Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has emailed staff at Queensland Rail to thank them for their work amid the ongoing rail crisis in the lead up to New Year's Eve.

It comes after chief operating officer Kevin Wright was the latest top employee to resign in recent months.

Mr Dow said Brisbane's train network was under-utilised in places. Credit:Jorge Branco

In an email obtained by Brisbane Times, Mr Hinchliffe took the unusual step of writing directly to drivers, guards, station staff and other employees on Thursday afternoon.

"As we anticipate the key public transport event on New Year's Eve, I wanted to thank each and everyone one (sic) of you for the job that you are doing to move our passengers safely and reliably across south-east Queensland," Mr Hinchliffe wrote.