Rail link no major impact on trucks

Illawarra Mercury

BY BRETT COX
25/06/2009 10:29:00 AM

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Trucks travel down Mt Ousley

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http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/rail-link-no-major-impact-on-trucks/1550139.aspx

Completion of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link would not have an impact on the higher number of trucks using Wollongong roads due to the lifting of the Port Kembla Coal Terminal curfew, MPs and coal companies have admitted.
Cunningham MP Sharon Bird, one of the main advocates for the line, said only coal coming from further away, such as the Western Coalfields near Lithgow, which now comes via the Moss Vale line, would benefit from Maldon-Dombarton.
Containers, cars, grain and other imports and exports could also be moved from truck to rail, she said.
The line would also open Port Kembla to large western Sydney businesses.
"It won't be economical for the majority of the coal that have the short runs to use the line," Ms Bird said.
The region's coal companies agreed. Most of the region's coalmines get their coal to Port Kembla via train already, but trucks still operate from Gujarat South Bulli and Illawarra Coal mines at West Cliff and Appin - too close to the port to benefit from Maldon-Dombarton. Illawarra Coal trucks travel via Appin Rd and Mt Ousley.
A pre-feasibility study into the rail link has been completed and the results will be released within weeks.
The Mercury's website was yesterday flooded with complaints about the State Planning Department's decision to approve an application by Port Kembla Coal Terminal to remove the curfew established in 1982, which restricted coal deliveries by road to between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Trucks can now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
NSW Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon, who has opposed the proposal, said an independent evaluation must now be completed after 12 months.
"This bankrupt decision reflects an empty consultation process, where key concerns from individuals, community groups, councils and government agencies were ignored," she said.
"Of the 131 submissions, 113 objected to the proposal and many remaining submissions raised strong concerns."
The coal terminal can now receive 7.5 million tonnes of coal per year, up from about 5.2 million tonnes, and there is scope for that to increase to 10 million. But the reforms will fit in with the terminal's around-the-clock operations and bring it into line with other industry at Port Kembla that don't face restrictions on truck movements.
Port Kembla Coal Terminal general manager Peter Green said the decision would have economic benefits for the region, mainly through the opportunity for more coal and bulk exports to leave the port.
"The approval conditions reflect the issues raised by the public ... and will result in additional environmental measures being put in place," he said.
State Planning Minister Kristina Keneally said the decision was about boosting investment and securing jobs.

Coal trucks granted 24/7 access to Wollongong roads

Illawarra Mercury

BY BRETT COX
24/06/2009 9:21:00 AM

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/coal-trucks-granted-247-access-to-wollongong-roads/1548864.aspx

Coal trucks will thunder through the streets of Wollongong 24 hours a day, seven days a week after the State Government lifted a curfew in place for more than a quarter of a century.
The decision was revealed yesterday and will take effect immediately.
The Planning Department has approved an application by the Port Kembla Coal Terminal to remove the curfew established in 1982, which restricted coal deliveries by road to between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
The curfew was put in place mainly to limit noise on Mt Ousley and Springhill Rd, but Planning Minister Kristina Keneally said the infrastructure was now much improved.
"The new delivery hours and coal haulage amounts will bring the terminal in line with other nearby industries," she said.
"They are necessary for a forecast increase in regional coal production. The increased truck movements will be spread across a greater period, generally resulting in fewer trucks on the road at any one time, especially during the morning and afternoon peak periods."
The approval will initially allow the terminal to receive up to 7.5 million tonnes of coal a year by road, with scope for that to increase to 10 million tonnes if the terminal's environmental performance is deemed acceptable by the director-general of the Department of Planning.
At present the terminal accepts about 5.2 million tonnes.
The approval does not remove restrictions on coal delivered from the Gujarat NRE No 1 Colliery (formerly South Bulli).
Former planning minister Frank Sartor called the project in for assessment in December 2007.
Of the 122 submissions received, there were 113 objecting to the plan after its public exhibition last year.
In its submission, Wollongong City Council expressed concerns about the effect on its roads.
But terminal management cited the use of different routes, road upgrades and improvements to vehicles as justification for removal of the curfew.
The curfew had hampered the terminal's round-the-clock operation, it said.
Ms Keneally this year rejected a call from the NSW Greens for a public inquiry into the issue, saying although the proposal "remains controversial in some sections of the Wollongong community, it is not technically complex".
Wollongong MP Noreen Hay yesterday said amenity and safety were prime considerations in the decision.
"Amongst other things, the company will be required to implement a driver's code of conduct, including mandatory safety and noise mitigation training for all drivers, which is good news for the local community," she said.
"The code includes measures to manage speed limits, compression braking, load covering and queuing on local roads, and provides for incident management, reporting and compliance monitoring."
Ms Keneally said the approval would not result in changes to on-site infrastructure at the terminal.
She said the terminal would have to comply with other criteria on water waste and land management.
There was an obvious preference for coal and bulk products to go to the port by rail but not all mines were able to do this, the minister said.