Bill Blackley, Tajecca, Taroom, and Graham Blackley, Wallockatoo, Taroom, say their operations will be greatly impacted due to the proposed rail development.
LANDHOLDERS impacted by a planned coal rail line project north of Wandoan say they are concerned about the long-term economic viability of their farming operations, with even the mining sector admitting rural property values could decline as a result of the infrastructure construction.
Landholders have voiced their frustration in a series of hearings this month across the impacted regions hosted by the representatives for the Coordinator General.
While Australia is the world's largest coal exporter, the reserves across the Surat Basin have remained largely untouched. This is because the inadequate condition of Queensland's existing coal rail network, consisting of five coal rail systems, has made any project in the region unviable.
A $1 billion joint venture project, involving Xstrata Coal, ATEC and QR, to construct a 214km Surat Basin Rail line was first announced in 2006. It was labelled by the resources sector as the "Southern Missing Link", which will connect the Western Railway System, near Wandoan, with the Moura Railway System, at Banana, and ultimately to the coal loading facility at the Port of Gladstone.
It is estimated this project will enable at least 6.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves to be extracted across the Surat Basin. However the project's environmental impact statement (EIS) claims it is anticipated that freight traffic, including agricultural produce, could eventually be moved along the line as well.
Read More
QCL
No comments:
Post a Comment