The main railway line between Townsville and Cairns reopened today after the completion of work to repair track damaged in a level crossing accident last Thursday.

The line was reopened to traffic at 12.30pm and the first service, a QRNational freight train,passed the location in North Queensland at 2pm.

The two locomotives and the baggage car of the Sunlander train remain at the site, clear of the track, under covers and protected by security.

Trackwork began yesterday morning after the line was cleared when the remaining carriages were hauled to Cairns.

The driver of a truck died when his vehicle and the Sunlander collided at the Mundoo level crossing near Innisfail.

The on-board data logger (‘black box’) was removed from the train on Friday in the presence of police, investigators and QR staff and data will be downloaded to determine the speed of the train before the collision and when the emergency brakes were applied.

An independent investigation into the accident has been launched by Queensland Transport in conjunction with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Coaches carried Sunlander and Tilt Train passengers between Cairns and Townsville while the line was closed.