Coal Transport

An efficient, economic transport system is a key element in the viability of coal mining in Australia and coal mining is a major contributor to the viability of the state rail systems in NSW and Queensland.

The oldest producing areas are located close to the coast where domestic transport is well established. However, as more remote deposits are being discovered and worked, as production volumes increase and as the manufacturing/production chain speeds up, it is crucial that the transport infrastructure is simultaneously developed and expanded.

Rail

The majority of coal is carried to its destination by rail. In the major producing states, coal is the single most valuable rail freight item and where state rail systems did not originally extend to coal fields, the installation of new track and rolling stock has been funded by the mining companies themselves.

Trains transporting coal are among the longest in the world, with as many as 6 locomotives and 148 wagons amounting to a length of more than 2 kilometres. A train of that size can carry about 8,500 tonnes of coal.

An important innovation in Queensland at the beginning of the 1980s was the construction of aluminium wagons equipped with rotating couplings which, enable the wagons to be emptied by being turned upside down to reduce unloading time.

The main rail companies operating in Australia are QRNational and Pacific National who together service the States of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.

Conveyors

Many of Australia's power stations have been built close to the coal mines servicing them and use overland conveyor systems to transport the coal from the mine to the station. At the ports conveyors are also used to carry coal from a stockpile to offshore shiploading berths.

Road Transport

Road transport is used by a number of mines located away from rail facilities but, generally, trucks are used only for shorter hauls to the port or rail loading facilities.

The Australian coal industry is conscious of the impact of road transport on local communities and actively seeks to reduce the impact by selecting, where possible, the least inhabited routes and by improving vehicle safety, noise and cleanliness.