QR did not reveal how many tonnes the first shipment contained, but said yesterday’s train run was the first of an estimated 17,000 services to be run under the $870 million contract.

The rail operator said it would service this contract with the most powerful locomotives on the east coast of Australia.

QR is investing an additional $190 million in new rolling stock and added that new locomotives and wagons were already entering service.

QRNational Coal executive general manager Marcus McAuliffe said he was pleased to extend the existing relationship with Yancoal subsidiary Felix Resources and further expand QR’s position in the Hunter Valley.

“This train is the start of a long relationship with Felix Resources at Moolarben mine,” he said.

“We are very pleased to begin work under this contract and we look forward to growing with Felix as it grows its business in New South Wales.”

Felix Resources managing director Brian Flannery said, “Moolarben mine is set to become the largest of our operations as port capacity increases.

“We know from QRNational Coal’s existing services to Felix at our Minerva and Yarrabee mines in Queensland and our Ashton mine in New South Wales that they will be able to meet our growing needs into the future.”

QR said it would have secured 30% of the Hunter Valley market by 2011-12 when the extra tonnages for new long-term contracts came online.

Last year Moolarben was anticipated to produce 6 million tonnes of thermal coal in 2010. Overburden removal started in November in conjunction with the construction of mine infrastructure.

Full ramp-up under stage one development will see Moolarben produce up to 13Mt per annum of product coal for export and domestic markets, with 8.8Mtpa from open cut mining and 4-4.2Mtpa from longwall mining.

Under stage two plans, Yancoal is aiming for 17Mtpa run-of-mine production, with 8Mtpa from longwall mining and the rest from four open cuts.

Yancoal is a subsidiary of Chinese coal producer Yanzhou Coal Mining, which formally completed its $3.3 billion acquisition of Felix in January.