Australia is the world’s largest exporter of coal and QRNational Coal moves more than any other rail transport company in the country.

In 2006/07, we hauled more than 176.9 million tonnes of coal throughout Australia; this was up 8.6% or 14 million tonnes from the previous year.

We currently operate 500 coal train services on average per week in Queensland, with around 50 services per week in New South Wales.

The scale of our assets and capability allows us to provide customers with a unique depth of service.

QRNational Coal has committed to a massive investment program that will allow it to remain the preferred rail operator for the coal industry as it moves through this “super-cycle” of demand.

QRNational Coal is a world leader in heavy haul, narrow gauge railway technology with our skills and technology leading the way both within Australia and internationally.

We are building the necessary rollingstock to meet future coal demand.   In the first half of 2007 we introduced eight new train consists with the potential to increase overall system throughput by 19.35 million tonnes per annum.

QRNational Coal’s total rollingstock fleet consist of 330 locomotives and 7100 wagons with projects currently in place to expand the rollingstock fleet.

QRNational Coal operates electric locomotives in the two largest Queensland systems, Goonyella and Blackwater.  Diesel electric locomotives operate in the Newlands, Blackwater, Moura, West Moreton and Hunter Valley systems.

The below table shows the new consists and total number of consists for each rail system:-

We are currently rebuilding 63 electric locomotives to significantly increase our haulage performance.  Three of the rebuilt locomotives will be able to do the job now performed by five, providing an increase in performance of up to 67%.

The new 3700 class electric AC heavy haul locomotives are the first to be built and operated in Australia.

The improved locomotives will make a contribution to a cleaner environment through regenerative breaking which sends recycled energy back into the overhead power system.  The 3700 locomotive rebuild is part of QR’s five year $3.5 billion Coal Rail Program which includes both rail infrastructure and rollingstock fleet enhancement projects. 

At QRNational Coal we provide our customers with an unparalleled coal transportation service. The locomotives and wagons in our fleet are serviced in modern facilities located at Pring, Jilalan and Callemondah in Queensland with most major repairs carried out in the Rockhampton and Redbank (Brisbane) workshops.  In NSW the fleet is maintained in Newcastle.

In June 2007, QRNational Coal and QRNetwork Access formed an alliance partnership with designers Connell Hatch/Parsons Brinckerhoff and constructors Macmahon/MVM Rail to construct additional rail infrastructure and facilities at Jilalan Yard.   These yard upgrade works will increase coal throughput to 129 million tonnes per annum by late 2009 for the Goonyella system.  

We are also undertaking other coal system infrastructure upgrade projects including the construction of a new rollingstock facility at Hexham in NSW.

In Queensland, QRNational Coal transports coal from 39 coal mines to six domestic coal terminals and six export coal ports:

•   Newlands to Abbot Point
•   Goonyella to Hay Point & Dalrymple Bay
•   Blackwater to Gladstone
•   Moura to Gladstone
•   West Moreton to Brisbane

These services are operated on QRNetwork Access’ interconnected coal network of over 2000km of track, 75% of which is electrified.

In New South Wales QRNational Coal has been hauling coal for export since 2005 and now has contracts for approximately 15% of the NSW export market.  We transport coal from seven mines in the Hunter Valley region to the port of Newcastle as well as other domestic terminals.

Most of QRNational Coal’s product from both Queensland and NSW  is exported to the global market to places such as Japan, India, Brazil, South Korea and China.