Greens back FMG bid for Pilbara rail access

<p>Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has won the support of Western Australian Greens in its bid to gain access to BHP Billiton rail lines in the Pilbara.</p> <p>The Greens are calling on the WA Government to reprimand BHP Billiton for refusing access to the rail corridor.</p> <p>It comes less than a month after the National Competition Council (NCC) decision that BHP’s Billiton’s Mount Newman line is capable of being considered for third party access.</p> <p>The NCC also ruled that BHP Billiton’s Goldsworthy line could not be considered as part of FMG application for access because it is part of a production process.</p> <p>However, the council stressed that its ruling on those two preliminary matters &#8211 that is, which lines could be considered &#8211 did not mean the service of the line had been declared for access.</p> <p>"To recommend declaration, the council will need to be satisfied that the declaration criteria in Part IIIA are met, including that access would promote competition in at least one related market and that it would be uneconomical to develop another facility to provide the service of the Mount Newman line," the council said.</p> <p>It will release an issues paper to canvas further views on the matter this month (January) and will then issue a draft recommendation.</p> <br />