The 210km railway linking the coal-rich Surat Basin and the Gladstone port will be an open-access railway for coal and general freight, including agricultural produce.
“Coal will still be our number one customer; however, other types of freight will be welcome to use the railway,” Surat Basin Rail chief executive Graham Dooley said.
Last month the Surat Basin joint venture committed to an alignment which would open up the rail line to other commodities.
Surat Basin Rail is a joint venture between miners and finance groups with five partners: Xstrata Coal, Anglo Coal, Queensland Rail, Industry Funds Management and private equity group ATEC.
The group said it would not continue with studies on a coal dedicated, narrow gauge alignment and flagged plans for a future dual track to host interstate trains.
The railway will be designed initially for use by diesel trains.
Dooley said the development of the rail would be a major windfall for Queensland’s economy.
“For the first time local communities such as Wandoan, Chinchilla and Miles also would have an efficient link to the port of Gladstone for domestic and export sales of their freight,” Dooley said.
The preferred Surat Basin Rail alignment runs broadly from Wandoan to Banana in a north-south direction.
The rail group said it was continuing to consult with stakeholders over the alignment as part of its environmental impact statement.
The EIS will be released for public feedback later this year.
The joint venture is looking to reach financial close by the end of 2009 with commencement of operations by 2012.
