A BOMB scare stopped the Sunlander passenger train in its tracks yesterday and almost closed the Bruce Highway while police evacuated passengers and searched carriages at Babinda.

Officers and paramedics swarmed the town’s usually quiet train station about 3pm after Queensland Rail received a threat and contacted police.

More than 100 passengers were told to get off the train, about 30 minutes after the northbound train first ground to a halt just south of Babinda.

They took refuge in the town’s State Emergency Services headquarters for more than an hour as police scoured the Sunlander.

The bomb threat also shut down the North Coast railway line between Brisbane and Gympie, while the state’s other Sunlander passenger train was evacuated and searched at Beerwah, north of Brisbane.

No threat to either train was found.

Confused passengers waiting at Babinda said they had been told very little about why the train was stopped.

"An announcement came over saying they had to evacuate us and to leave all our luggage," tourist David Peacock said.

"But then we were told to take the luggage, to leave nothing."

Police imposed a lock-down at the SES headquarters.

"We were told we couldn’t leave until further instructions, that this wasn’t an exercise, it was serious," Mr Peacock said.

Elderly passengers, munching on sandwiches supplied by the SES, said they were happy for police to be "safe rather than sorry".

Innisfail District Inspector Dave Tucker said police chose not to close the highway after receiving further details about the threat.

"It was made in relation to the Sunlander train so the train was stopped and searched, but we found nothing and it is now on its way," he said.

Passengers braved the rain for the second time about 4.20pm when their train was cleared of any threat.

The Sunlander left for Cairns about 4.45pm.

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