Queensland Rail has reached a pay deal with the final group of workers involved in months of industrial action, paving the way for passenger services across south-east Queensland to return to a full timetable.
Transport Minister Brett Mickelberg said the seventh and final agreement was concluded shortly after lunch on Friday. Services will be restored progressively, with 91 per cent of the timetable expected to be operating by October 12 and the full schedule to follow.
Passenger services have been reduced since March, with trains running to the equivalent of a Saturday timetable while Queensland Rail worked through a maintenance backlog.
Unions have been negotiating in the Fair Work Commission since May. Agreements with some groups were announced from July, while talks continued with network and rollingstock employees and over a proposed electrical-only agreement sought by the Electrical Trades Union.
Some of the agreements will be backdated to June, while others will apply from the beginning of September.
The announcement was made at Central Station ahead of major closures on the Beenleigh and Gold Coast lines, which begin on Saturday and are scheduled to continue for three weeks during the school holidays.
Passengers on those routes will use rail replacement buses while work is carried out, including the installation of a pedestrian overpass at Moorooka, construction work at the new Loganlea station and part of the Logan and Gold Coast Faster rail project.
There will also be timetable and travel changes on the Airport, Cleveland, Doomben and Ferny Grove lines.
Translink head Dean Helm said: “Much of this work can only be completed safely when trains are not running, which is why these temporary closures are necessary.”
