The Goonyella railway system is located in

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...

, Australia. It services the coal mining area of the

Bowen Basin The Bowen Basin contains the largest coal reserves in Australia. This major coal-producing region contains one of the world's largest deposits of bituminous coal. The Basin contains much of the known Permian coal resources in Queensland includ ...

, carrying coal to the

Hay Point Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated ...

and Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminals 20 km southeast of

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

, as well as products to other destinations by way of connections to the North Coast Line at Yukan and the Central Line at Burngrove via the

Gregory coal mine The Gregory Coal Mine is an open-cut coal mine located at Crinum, Queensland, Crinum, 60 km north east of Emerald, Queensland, Emerald in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 159 million tonnes of Coke ...

branch. It is also connected to the coal loading terminal at Abbot Point (20 km northwest of Bowen) by the

GAP line The Collinsville – Newlands – North Goonyella line, also known as the Goonyella – Abbot Point (GAP) line and the Newlands railway system, is a railway line in Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1922 and 201 ...

. The line opened on 5 November 1971 and runs for 477 kilometres. A 200 km extension called the Carmichael Rail Network was built in 2021. The Goonyella system is

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

and electrified using 25 kV 50 Hz. The line has been duplicated from Hay Point to Wotonga (174 km) and features CTC signalling over the entire system.

Mines

The Goonyella Coal Chain services 25 mines, carrying coal from

BHP Mitsubishi Alliance The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is an Australian coal mining company operating in Central Queensland. The largest coal producer in Australia, it is a joint venture with BHP and Mitsubishi each owning 50%. It was established in 2001. The BMA ...

, Anglo Coal, Bravus Mining & Resources, Macarthur Coal, Peabody Energy Australia, Xstrata and ANCI. The system currently operates under a demand-pull model, with rail haulages being designated by the ports, and the shipping stem. The rail line transports coal from

Carmichael coal mine The Carmichael coal mine is a coal mine in Queensland, Australia which produced its first shipment of coal in December 2021. The mine has drawn criticism for its environmental impacts on the Great Barrier Reef, water usage and carbon emissions ...

, Gregory Mine,

Oaky Creek coal mine The Oaky Creek Coal Mine is a coal mine located 17 kilometres east-southeast of Tieri in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 288 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal re ...

German Creek coal mine The German Creek Coal Mine is an underground coal mine 25 kilometres south west of Middlemount in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 248 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserv ...

Foxleigh coal mine The Foxleigh Coal Mine is a coal mine in Mackenzie River, Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. It is within the Bowen Basin coal reserves of Central Queensland. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 102 million tonnes of coking coal, one ...

Norwich Park coal mine The Norwich Park Coal Mine was an open cut coal mine located south-east of Dysart, in Central Queensland, Australia. In 2012, the mine closed for economic reasons not because it was exhausted. In 2003, the mine had coal reserves amounting to ...

, Lake Vermont Mine,

Saraji coal mine The Saraji Coal Mine is a coal mine located near Dysart in the Central Queensland region of Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 648 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the world. The m ...

Peak Downs Mine Peak Downs Mine is a large open cut coking coal mine in Queensland located 31 km SSE of Moranbah. Peak Downs is one of seven mines in Bowen Basin owned by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, Australia's largest coal miner and exporter. Productio ...

, Millennium Mine, Poitrel Mine, Moorvale Mine, Burton Downs Mine, Carborough Downs Mine, Issac Plains Mine,

Moranbah North coal mine The Moranbah North Coal Mine is a coal mine in the Bowen Basin at Moranbah in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 261 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in the world. The mine has ...

Goonyella Riverside Mine Goonyella Riverside Mine is a large open cut coking coal mine in the Bowen Basin. It is one of many coal mines in Central Queensland, Australia and is located at Moranbah about 30 km north of the township. The mine produced 12.4 mi ...

Hail Creek coal mine The Hail Creek Coal Mine is a coal mine located within the Bowen Basin at Hail Creek in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 970 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the w ...

, Clermont Mine, Riverside Mine,

North Goonyella coal mine The North Goonyella Coal Mine is a coal mine located in the Bowen Basin at Moranbah in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 175 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Australia an ...

, South Walker Creek coal mine, and Blair Athol coal mine.

References

External links

Map of North Queensland Rail Coal Network

1925 map of the Queensland railway system
Railway lines in Queensland 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Australia Xstrata Railway lines opened in 1971 Buildings and structures in Central Queensland 1971 establishments in Australia {{Queensland-rail-transport-stub

Mines

See also

References

External links