Warning of Traffic Chaos

Letter Illawarra Mercury 7 January 2012

Perhaps the local Northern Suburbs traffic chaos (Letters, 31/12/11 and 4/1/12) will help to keep Sydney - Wollongong traffic to the Mt Ousley Road rather than diverting to Bulli Pass/Princes Highway/Memorial drive.

BHP Billiton received a pre Christmas approval from the NSW Government for a big increase in its Appin complex coal production to 10.5 million tonnes per annum with continued road haulage. Unless BHP Billiton has a change of heart and opts to support and use the Maldon Dombarton rail link, most of this coal will be moved by a constant procession of trucks using the Appin and Mt Ousley Roads

The extra coal trucks will also share Mt Ousley and other roads with the extra grain trucks, also approved in December 2011 by the NSW Government, with the apparent support of Wollongong City Council. Plus the trucks carrying car imports and other freight, along with Wollongong /Shellharbour people driving to and from Sydney.

However, it is always possible that some of BHP Billiton's extra coal trucks could find their way down the Bulli Pass etc, thus adding to Northern Suburbs traffic chaos.

Wollongong needs much better balance between road and rail for the cartage by coal, grain, cement and new cars and heavy machinery to and from Port Kembla. If coal and other companies will not do the right thing on their own accord, it is up to government to effectively regulate.

Irene Tognetti

Spokesperson

Wollongong Transport Coalition

Keiraville

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COMMENT The two applications and approvals for more grain trucks and more coal trucks (via BHP Billiton) on our crowded highways are as follows:

The proposed modification relates to the removal of operational restrictions that govern the receival of grain at the terminal by road transport. Graincorp Operations Limited is seeking to allow the receival of grain by road 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and to remove the restricted annual tonnage limit.

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http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=4628

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The Bulli Seam Project, which includes: augmenting, upgrading and using the existing infrastructure at the Appin and West Cliff coal mines; extracting up to 10.5 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal a year from the Bulli coal seam for a period of 30 years using longwall mining methods; processing run-of-mine coal at both the West Cliff and Dendrobium washeries; transporting product and run-of-mine coal from the site by road; disposing of coal rejects on site; and rehabilitating the site.

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http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=2673

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WOLLONGONG DESERVES BETTER

The Prime Minister's announcement on 19 October 2011 of $25.5 million to advance the completion of the Maldon Dombarton rail link needs to be matched by:

BHP Billiton taking a more responsible approach than doubling the amount of coal on public roads

AND The NSW Government putting in funds to expedite completion of the Maldon Dombarton Rail Link.

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BHP RULES OUT USING MALDON-DOMBARTON LINE

BY BEN LANGFORD Illawarra Mercury

20 Oct, 2011 04:00 AM

The world's largest miner, BHP Billiton, would not use the Maldon-Dombarton rail line to transport coal from its Illawarra mines to the Port Kembla coal terminal.

It is a blow to the forecast demand for the proposed rail line, as BHP Billiton sends seven million tonnes of coal a year to Port Kembla for export.

The stance of BHP Billiton - and subsidiary Illawarra Coal - is revealed in consultant ACIL Tasman's feasibility study into the Maldon-Dombarton link.

The miner's submission said while it supported the rail link proposal, there was "no likelihood" it would use the line.

The feasibility study said that moving output from Illawarra Coal's Appin and West Cliff mines to the new rail line would save $21 million over 20 years in costs associated with road accidents, congestion, road degradation and pollution from road transport.

It said the two mines generated 70 per cent of the road freight considered "contestable" by the new line.

ACIL Tasman concluded new government measures may be needed to force coal onto the rails, such as making rail freight a condition of a mine's expansion.

In Wollongong on Tuesday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced $25.5 million to further progress the rail link, but stopped short of a full commitment to completing the project.

The feasibility study found there would be demand for more than 12 million tonnes a year of coal on the line, but it would come from mines near Lithgow rather than the Bulli seam operations.

"There is a strong local interest in reducing the number of trucks, or at least in reducing their growth, on the major arterial roads serving Port Kembla, and a view that a Maldon-Dombarton line would help do that," the study said.

"The evidence does not support this view. The owner of the colliery that is expected to provide the most significant growth of trucks, BHP, has stated that 'it is neither economically feasible nor environmentally sound to consider a rail connection to the Maldon to Dombarton rail link at this time'.

"To reduce truck numbers, other policies would be required such as restrictions on mining licences and changes to road user charges."

The main reason Illawarra Coal would not use the rail line was found to be the cost of new infrastructure to send its coal about 13km to meet the train.

"It is neither economically feasible nor environmentally sound to consider a rail connection to the Maldon-Dombarton rail link at this time," the miner's submission said.

Yesterday, Illawarra Coal head of external affairs John Brannon said the rail line would have benefits, but the company would not use it. !!!

"Illawarra Coal remains supportive of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link proposal but cannot make a commitment to the use of such a facility as Illawarra Coal's existing operations are geographically remote from the proposed alignment of the rail link," he said.

Xstrata's Tahmoor colliery is considered a more likely candidate to use the line.

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WELCOME TO AN ELECTED COUNCIL

WTC extends congratulations to Cr Gordon Bradbery on his election as Lord Mayor, and all elected Councilors, following elections in September 2011.

Also in September 2011, Wollongong City Council called for an upgrade of the rail line between Wollongong and Sydney "to improve safety, reliability and speed of passenger and freight services."

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