Transporting coal efficiently through
this network is not only important to our
customers, but the nation as a whole.
That’s why the Hunter Valley Coal Chain
Coordinator was established to oversee
day-to-day operations as well as long-term
capacity planning. As part of this group, ARTC
is responsible for making rail corridor capacity
available when it’s needed for coal exporters.
Since 2005, ARTC has released an annual
Hunter Valley Corridor Capacity Strategy,
which sets out how we plan to ensure rail
corridor capacity aligns with demand for
coal. These discussion papers identify future
constraints to the network’s capacity, the
options to resolve them and a proposed
course of action to increase coal movement.
While passenger and general freight train
numbers have remained the same during the
year, coal train numbers increased with the
actual volume of coal transported increasing
by 16 per cent to 150 million tonnes.
During the year, ARTC succeeded in having
a variation to the Hunter Valley Access
Undertaking approved by the Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission
(ACCC). The variation will provide a pricing
incentive to run the most efficient trains and
increase coal transport capacity in the Hunter
Valley coal chain.
PERFORMANCE
With the growth in coal volume and the
subsequent number of trains, access to
the track for maintenance is becoming
increasingly difficult. Despite this, the
network provided a high level of reliability.
During the year, coal train cancellations
owing to ARTC were less than 0.8 per cent
- well below the industry target for ARTC
related cancellations.
In December, a loaded coal train derailed
at Boggabri causing extensive damage to a
multi-span bridge, cutting the line between
Boggabri and Moree. This not only impacted
coal exports, but also grain services from
the north west of the state. The cause of the
derailment remains under investigation.
Right: Port Waratah, Hunter Valley, NSW
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