Completion of the Maldon-Dombarton rail link would not have an impact on the higher number of trucks using Wollongong roads due to the lifting of the Port Kembla Coal Terminal curfew, MPs and coal companies have admitted.Cunningham MP Sharon Bird, one of the main advocates for the line, said only coal coming from further away, such as the Western Coalfields near Lithgow, which now comes via the Moss Vale line, would benefit from Maldon-Dombarton.Containers, cars, grain and other imports and exports could also be moved from truck to rail, she said.
Coal trucks granted access to Wollongong roads Truck review coincides with anniversary of Mt Ousley crash Concerns over Port Kembla truck planThe line would also open Port Kembla to large western Sydney businesses."It won't be economical for the majority of the coal that have the short runs to use the line," Ms Bird said.The region's coal companies agreed. Most of the region's coalmines get their coal to Port Kembla via train already, but trucks still operate from Gujarat South Bulli and Illawarra Coal mines at West Cliff and Appin - too close to the port to benefit from Maldon-Dombarton. Illawarra Coal trucks travel via Appin Rd and Mt Ousley.A pre-feasibility study into the rail link has been completed and the results will be released within weeks.The Mercury's website was yesterday flooded with complaints about the State Planning Department's decision to approve an application by Port Kembla Coal Terminal to remove the curfew established in 1982, which restricted coal deliveries by road to between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday. Trucks can now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.NSW Greens MLC Lee Rhiannon, who has opposed the proposal, said an independent evaluation must now be completed after 12 months."This bankrupt decision reflects an empty consultation process, where key concerns from individuals, community groups, councils and government agencies were ignored," she said."Of the 131 submissions, 113 objected to the proposal and many remaining submissions raised strong concerns."The coal terminal can now receive 7.5 million tonnes of coal per year, up from about 5.2 million tonnes, and there is scope for that to increase to 10 million. But the reforms will fit in with the terminal's around-the-clock operations and bring it into line with other industry at Port Kembla that don't face restrictions on truck movements.Port Kembla Coal Terminal general manager Peter Green said the decision would have economic benefits for the region, mainly through the opportunity for more coal and bulk exports to leave the port."The approval conditions reflect the issues raised by the public ... and will result in additional environmental measures being put in place," he said.State Planning Minister Kristina Keneally said the decision was about boosting investment and securing jobs.
