Mildura Promotes New Railway

By Anonymous

THE city of Mildura, in Victoria, Australia, is promoting construction of a north-south railway to the east-west Transcontinental line near Broken Hill, New South Wales. The 220km line would cost around $A 300 million ($US 283 million). The line could offer a way for double-stack container trains to operate to Melbourne (currently tunnels between Melbourne and Adelaide prevent that), and developing mineral sand mines around Broken Hill would also benefit.

BRITISH freight operator First GBRf has won a major expansion of its mail contract with the country’s national mail company, Royal Mail, and new rolling stock will soon arrive following the award of three coal haulage contracts.

While the mail contract has won headlines in Britain (it was lost to rail completely a few years ago), the coal deals are more significant. British Energy, Alcan, and Drax Power have signed deals that together take First GBRf’s share of the rail-hauled coal market to 12%, from nothing two years ago.

90 new coal hoppers and five EMD class 66 locomotives have been ordered. The locomotives were due to arrive in the middle of last month.

Copyright Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation Apr 2008

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