“They (Queensland Rail) usually are really good with calling us to let us know before we read about it in the media,” said Cat Simmons, whose husband’s family owns the station.

It’s not the first time in the last year that a train derailment has happened on that stretch of track east of Julia Creek. 

“We have had the acid derailment, another in which several carriages carrying acid popped off the line but didn’t tip over, and one other in which a carriage or two came off the rails,” Mrs Simmons said. 

Pacific National confirmed that the derailed train belonged to them. There was delay in official confirmation as Queensland Rail’s initial statement on Wednesday afternoon did not identify the carrier. 

“It is standard industry practice in incidents of this type for the rail network manager not to name the operator,” Pacific National’s general manager of corporate affairs, Mat Charles, said. 

Investigations are yet to be completed by Pacific National and Queensland Rail. 

McKinlay Shire chief executive Peter Fitchat said about 500 metres of track was damaged. 

Queensland Rail said two wagons of a zinc concentrate mineral freight train derailed at low speed at Quarrels, east of Julia Creek. 

“There were no injuries as a result of the incident, and the cause is being fully investigated,” a QR spokesman said. Alternative transport was arranged for 23 affected passengers. 

State Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter said an increase in issues on the rail corridor in recent decades were due to “fancy accounting of milking revenue on that rail line and spending it on traffic tunnels” in Brisbane. He said track fees on the corridor increased over 70 per cent in three years. 

Mr Katter said the track received $37 million in track upgrades in his parliamentary term but that the upgrades were playing catch-up after years of neglect.