<p>Adelaide-Darwin rail operator FreightLink has recorded tonnage growth every month since January, Northern Territory chief minister Clare Martin said.</p> <p>Ms Martin told the Conference on Railway Engineering 2004 (Core) in Darwin that the company had surpassed haulage expectations, recording a total of 180,000 tonnes (130,000 tonnes out of Adelaide and 50,000 out of Darwin) since the service started in mid-January.</p> <p>"Importantly, FreightLink believed there was little prospect of securing international freight to Asia within the first two years of operation," Ms Martin said.</p> <p>"However, following a successful trial export shipment, those expectations have been surpassed, with approximately 4,000 tonnes of freight being moved per month to destinations including Timor, Malaysia and Vietnam."</p> <p>The company is on the way to hitting its 300,000 domestic tonne first-year target and believes growth in mining and agribusiness could create up to 1m tonnes within the next three years, she said. </p> <br />
