STORM GRANT CUTS OFF "TOP END" OF NORTHERN TERRITORY

Heavy rains caused by cyclone Grant have caused Australia's "Top End", the tropical north of the Northern Territory, to be cut off, apart from by air. An iron-ore carrying freight train was washed off a bridge, while the Stuart Highway was closed following chunks of road being washed away. Northern Territory chief minister Paul Henderson said that "until the waters recede we're not going to have a clear picture as to the structural impacts". He hoped that the Stuart Highway could be reopened, at least partially, within 48 hours, but the rail damage was significant and repairs were likely to take longer. The Ghan passenger train, which runs from Adelaide to Darwin, is stranded in Katherine, some 100 miles south of Darwin, with 200 passengers on board. Two of the carriages washed into the water contained copper concentrate. The railway is operated by Genesee & Wyoming Australia. Its managing director Bret Easthope said that there had been a similar weather event in February 2011, where portions of the track had been washed away, but with no trains damaged.