Bowen coal rail plans 'crazy': opposition

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A plan for three huge coal projects to build separate railway lines to the port of Bowen in north Queensland is "crazy", the Liberal National Party (LNP) says.

Gina Rinehart's Hancock project, Clive Palmer's Waratah and Adani's project have failed to co-operate on plans to ship coal from the Galilee Basin in central Queensland to Bowen.

The LNP leadership weighed into the debate on Monday, with LNP leader Campbell Newman and parliamentary Opposition Leader Jeff Seeney calling for a single corridor.

"It doesn't pass the commonsense test, does it, to have three separate railway lines transporting coal from three projects that are so closely located to the same port on the coast?" Mr Seeney said.

Mr Seeney told AAP a lack of government planning was to blame.

"It's a continuation of the sort of failure that we've seen in the Surat Basin (experiencing a coal seam gas boom) where they haven't had the regulation, they haven't had the administration processes in place to control the development there.

"That's been the cause of a lot of community anger and a lot of community angst, and understandably so.

"They should learn from that lesson and get ahead of the game in the Galilee Basin."

Mr Seeney said the government's coordinator-general should do his job and minimise the impact of the coal-transport lines.

Mr Newman said the government of Labor Premier Anna Bligh needed to show leadership and define a transport corridor for the resources companies.

"Let's have one designated corridor and have the companies put their infrastructure in that corridor," he said.

Even if the coal companies opted for different-gauge railway systems, they should run down a single corridor, he said.

Mr Newman told reporters he had discussed the matter with Mr Palmer, a major LNP donor, and he had indicated a preference for a single corridor.