RTBU joins union talks on ‘coal chain’

By Steve Wright: sdwright64@kooee.com.au

Steve Wright, President of the NSW Locomotive Division and Secretary of the Hunter Valley Sub-Division, and Bob Hayden former Secretary of the NSW Locomotive Division, Peter Schwarz, Vice-President, Hunter Valley Sub-Division, Norm Wesche, Brian Glover, Alan Lynch and Mark Sheargold, Hunter Valley Sub-Division committee members, represented the RTBU. The CFMEU Mining & Energy Division and the Maritime Union of Australia were the other unions there.

This meeting was also preparation for a global resources and transport industry union conference in Los Angeles, United States on May 23-24, 2005.

Coal prices are now at record highs, and demand for Australian coal has never been higher. The stresses are showing up in the ports, including Newcastle. Shipping queues emerged in November 2004 because there are only five coal unloading units, and it takes a minimum of an hour to unload a train. There are still delays when four or five trains arrive within an hour, but not as bad as they have been.

The Hunter Valley coal chain is spreading further from the port. There are only four or five mines within an eight hour trip from the port, all the others are further away. Two new mines, Dartbrook and Bengalla, have opened north west of Muswellbrook. There is a proposal for two new mines close to Ulan, some 250 kilometres from the port. It is roughly 24 hours to service a mine at Ulan, ten hours each way and four hours to load.

In recent years, coal trains have been reduced in length to reduce time at mine loaders and to provide more power to move the loaded trains at higher speeds. Average train lengths have been cut by 10 per cent to 20 per cent, for instance, the 60-wagon set is reduced to 54, and the 91-wagon set is reduced to 80.

Bi-directional signalling is now in operation between Whittingham, south of Singleton, and Branxton to allow passenger trains to pass laden coal trains and this has eliminated frustrating delays.

"Our biggest concern is that some new coal mines are installing second-hand train loading equipment, which means the loader just doesn't match the capacity of the mine itself. A good example is the new Ashton open cut near Muswellbrook," said Steve Wright. "The bins there can only load at approx 1500 tonnes per hour and it takes 2- 2.5 hours to load trains".