THE QUEENSLAND Government is to fund an investigation into improving rail freight on the Mt Isa rail line to unlock an estimated $500 billion of critical minerals in the North West Minerals Province.
The Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Bart Mellish, said the investigation will explore ways to improve rail freight volumes on the Mount Isa rail line through targeted consultation with stakeholder engagement starting immediately.
That consultation will help government consider the best way to provide incentives for the Mount Isa rail line to encourage freight modal shift from road to rail, and support growth in rail freight volumes.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads will seek feedback from industry stakeholders about the barriers to entry, and challenges and limitations to using rail for small and medium-sized critical mineral producers.
Modal shift from road to rail also offers some potential additional flow-on benefits in terms of road safety, road infrastructure management and reducing carbon emissions from reduced heavy vehicle usage.
The Mount Isa rail line spans more than 1,000 kilometres, and plays an important role in supporting regional communities, regional jobs and mineral freight exports in North Queensland.
A previous business case, completed in 2017 for the 8.3km rail freight corridor connecting the North Coast Line directly to the Port of Townsville will be refreshed to examine the economic feasibility of the project based on current freight demand.
As well as maximising the use of the Mount Isa rail line, the state government has also committed $2 million in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program 2024-25 to 2027-28 to re-examine the feasibility of the Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor project.
A previous business case, completed in 2017 for the 8.3 km rail freight corridor connecting the North Coast Line directly to the Port of Townsville will be refreshed to examine the economic feasibility of the project based on current freight demand.
The North West Minerals Province is one of the world’s richest mineral-producing areas containing copper, lead and zinc as well as major silver and phosphate deposits and strong rare earth potential.
