3.6.3 Freight rail

Queensland is one the world's major coal mining regions360 with exports exceeding 200 million tonnes in 2014.361 Freight rail transports the majority of the coal directly to Queensland's ports for export.

The DEC of freight rail in Queensland is projected to increase by 48 per cent from $1.77 billion in 2011 to $2.62 billion in 2031.

The regional freight rail network in Queensland is owned by the Government through Queensland Rail (QR). The Central Queensland Coal Network is leased by Aurizon, a private company.362

While there has been significant investment in upgrading the QR freight network, it has capacity issues and bottlenecks in some areas.

There is no rail network in the Galilee Basin, and various miners are developing plans to build their own lines in that area. Adani Group, the lease applicant of the proposed Carmichael Mine, has plans to construct a rail link between the mine and the Port of Abbot Point.363 GVK Hancock is developing a joint venture with Aurizon to develop a rail line in the Galilee Basin from Alpha Mine to Abbot Point. Both the GVK and Adani Group rail lines would converge at Scottsville.

In 2013, the Australian Government committed $300 million364 to finalise plans, fund engineering design and carry out environmental assessment for development of an inland freight line between Brisbane and Melbourne. The proposed route is projected to cut freight transportation time between Brisbane and Melbourne by 10 hours and increase the competitiveness of rail transport relative to road transport.365 Significant productivity gains could be realised by use of 1,800 metre trains, with the potential for a shift to 3,600 metre trains in future.

Figure 78: National Land Transport Network highways and key freight routes in Queensland 2011

National Land Transport Network Highway

Key Freight Route

The map shows highways identified in the Audit. Data was not available for all of these highways. Source: ACIL Allen Consulting (2014a)

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360. Queensland Department of Mines and Energy (2009)

361. Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2014)

362. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development (2014b)

363. Adani Mining (2012)

364. Truss, MP (2015)

365. Australian Rail Track Corporation (2014)