<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> </span> <p><strong>Mining consortium to make formal bid </strong><br />The consortium of Queensland miners seeking to negotiate with the Queensland Government for ownership of QR National’s below rail network will make a formal offer for the assets this week.</p><p>“We’re conducting due diligence at the moment. We’ll be in a position [this] week to review the outcome of that,” consortium member and Anglo American chief executive Seamus French reportedly said.</p><p>The Bligh Government has until the end of September to accept the bid or take QR National to a public float, it was reported.</p><p>The mining companies initial bid of $4.85bn was recently upped to $5.25bn<br /><br /><strong>Connecting SEQ 203</strong>1<br />The Australasian Railway Association has welcomed Queensland Premier’s release of the re-drafted <em>Connecting SEQ 2031: An Integrated Regional Transport Plan.</em></p><p>The plan outlines significant improvements to South East Queensland’s public transport system including 207km of new rail lines, Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project, a dual gauge freight line from the Port of Brisbane to Acacia Ridge and more trains for outlying areas</p><p>Under the plan, passenger rail capacity would triple by 2031.</p><p>For full analysis of the plan, see the November edition of the <em>Rail Express </em>magazine, free to all Rail Express newswire subscribers.<br /><strong><br />Upgrades for Dubbo-Coonamble line</strong><br />$33m in funding has been earmarked for upgrades to the Dubbo to Coonamble railway line, Councillor Dawn Fardell and member for Dubbo reportedly announced last week.</p><p>The upgrades would increase efficiency for the movement of grain and other agricultural products along the line, it was reported.</p><p>The Country Rail Infrastructure Authority will reportedly spend $18.5m on resleepering and renewal of the Coolbaggie Creek rail bridge at Eumungerie, to commence later this year, and $14.5m on re-railing the line in 2013-14, it was reported.<br /><br /> </p>
