The SYD to Brisbane rail line is closed north of Grafton, NSW,...

The SYD to Brisbane rail line is closed north of Grafton, NSW, as there's water at sleeper height between Rappville and Casino in far northern NSW.

As a result some freight trains are stuck. No information yet as to whether (track) ballast has washed away or whether some or most of the water will just drain away, and if so how quickly.

Do Australian railways - this line is under the aegis of the Federal government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation - have sufficient cess drains to ensure water has somewhere to travel away from rail lines? Heavy rain is the enemy of railways, yet overseas I've not been delayed even in nations known for large downpours such as India, Malaysia and Thailand.

The Queensland Railways' narrow gauge main line between Brisbane and Rockhampton also closed yesterday due to a washaway of some track near Gympie.