[2] Mixed passenger and goods trains began revenue services on 1 October 1889, operated by the Palmerston division of South Australian Railways and hauled by "W" class Beyer Peacock locomotives.

Three trains per week served Pine Creek, arriving in the evenings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and departing on the return journey to Palmerston at 8 am the following morning.

Similarly, tariffs for transport of heavy goods and machinery by rail to Pine Creek were seen by many as being set too high to promote growth of the mining industry even before the line opened, despite this being a major reason for its construction.

Construction on the northern line was halted at Birdum, 70 km (43 mi) short of Daly Waters due to the Great Depression in 1929.

[9] In 1926, the line was renamed the North Australia Railway and Pine Creek while no longer a terminus, remained an overnight stopping place.

A number of other original railway buildings were removed following the closure of the line in 1976, but the site was added to the Register of the National Estate in October 1980 and subsequently the remaining infrastructure was progressively restored and preserved.