ONE freight train wagon or three more B-doubles on our highways - take your pick.

That's the brutally simple equation when it comes to the Bligh Government's planned sale of Queensland Rail (QR) assets, at least as far as the union which represents its workers sees things.

Southern Downs councillors at yesterday's general meeting in Warwick heard from Ross Schimke of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, asked along by Mayor Ron Bellingham who remains steadfast in his opposition to any sell-off.

Mr Schimke confronted our local representatives with the mathematics of replacing trains with trucks, which he said was the likely scenario if a private operator were to close down unprofitable rail lines.

While Premier Anna Bligh last week backed away from selling off actual rail track - with the exception being coal-producing areas - Mr Schimke said the fight to keep other rail assets in public hands was only beginning.

“We are commissioning an independent report on road versus rail to be finished in the next 12 months,” he said.

“If lines close you are going to see a lot more B-triples and B-doubles on the highway - basically for every rail wagon taken out of service you will need three B-doubles to carry the same amount of freight.

“There are between 30 and 40 wagons on a QR freight train, so you start to get an idea of what it would mean for more heavy vehicles on the road.”

Mr Schimke said QR had jacked up its prices on freight other than coal to “scare off” wool and grain producers.

“They are only interested in shifting coal,” he said.

“But will the coal royalties the government collects go towards fixing up the roads which will suffer if rail lines are mothballed?”

Mr Schimke claimed nearly 90 per cent of Queenslanders were opposed to Ms Bligh's planned asset sales - which are also set to include forestry plantations in the region - with “economic experts the world over saying the depression which was predicted is now looking less likely”.

He also said up to 400 railway jobs could disappear across the Warwick and the south-west if lines were closed down.

Cr Cameron Gow said the mothballed line between Stanthorpe and Warwick should be opened up again as an alternative form of transport to link the two centres.

Cr Bellingham said the visit of the Q150 train at the weekend was a reminder of the iconic place rail had in the opening up of Queensland.

“In tough times you don't sell your assets, you reduce your overheads,” the mayor said.

“Tasmania privatised their railways and the government ended up having to buy back a run-down network - and now they use former Queensland rolling stock.”