OFFICIAL OPENING OF CANNINGTON MINE FACILITY AT YURBI
Published Friday, 28 November, 1997 at 12:00 AM
Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Vaughan Johnson
Mr Johnson today officially opened loading and interchange facilities at Yurbi, adjacent to the Mount Isa-Townsville rail line.
Queensland Rail this month began hauling Cannington concentrate to the Port of Townsville.
"The opening of the modern facilities at Yurbi reflects a good team effort by BHP, Queensland Rail and McIver Transport. They will be the benchmark for other operators in the North-west province.
"McIver brings the product from the Cannington mine in impressive road trains to Yurbi, where it' s transferred for Queensland Rail haulage to Townsville''.
"QR has built the track for the 2.5km balloon loop to connect with the Mount-Isa line and BHP has undertaken the civil works".
Mr Johnson said the $500 million mine was expected to be in full production by mid-98. Annual production of 1.5 million tonnes of ore would produce 375,000 tonnes of concentrate to be hauled by Queensland Rail.
Export earnings projections for Australia were almost $4 billion over a period of 20 years.
The mine would provide a major boost to the economy of North-West Queensland with 600 people working on site during construction and about half that number when the mine was in full production.
He said the Government was committed to major infrastructure upgrading in the North-West.
Queensland Rail was investing $200 million in the upgrade of the Townsville-Mt Isa line, which would be completed in late 1998.
QR carried more than a million tonnes of minerals on this line to the coast in 1996-97 and about 600,000 tonnes, including coal, coke and cement, westwards.
This is expected to more than double by the turn of the century with the annual haulage of 1 million tonnes of fertiliser from Phosphate Hill to Townsville. In addition, there will be about 1.2 million tonnes of sulphuric acid railed from Mt Isa to Phosphate Hill annually.