Bell Bay freight rail service cut in favour of Burnie

<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> Rail freight services to Bell Bay will be suspended in favour of Burnie in the north-west, the Tasmanian Government has announced, citing “insufficient demand” for the northern Tasmania services. </span> <p>By Sineva Toevai</p><p>The state-owned Tasmanian Railway Company will increase freight on the Hobart to Burnie lines from five to seven times per week to accommodate paper maker Norske Skog’s and zinc producer Nystar’s switch from Bell Bay to Burnie.<br />Consideration had been given to maintaining a reduced rail service on the Bell Bay route but it proved commercially and operationally unviable, Tasmania’s infrastructure minister, Graeme Sturges, said.<br />“For rail to have a long-term future in Tasmania it must operate on a commercial basis,” Sturges said.<br />“Nyrstar and Norske Skog products represent the major user of the Bell Bay service and make up 75 per cent of the customer base.<br />“Other customers who use this service can be adequately transferred to road with only minimal impact on the network with an estimated increase of a maximum of up to 30 trucks a week between Bell Bay and Hobart.”<br />However, Tasmania’s Greens party said the loss of train services on the Bell Bay route would create heavy traffic congestion on roads.<br />“The closure of the Bell Bay line is of serious concern,” Greens infrastructure spokesperson Tim Morris said.<br />“While there may be some benefits for the port and businesses in Burnie, it is at the expense of those in the Bell Bay area and it seems that the Tasports strategy for Bell Bay is now completely useless.<br />“I hope that no businesses have made investments relying on that strategy.<br />&quotIt is worrying that the Bell Bay railway line will now be lying idle whilst there is still freight to travel by rail.”<br />The Tasmanian Government last year outlined a $150 million plan to upgrade Bell Bay port in a push to lift its container trade.</p><p>Source: Lloyd’s List Daily Commercial News -<a href="http://www.lloydslistdcn.com.au" target="_blank">www.lloydslistdcn.com.au</a></p><p>&nbsp</p>