Queensland's Railways/Tramways and Rail Operators

Tramway is the term used in Queensland until the late 20th Century to refer to rail operations owned by Shire governments or private companies such as the sugar mills. While originally railway referred only to the government-owned main line, today almost anything running on rails is a railway.

QGR/QR/QR National: The original and dominant 'mainline' railway, and currently (2009) owner of the state's 1067mm rail infrastructure. QR National has most of the coal hauling contracts in Queensland and operates rail services in several other states.
Pacific National: Operates containerised traffic in the main north-south coastal corridor, and operates rail services in several other states.
Sugar Mills: Most of the Queensland sugar mills hauled at least some of their sugar cane and/or raw sugar by rail. Generally 610mm (2') gauge, mill railways were found all along the Queensland coast from the NSW border to north of Cairns.
Smaller Operators: Railco, the Savanahlander and others have scheduled tourist-oriented services on QR or ex-QR trackage.
Heritage Operators: A variety of organisations, including QR, operate heritage railway services on QR track, generally on an occasional basis, although Mary Valley runs several services each week on dedicated ex-QR track. Museums and related organisations (ANGRMS, Archer Park, ASCR, Whistlestop, etc.) provide regular railfan/tourist-oriented services, typically either weekly or monthly, on dedicated trackage.