The Kuranda Scenic Railway line reopened today after a rock slip on the range last week that forced the closure and affected thousands of customers in the region.

Queensland Rail acting Executive General Manager Customer Service Alison Crosby said a rock slip was detected during a routine track inspection of the line.

“On Wednesday 29 January, our crews detected a 4 cubic metre rock slip between Stoney Creek and Barron Falls on the Kuranda Range,” Ms Crosby said.

“Safety is our first priority and we had the line closed immediately to allow specialist contractors to assess, stabilise and carry out the necessary repair works.

“The work involved removing the rock that had fallen onto the railway line and also required us to call in specialist workers using ropes to scale the cliff and remove loose materials and rocks high up on the cliff.

“The repair time has been fast, considering we were able to get geotechnical engineers on site on the same day the rock slip was detected and quickly had rock fall specialists there by Saturday.

“We apologise to any customers affected by the closure and thank them for their patience and understanding during this time.

“This is one of the most popular times for customers to travel by train to Far North Queensland, especially on the Kuranda Scenic Railway as our Barron River is in full force.

“Due to the closure we had around 1200 to 1400 customers affected each day.

“More than 350,000 customer journeys were made on the Kuranda Scenic Railway in the last financial year, with about 75 per cent of these from overseas visitors, including our biggest markets

Japan, China, Germany, United Kingdom, France, United States and New Zealand.

“We thank our valued industry partners in helping us to move customers to alternative attractions within the region while the track has been closed.”

“To book, customers can call 1800 KSRAIL on 1800 577 245 or visit their local travel agent.