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QR restructure possible from rail report

The Palaszczuk government is due to release the Strachan report and its response to it with a major shakeup of Queensland Rail on the cards.

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Source: AAP


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A major restructure of Queensland Rail could be on the cards, as the Palaszczuk government formulates its response to a major report into systemic rostering issues at the rail provider.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk commissioned former Rio Tinto executive Philip Strachan to look into the issue in October, following the initial bungle which resulted in the cancellation of 100 services and commuter chaos.

Since then there have been several other timetable issues, including on Christmas Day, where 235 services, a full third of the day's timetable, were cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.

Mr Strachan delivered the final report to the premier last Tuesday, and on Friday Ms Palaszczuk met with him personally to discuss it, before working on the government's response over the weekend ahead of its full public release on Monday.

"I want a clear path forward, I want to make sure that we never see what has happened in the past happen again," Ms Palaszczuk told reporters before the meeting on Friday.

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Four top QR executives, including CEO Helen Gluer, have either resigned or been stood aside since the bungles began, and it's believed further restructuring is recommended in Mr Strachan's report.

Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe indicated as much when speaking to journalists about the report last Monday, saying Mr Strachan had asked him several probing questions about how QR was structured.

"I imagine he's asked those questions to inform the recommendations he'll be making," Mr Hinchliffe said.

Meanwhile, the opposition has called for Mr Hinchliffe himself to be the "first restructure" after repeatedly calling for him to quit.

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said as the minister in charge, Mr Hinchliffe had to take ultimate responsibility.

"Passengers want the train service to run on time, and they won't have confidence in the system until Stirling Hinchliffe is gone," Mr Nicholls told reporters on Sunday.


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