New 2 ship berth for coal at Abbot Point

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Whitsundays Online

Waratah Coal has announced that they and their partner, 'China First' "will include 490kms of standard gauge, heavy haul railway line and a 40 million tonne per annum, two-berth export terminal at Abbot Point near Bowen.

However, the new rail line is to be built from Alpha to Shoalwater Bay, just north of Rockhampton, (site of the AUS-USA military excercises every 2 years).

According to the map provided by Waratah Coal, the coal will travel through Moranbah or Rocky, then 40 million tonnes of coal a year will travel over the existing rail network through Bloomsbury, Proserpine, Bowen and then Abbot Point.

Waratah Coal's website
The original map image from Waratah Coal has been modified to show the proposed 'Northern Missing Link'.

Editors Note: If each coal train carries 7,000 tonnes, that means 5,700 full coal trains (+ return journey's) a year, or 220 more trains a week. However, if the 'Northern Missing Link' between Moranbah and Newlands is built, this would then be the shortest route to Abbot Point.