Article: Public to comment on rail project

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From the Daily Mercury click here!

Public to comment on rail project

Public to comment on rail project

4th February 2012

PUBLIC comment is being sought on the draft terms of reference which will form the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Goonyella to Abbot Point rail project.

Queensland Co-ordinator-General Keith Davies said progress to the environmental assessment stage did not signal approval for the project but indicated the start of a thorough evaluation process.

"The decision whether to proceed will be based on a rigorous assessment of the environmental, social and economic implications of the rail line," Mr Davies said.

"Community feedback is a valued part of the evaluation process and the public now has the opportunity to comment on the assessment's draft terms of reference which will form the basis of the project's EIS.

"The public will be able to provide further comment once the final EIS is released."

BHP Billiton MetCoal Holdings has applied to establish a rail line from the Goonyella Riverside Mine complex, 24km north-west of Moranbah, to the Port of Abbot Point, near Bowen.

"The proposed project involves the development of a new 260km rail line and associated infrastructure which would service a number of potential new mines and expansion projects within the Bowen Basin," Mr Davies said.

"The rail corridor is planned to be about 60 metres wide with an expected train size of 10,000 tonnes which could allow for the export of around 60 million tonnes of coal per annum," he said.

The draft terms of reference can be viewed on the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) website at www.deedi.qld.gov.au.