Premier Statement: $400m Jilalan system boost adds 38mt a year: Bligh

[ozbob]

Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
13/03/2008

$400m Jilalan system boost adds 38mt a year: Bligh

A massive $400 million upgrade to the coal train network near Sarina will help lift exports by 38 million tonnes from 2010, Premier Anna Bligh told State Parliament this morning.

"The Jilalan Rail Yard upgrade is a key part of the State's coal infrastructure plans and will combine with expansions of Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay coal terminals to lift exports by 40 per cent," said the Premier.

"Construction on the project will start next month and be finished by the end of next year. It will employ 300 workers during construction and deliver another 100 jobs when operational," she said.

"Built in 1971, the current rail yard south-east of Sarina can only cope with 92 million tonnes of coal per annum. The new yard will be capable of handling 130 million tonnes per annum."

The Coordinator-General has released his assessment report on the environmental impact statement for the upgrade.

"The Coordinator-General approved, with conditions, the EIS for the project and Sarina Shire Council has subsequently already approved the development application," she said.
Site earthworks will involve moving more than a million cubic metres of rock and soil while 50 km of track, new administration, maintenance and employee buildings will also be constructed.

"The new 6km long service and maintenance facility is to be built next to the existing yards and will be able to handle 80 coal trains per day instead of 60."

By the end of 2009, the Jilalan yard will have two new bypass rail tracks, two provisioning tracks and maintenance tracks plus provisioning and wagon maintenance facilities.

"The Coordinator-General worked closely with Queensland Rail and Sarina Shire Council on this issue because the financial burdens associated with delays to the start of construction would have been considerable," Ms Bligh said.

"One month's delay to the start of the project could have cost the industry and government hundreds of millions of dollars.

"For the first time the Coordinator-General used his power under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act to issue a 'notice to decide' which instructed council to deal with the application within 20 days.

"A 20-business day timeframe for consideration was no different from the Integrated Planning Act, but with an IPA assessment there could have been further extensions.

"We appreciate that one of the last actions of the Sarina Shire Council before they become part of the new Mackay Regional Council was to expedite the application.

"This Queensland Rail project is vital to maintain crucial coal exports and a compulsory deadline was the most swift and sensible solution."

Conditions imposed by the Coordinator-General include noise and dust monitoring, environmental management plans and road infrastructure improvements.

The report can be viewed on the Department of Infrastructure and Planning website www.dip.qld.gov.au/eis

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[Huggies]

Gotta get up there in the next few months and smash the area.

[mufreight]

$400 million for improvements to a coal line involving some 50km of new trackwork with the work to be carried out immediately and in use within two years but Premier Bligh says the Government can not afford to build Darra to Springfield in two years which is only about 8km
Maybe we need a coal mine at the end of any proposed new infrastructure to get it built.
Less spin and more fact would be appreciated
Ask your local politician and see what he/she says, you might also like to gently remind him/her that they are elected to represent you not a particular party and as a voter you would appreciate facts and actual reasons and that you are not interested in growing mushrooms.

[Huggies]

It would be interesting to know how much of the $400 Million has come from the Mines.

[mufreight]

Captain Bligh would have us believe all of the funding has come from the mines but in reality the taxpayer will have been the source of most of the funds but Captain Bligh claims that the Government can not afford to pay for rail infrastructure to meet regional growth for commuters in the South East.
One must question WHY?
Perhaps you might care to ask, your local member should know.