The Queensland Parliament has passed the Surat Basin Rail (Infrastructure Development and Management) Bill, enabling the delivery of large scale rail infrastructure in the area.

 

Coal miner MetroCoal has welcomed the announcement, saying it forms a key step towards the delivery of key rail infrastructure that will enable future large scale coal projects to transport large qunatities of thermal coal to the Port of Gladstone.

 

MetroCoal Chief Executive Officer Mike O’Brien said the legislation was an important milestone for coal mining companies in the Surat Basin.   “This legislation shows that the government is serious about assisting mining companies further develop coal opportunities and allows a framework for pathway to market for the emerging coal players in the Surat Basin, including our thermal coal projects at Bundi and Columboola.”

 

The objective of the SBR Bill is to create a specific legislative framework for the Surat Basin Rail project which complements existing legislation currently applying to railways in Queensland.  The SBR Bill incorporates a range of new provisions relating to the regulation of the SBR corridor and the surrounding land, statutory powers to access land, tenure over roads and non-tidal boundary watercourses, severance of assets for taxation purposes and administration of the bill by the Coordinator-General.  The SBR Bill also addresses a range of issues for affected landholders.