02/07/2025
đ âOne Final Departureâ â Farewell to Queensland Railâs EMUs (1979â2025) đ
Saturday 5 July 2025 | End of an Era for Brisbaneâs Suburban Rail Network
This weekend, Queensland marks the end of a true era. On Saturday 5 July 2025, Queensland Rail will withdraw the last of its iconic Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) from regular suburban service â bringing to a close 46 years of continuous operation across the South East Queensland rail network.
But this is more than the retirement of a train class. It is the farewell of a generation â of people, places, and purpose that defined Brisbaneâs railway identity from the late 20th century into the 21st.
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âď¸ 1979: The Dawn of the Electric Age
When the first EMUs entered service in 1979, they were a bold statement of Queenslandâs modernisation. Built by Walkers Ltd in Maryborough with electrical systems by ASEA of Sweden, these stainless-steel trains were Queenslandâs first electric passenger trains, built in anticipation of the Brisbane suburban networkâs electrification.
Set EMU01 ran its first service between Ferny Grove and Darra â a line that would soon be echoed across the expanding electrified network to Cleveland, Shorncliffe, Ipswich, and beyond. Sleek, stainless, and fast, the EMUs replaced aging wooden and SX sets, bringing air suspension, quiet electric traction, and a new passenger experience.
Over time, 88 EMU sets were delivered, forming the backbone of suburban services for over four decades â from the glory days of Expo â88 to the smart ticketing era of the 2020s.
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đ Brisbaneâs Workhorses â Unpretentious and Unstoppable
The EMUs werenât flashy. They werenât luxury. But they were reliable, accessible, and built to last. For many Queenslanders, the EMUs were the railway â the daily ride to work, the school train, the trip to the footy or the Ekka. Theyâve seen weddings, breakdowns, union strikes, new timetables, floods, and fare reforms.
They have carried generations â and they have done it with quiet consistency.
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đ§ââď¸ The People Behind the Panels â Drivers and Guards
Queensland Railâs suburban service has always remained dual-crewed. Every EMU that rolled onto the mainline had both a driver and a guard aboard â two skilled professionals working in rhythm to ensure safety, reliability, and service quality.
Ask any EMU guard â their duties were about far more than opening doors. They were first responders, customer service, network eyes and ears, and, for many passengers, the familiar wave at the back cab. They knew the regulars, looked out for vulnerable passengers, helped people off with prams and groceries, and dealt with everything from lost tickets to medical emergencies.
Drivers, too, carried an enormous weight of trust. The cab of an EMU â with its characteristic desk, braking systems, and cab signals â was the command post of a rail professional. Many drivers will tell you: once you learned to master an EMUâs quirks, it became second nature. You could feel the traction through your feet and anticipate platform stops down to the second.
Long-serving drivers like Mick, who started in 1982, recall how running a six-car EMU on a wet winter morning was âmore art than science.â It was about rhythm, memory, and instinct. And they always had a guard in the back cab â in radio contact, in partnership, watching their side of the train.
This pairing â driver and guard â was never just a staffing arrangement. It was a brotherhood and sisterhood of the railway, passed down through generations.
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đ ď¸ Redbank, Mayne, and the Workshop Traditions
Behind the frontline staff were the maintenance crews â the men and women of Redbank Workshops, Mayne Depot, Ipswich Centre, and others, who kept the EMUs safe and serviceable for 46 years.
Each day, before the first service left the yard, fitters, electricians, and inspectors had already walked every inch of the train. They repaired traction motors, rewired control panels, overhauled bogies, and patched storm damage â all while working around-the-clock shifts in heat and cold.
Many Queensland apprentices learned their trade on the EMUs. It was a rite of passage to be handed a socket set and shown under the frame by a workshop veteran. Some of those veterans had been working the yards since the days of steam, and carried their experience proudly.
For depot managers and crews, the EMUs werenât just numbers â they had personalities. EMU28 was âthe quick starter.â EMU72 had a slight roof rattle. EMU01, the original, was treated with quiet reverence.
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𧟠Behind the Scenes â Cleaners, Rostering, Control
Railway history doesnât get made without those whose names arenât always remembered. The train cleaners who scrubbed graffiti at 3 a.m. The rosters clerks who managed shift covers. The controllers at Roma Street or Mayne who tracked every EMU on the grid. Call in to control.
To them â the invisible army behind every timetable â we say thank you.
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đď¸ A Suburban Story â In Every Direction
The EMUs served nearly every suburban corridor in South East Queensland
⢠Ferny Grove Line â where they first began
⢠Cleveland, Shorncliffe, and Caboolture â weekday staples
⢠Ipswich and Springfield â longer hauls
⢠Doomben, Beenleigh, and Airport Line
Gympie North & Nambour: latecomer routes they filled in on when newer sets were unavailable
Through floods, power outages, sporting events, and special charters, the EMUs answered the call.
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đ Saturday 5 July 2025 â Their Last Ride
On Saturday, the last EMUs will roll out of service with dignity. Theyâll run on the same rails theyâve known for nearly half a century â this time, for the last time in regular passenger service.
This is more than nostalgia. This is the farewell of a working-class institution â of Queensland engineering, discipline, and duty. Itâs not just goodbye to stainless steel and air brakes â itâs goodbye to a generation of proud railway service.
Preservation đ
Since 2019, EMU 01 & 04, have been preserved.
đŚ To the QR Employees â This Is Your Story
To the guards, drivers, fitters, cleaners, station staff, depot crews, clerks, and controllers who worked with and on the EMUs â this day is for you.
You Brisbane moving
You kept us safe.
You earned our thanks.
EMU01âEMU88: 1979â2025. Youâve served your state with strength and steel. May your memory roll on in every horn every track, and every photo album.
đ¸ Share your stories and memories below. We invite all current and retired QR workers to leave a tribute. You carried this fleet â and this fleet carried Brisbane.
RaileBrent Mickelberg MPMABC AustraliaAABC Brisbane fansane fans
