In 1980, Queensland Rail built a freight-only line between Cannon Hill and Fisherman Islands.

[1] It paralleled the existing Cleveland line from Cannon Hill to Lytton Junction, east of Lindum, before continuing to Fisherman Islands on its own alignment.

[2][3] In 1992, the Queensland Government announced that construction would commence on an 11 kilometre dual gauge rail link from Dutton Park to Cannon Hill, with the existing line from Cannon Hill to Fisherman Islands to be converted to dual gauge.

This would connect the Port of Brisbane to the NSW North Coast line and the standard gauge network.

Prior to its construction, freight between the Port of Brisbane and New South Wales had to be either transhipped or wagons bogie exchanged at Acacia Ridge.