Statement: Aurizon and GVK to jointly work on Galilee rail-port

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Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning
The Honourable Jeff Seeney

Aurizon and GVK to jointly work on Galilee rail-port

The potential to unlock the Galilee Basin coal reserves, creating thousands of new jobs in Queensland and providing billions of dollars of export revenue and royalties for the State, has moved a step closer with today's announcement that GVK Hancock and Aurizon will work together to develop rail and port infrastructure.

It also means the Newman Government's preference for consolidation of rail corridors from the Galilee Basin is more likely, with the two companies assessing the optimum rail solution based on the two corridors already announced.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said the government had encouraged corporations proposing coal and rail projects in the Galilee Basin to work together.

"We have sought to find a balance between the interests of all parties involved, including project proponents, landholders and communities," Mr Seeney said.

"We want sensible, incremental infrastructure development.

"Today's announcement is a welcome step in achieving our aims.

"It is a commercial arrangement that requires further negotiations, but those negotiations have the potential to progress our strategy of seeing consolidated multi-use rail corridors that have the least impact on local communities and landholders.

"By coming together the companies could deliver the optimum rail solution for all parties."

Mr Seeney said both GVK Hancock's north-south rail project and Aurizon's east-west proposal have been declared as co-ordinated projects previously by the Queensland Coordinator-General.

The corporations are now agreeing to work together to develop a rail line from the Galilee Basin to Abbot Point and the T3 coal terminal with the capacity to export a potential 60mtpa.

[ENDS] 11 March 2013

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Brisbanetimes --> Potential pact to 'unlock' coal reserves in central Queensland

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From the ABC News click here!

Galilee Basin rail partnership 'a great step forward '

Galilee Basin rail partnership 'a great step forward '
By Kate Stephens

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) says a rail and port solution for mining in the state's Galilee Basin is essential to capitalise on the region's vast coal deposits.

Mining company GVK Hancock has announced it will work with rail freight company Aurizon to develop rail and port infrastructure, to cart coal from its Alpha coal mines, west of Rockhampton.

QRC chief executive Michael Roche says the joint venture reinforces confidence in the development of more projects in the Galilee Basin.

"The sorts of numbers that we're looking at to develop mines with greenfield rail and port solutions does require a lot of partnering," he said.

"Bringing in a partner like Aurizon is a great step forward and I think all is well now for some of the other projects in the Galilee Basin."

Mr Roche says joint ventures are necessary to take advantage of the Galilee Basin opportunity.

"This is about opening up a whole new coal basin for the state of Queensland," he said.

"There are literally tens of thousands of jobs hanging off the successful launch of the Galilee Basin as an export basin for Queensland and so having a rail and port solution is an essential part of that."