone to Bundaberg and Brisbane1897 Cairns-Gordonvale opens as Cairns Shire Tramway1898 Steamer service between Gladstone-Rockhampton and Gladstone-Mackay-Townsville commenced6 Nov 1899 Rockhampton-North Rockhampton over Fitzroy River opens as dual track, links Emu Park and Broadmount to Rockhampton and Longreach1901 Stuart-Ayr tramway opened by Ayr Tramway Joint Board (ATJB)1903 Bowen-Bobawaba line closed as public railway, leased to Bowen abattoir18 Dec 1903 Gladstone-Rockhampton opens, links Longreach, Springsure and Clermont to Brisbane and beyond1904 QR resumes operation of Bowen-Bobawaba line as a public railway1910 Gordonvale-Babinda tramway opens1910 Don (Bowen)-Proserpine tramway opened by Bowen Proserpine Joint Tramway Board (BPJTB)1 Jan 1911 Stuart-Ayr Tramway purchased from ATJB by Queensland Railways1 July 1911 Cairns-Babinda Tramway purchased from Cairns Shire Council by Queensland Railways18 Oct 1911 Glenmore Junction (North Rockhampton)-Milman opens9 Dec 1912 Babinda-Pawngilly opens30 June 1913 Ayr-Carstairs opens1 July 1913 Paget-Sarina opens3 July 1913 Bobawaba-Home Hill opens1 Sept 1913 Home Hill-Carstairs, including low level Burdekin Bridge opens, links Bowen to Townsville1 Oct 1913 Milman-Yaamba opens14 April 1914 Townsville-Kurukan opens5 April 1915 Kurukan-Rollingstone opens20 July 1915 Sarina-Koumala opens3 Aug 1915 Yaamba-Kunwarara opens1917 Duplication to Caboolture completed31 March 1917 Kunwarara-Marlborough opens2 May 1917 Rollingstone-Moongobulla opens1 July 1917 Don-Proserpine purchased from BPJTB by Queensland Railways19 April 1918 Mackay-Farleigh opens29 July 1918 Moongobulla-Coolbie opens26 Dec 1918 Coolbie-Bambaroo opens5 June 1919 Marlborough-Styx opens21 July 1919 Bambaroo-Toobanna opens13 Sept 1919 Daradgee-Pawngilly oepns1 Dec 1919 Toobana-Ingham opens9 August 1920 Styx-Wumalgi opens10 Aug 1920 Koumala-Carmila opens10 Jan 1921 Ingham-Lily Pond opens4 June 1921 Wumalgi-St Lawrence opens24 Sept 1921 St Lawrence-Carmila opens, linking Mackay to Rockhampton and beyond1 March 1922 Gargett-Pakula opened28 Aug 1922 Pakula-Owens Creek opened18 Dec 1922 Innisfail-El Arish opens1 Dec 1923 Farleigh-Proserpine opens, linking Townsville and Ingham with Mackay and beyond3 Dec 1923 El Arish-Feluga opens10 Dec 1924 Lily Pond-Feluga, Innisfail-Daradgee opens, linking Cairns to Townsville and rest of Queensland Railways system1936 Townsville-Stuart duplication opens1957 Burdekin High level bridge opens1963 Stuart-Nome duplication opens17 Nov 1979 Roma Street-Bowen Hills (via Central) section electrified1979 Brunswick Street-Northgate third line completed24 Nov 1980 Midgee-Rocklands-Gracemere opens3 March 1982 Roma Street-Bowen Hills (via Normanby) section electrified18 Sep 1982 Bowen Hills-Northgate electrified23 April 1983 Northgate-Petrie electrified26 May 1986 Rocklands-Port Curtis Junction opens, Gracemere-Port Curtis Junction and Midgee-Port Curtis Junction sections closed28 June 1986 Petrie-Caboolture electrified6 Sept 1986 Gladstone-Rockhampton electrification commissioned28 April 1988 Caboolture-Nambour electrification commissioned23 May 1988 Maryborough bypass opens9 Dec 1988 Gympie bypass opens4 Feb 1989 Nambour-Gympie North electrification commissioned1989 Gympie North-Gladstone electrification commissioned2 May 1993 Mackay realignment opens1 Sep 1993 Bowen realignment opens1995 Gladstone-Rocklands duplication completed2009 Caboolture-Beerburrum duplicated