In brief Calls for sale of Australian railfreight assets
Infrastructure Australia (IA) has released a discussion paper: Australia’s Public Infrastructure - Part of the Answer to Removing Infrastructure Deficitwhich identifies more than $A 100bn ($US 104bn) of government- owned transport assets that could be privatised. The paper argues the costs of operating and maintaining these assets often far outweighs the benefits to the community of retaining them. According to the report, many assets in the energy, port, regional airport and railfreight sectors could be sold relatively quickly within
A
USTRALIAN federal government think tank
the government’s existing policy framework.
The paper highlights several rail assets that IA believes could be transferred to the private sector.
These include the remaining equity in QR National held by the state of Queensland; most of the track owned or managed by Australian Rail Track Corporation, with an emphasis on the Hunter Valley coal lines in New South Wales; and the 1032km Mount Isa - Townsville line, which is owned by the Queensland government. The paper says other residual assets including terminals and branch lines to major container terminals could be also considered.
Laos east-west contract signed
in the presence of Malaysian prime minister Mr Najib Tun Razak and Laotian deputy prime minister Mr Thongsing Thammavong to mark the signing of the construction contract for a 220km east-west railway across southern Laos. The $US 5bn project involves building a double- track line from Savannakhet on the Thai border to Lao Bao on the Vietnamese border. The line will be built by Giant Consolidated Group, Malaysia and will form part of the Singapore - Kunming Rail Link.
A
Aires on October 15 that will pave the way for the restoration of freight services across the border between Chile and Argentina. The line from Salta,
Chile to reactivate international links A
BILATERAL agreement was signed in Buenos
Argentina, to Palestina in Chile via the de Socompa pass has never lived up to expectations and has seen virtually no international movements for five years. However, under the new agreement, Ferronor will be permitted to once more collect freight on the Argentinian side for conveyance west, principally to the Pacific port of Mejillones. The route within Chile totals around
350km, almost half of which, from Augusta Victoria to the Pacific coast, is owned by the Antofagasta Railway (FCAB). Although much of the route on either side of the border has remained in use for domestic traffic, international trains will not start to roll immediately because disused sections of track need to be rehabilitated.
The impetus behind the
reactivation comes from mining companies in Argentina, which are interested in exporting products such as borax, lithium and copper to Asia. Of the four railways linking northern Chile with neighboring countries, only one is currently operational - FCAB’s line which runs down from the
CEREMONY was held in Vientiane on November 5
increase from ƒ210m to ƒ298m is attributed to the provision of additional noise mitigation measures, costing some ƒ30m, higher prices for materials, and the need to meet new standards for construction in permanent way, signalling, structures
and level crossings. East German Railway Company (Odeg) has announced that no more than 11 of the 16 double-deck Kiss emus on order from Stadler will be delivered and approved in time for the December 9 timetable change. DB Regio has been sub- contracted to operate the Wismar - Berlin - Cottbus service with 10 four-car double-deck locomotive- hauled trains, which will be crewed by Odeg staff, until April 2013.
border with Bolivia near Ollagüe, to the ports of Antofagasta and Mejillones. However, the remaining three are all in differing stages of reactivation. The reopening of the Arica to La Paz Railway is on track although somewhat behind schedule. Less advanced is the 61km Tacna - Arica Railway (FCTA), which links Peru with Chile. This line has seen very little freight traffic in recent years, and passenger operations ceased in March, due to the poor state of the track. FCTA is under the administration of Peru’s Tacna regional government, which lacks the funds needed to carry out the necessary repair work. A plan to tender operation of the line is mooted, with help from Proinversión, a central government agency.
International
Swaziland Railways, Transnet, and Mott MacDonald South Africa have formed a project team to advance plans for the Rand 15.9bn ($US 1.85m) Swazilink connection between Lothair in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province and Sidvokodvo, Swaziland. Feasibility studies will begin next year on the 1067mm- gauge line, which will relieve the Ermelo - Richards Bay
heavy-haul corridor. Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) has signed a $US 42m agreement with the Chinese government that will enable Chinese companies to implement rehabilitation projects on the ailing railway. The deal concerns 12 separate projects, including the modernisation of 42 passenger coaches, the supply of six new diesel locomotives, 30,000 wooden sleepers, track maintenance vehicles, and components.
Netherlands
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and track authority Prorail have started planning the construction of a new link at Meeteren between the Betuweroute freight line and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Construction could start in 2015.
IRJ December 2012 7
Photo: David Gubler
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