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Article: TasRail awards locomotive replacement contract

Started by colinw, December 14, 2011, 10:11:37 AM

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colinw

Wow, when was the last time Tasmania had NEW locomotives?

Railway Gazette International -> click here

Quote13 December 2011

AUSTRALIA: A partnership of Downer Rail and Progress Rail is to supply 17 diesel locomotives to Tasmania's TasRail from mid-2013 under a A$60m contract which was signed on December 13.

The PR22L locomotives will replace the current fleet that is 'well beyond' its useful operating life and which TasRail Chairman Bob Annells recently told a parliamentary committee 'you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy'.

TasRail CEO Damien White said having a 'contemporary and standardised' fleet would 'substantially improve the safety, reliability, efficiency and capacity of rail freight services', and 'enable us to provide a level of service equal to a modern-day standard which in turn will help to meet long-term demand and increase our contestable market share'.

The tender had attracted worldwide interest, and White said TasRail was able to achieve a 'very competitive' price. The deciding factor in awarding the contract to Downer Rail/Progress Rail was proven haulage capability on curves and gradients 'unique to the TasRail network'.

The Tasmanian state government bought the 1 067 mm gauge network from Pacific National in 2009 and launched a major investment programme. On December 9 Infrastructure Minister David O'Byrne said the state will continue 'investing responsibly' in a modern and reliable freight rail network, with over A$400m of state and federal funding allocated in 2009-16. 'That investment is already showing results, with customer numbers growing, and fewer derailments', he said.

The freight operator expects to call tenders in early 2012 for the supply of a new wagon fleet, and has applied for an additional A$240m from Infrastructure Australia for further works.


  • A year-long investigation into allowing tourist and heritage passenger operations on the TasRail network has concluded that access is not possible in the short to medium term. The situation will be reviewed in two to three years.

On a more negative note, Tasmania can extract hundreds of millions from IA for its dinky network, and but we can't do anything about Beerburrum - Landsborough - Nambour?  Really?!!!!

colinw

The Mercury -> click here

Quote$60m deal for 17 new locos

December 14, 2011 12.01am

A $60 MILLION contract to buy 17 new locomotives was signed yesterday by Tasrail chairman Bob Annells.

The current fleet of 35 engines will be scrapped and total haulage capacity will be doubled to about 3.5 million tonnes.

The upgrade is part of a $600 million package of state and federal funds to modernise Tasmania's rail system after years of neglect.

About $90 million will be spent on locomotives and wagons and the rest will be outlaid for track replacement.

Speed restrictions will remain in place on 18 per cent of the network until the track is up to standard.

Mr Annells said the purchase would allow Tasrail to expand its customer base.

"It gives us the capacity to meet the emerging demand that we are starting to see," Mr Annells said.

"This is an investment for the next 20 to 30-plus years, and you must build in an assumption here about growth potential. We have not been able to proof up that potential but certainly there are very pleasing signs that there is a swing back to rail."

The derailments that have plagued the railway in recent years would not be addressed by the new engines, but would rely on $445 million from the Federal Government with $240 million yet to be signed off.

"Our derailment record in the last year is vastly better than it has been in preceding years, but with a narrow-gauge railway and underinvestment for many years derailments are a constant issue we have to deal with," Mr Annells said.

Infrastructure Minister David O'Byrne said the investment was the first stage of creating viable business that would take more trucks off the state's highways.

"If you take away the investment in the rail, the operating profit that was achieved this year, three to four years ahead of schedule, is a wonderful sign that once we complete the infrastructure spend we will have a profitable rail system that provides opportunities and options for Tasmanian business to move their freight," Mr O'Byrne said.

"It reduces the maintenance spend on roads, it reduces the amount we will have to spend on freight corridors."

The locomotives will be supplied by Australian company Downer EDI in partnership with US firm Progress Rail Services, which will be responsible for their construction.

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