The 1890s depression put a stop to rail building, leaving the colony with one centralising system linking Brisbane with New South Wales, Charleville, the South Coast, and northwards to Bundaberg and Mount Perry when the Burnett River bridge opened in 1891. This was part of the railway to Gladstone which was, however, halted for lack of funds. The trunk routes were from Brisbane to Charleville, Wallangarra and Bundaberg, Rockhampton to Longreach and Townsville to Hughenden. 

John Moffat, began negotiations for the private construction of the Chillagoe Railway and this began a spate of private railway proposals at the turn of the century, all strongly opposed by the Labor Party. The chief result of the private railway policy was in the Cairns and Cloncurry districts, the Chillagoe Railway from Mareeba to Mungana opening in 1901, the branch lines to Mount Garnet in 1902, and Mount Molloy in 1908. Most of the private railway proposals approved by parliament never came to fruition. 

Construction by day labour had already begun and meant the Railway Department had a large construction work force employed on totally different terms to their permanent employees. 

In 1903 the state with two main railway systems, the lines connected to Brisbane, the Great Northern Railway from Townsville, plus the isolated lines at Mackay, Bowen, Cairns, Cooktown and Normanton, still seven separate systems. 

As New South Wales built several more lines close to the Border, Queensland began building its Border fence, a line due west from Warwick, a line which left out the major town of St. George in the interests of better competing with New South Wales, and a line which only made sense if the Via Recta or direct route was built from Ipswich to Warwick which it never was. The first section to Thane opened in 1904, and the last to Dirranbandi in 1913. 

Besides the line from Warwick to Dirranbandi, and the extension from Hughenden to Cloncurry, completed in 1908, much of the construction by day labour was into agricultural and dairying districts, several with an eye for exploiting timber, extending the rail tentacles into every area of endeavour. 

In thirty years of construction, most of it in the period 1902 to 1920, branches mushroomed - in the south to Dayboro, Canungra, Yarraman, Mount Edwards, Mulgowie, Haden, Cooyar, Cecil Plains, Bell, Jandowae and Glenmorgan, Wandoan and Injune, Millmerran, Goomburra, Maryvale, Amiens and Texas, Kilcoy, Brooloo, Kingaroy, Tarong, Nanango, Proston and Windera, Dallarnil, Gayndah, Monto via both Gayndah and Many Peaks, Morganville. In Central Queensland, lines were built to Yeppoon, Theodore, Lawgi, Blackall, extending the Mackay Railway to Netherdale, Kungurri and Owens Creek, and Mareeba to Ravenshoe, Millaa Millaa and an extension to Rumula. Many of these were to open up land for agriculture, not simply to provide facilities for existing settlement. 




Chronology

1890
State-wide numbering of rolling stock and locomotives introduced
Nov 1 - Completion of railway through Brisbane Central and Brunswick Street
Dec 9 - First passenger train fitted with Westinghouse brake, adopted 1892

1891
Apr 13 - Completion of Mungar-Gayndah branch as far as Biggenden
Jun 15 - Opening of Burnett River Bridge links the two railways at Bundaberg
Jun 15 - Opening Cairns Railway up Barron Gorge to Kuranda and Myola
Jul 17 - Completion of North Coast Line to Gympie links Brisbane & Bundaberg
Jul 20 - Completion of Normanton Railway to Croydon
Dec 21 - Opening of South Brisbane Terminus (Melbourne Street)

1892
Feb 15 - Opening Central Railway to Longreach

1893
Apr 1 - Extension of Biggenden branch to end of rails at Degilbo
Aug 1 - Extension of Cairns Railway to Mareeba

1894
Jul 9 - Private branch Bundaberg to Millaquin opened (part purchased 1912)

1895
Railways Guarantee Act passed

1896
Jun 1 - Extension of Isis branch Childers to Cordalba
Aug 1 - Isolated railway Gladstone-Iveragh opened
Dec 18 - Opening of branch from Colton to Pialba, first guarantee line opened

1897
Oct 1 - Completion of Bundaberg-Gladstone Railway

1898
Jan 1 - Opening port railway from Nankin to Broadmount
Mar 23 - Opening of Tivoli coal railway, North Ipswich
Aug 29 & Dec 2 - Boiler explosions at Roma Street expose antiquated workshops
Oct 10 - Completion of Western Railway to Cunnamulla
Oct 24 - Coordinated rail-steamer service via Gladstone to north inaugurated
Nov 26 - Completion of railway including rack section Kabra to Mount Morgan

1899
Chief Mechanical Engineer appointed and work resumes new Workshops
Feb 4 - Opening of branch from Mayne to Enoggera in Brisbane
Jul - First electrically lit carriage begins running
Jul 5 - Completion of Railway from Townsville to Winton
Nov 6 - Opening Alexandra Bridge links Emu Park Railway to Central Railway

1901
Mar 4 - Private Chillagoe railway completed Mareeba-Mungana
Apr 2 - Stuart (Townsville) to Ayr tramway opened by local authorities
Jul 26 - New Brisbane Central Station handed over by contractors

1902
Apr - Private railway Lappa Junction to Mount Garnet opens
Jul 7 - Extension Mackay Railway Mirani West-Pinnacle 1st Day Labour Line
Aug 1 - Extension of Kilkivan branch to Goomeri

1903
Jul 15 - MacGregor Creek tramway to Langdon opened by Pioneer Shire Council
Aug 10 - Extension of Cairns Railway Mareeba to Atherton
Sep 14 - Extension of South Coast Line to Border at Tweed Heads
Oct 10 - Official opening of Beaudesert (Shire) Tramway south of Beaudesert
Dec 18 - Opening railway Gladstone-Rockhampton joins Brisbane & Rockhampton

1904
May 5 - Opening of Redbank Coal Loop joining Swanbank line
Jun 1 - Opening railway Hughenden-Richmond
Jul 1 - Opening first section of South-Western Railway to Thane
Sep - New Ipswich Workshops completed (further extension soon needed)
Sep 21 - Pioneer Shire Council extension to Finch Hatton opened
Dec 19 - Completion of branch line from Theebine to Kingaroy

1905
Iniquitous Schedule IIA penalizes goods traffic to North Queensland

1906
Apr 10 - Opening of earth-packed branch Dalby to Bell

1907
Dec 16 - Completion of branch from Mungar to Gayndah

1908
Mar 31 - Opening Jericho to Blackall
Aug 7 - Private railway Biboohra to Mount Molloy opens
Dec 13 - Completion of railway Townsville-Cloncurry (in use since 1907)

1909
Jul 24 - First passenger fatalities on QR as result of train accident
Dec 6 - Opening of branch from Caboolture to Woodford
Dec 20 - Opening of branch Sleipner to Yeppoon via Mount Chalmers