<p>Queensland Rail (QR) has secured a lucrative coal haulage contract in the Hunter Valley through its New South Wales-based rail operation, Interrail.</p> <p>QR’s Interail Australia was awarded a $15m seven-year contract to transport coal from the new Duralie mine, about 110 km from Newcastle.</p> <p>It will haul between 850,000 tonnes and 1.5m tonnes of coal a year, with the first services expected to start next month.</p> <p>QR said a lucrative spin-off from the Duralie project is a $750,000 contract for its Redbank workshops.</p> <p>The workshops have almost completed preparation of 35 surplus QR coal wagons for conversion to NSW’s standard gauge.</p> <p>The Duralie mine, which is owned by CIM Resources and Kawasaki Steel, is expected to produce 9m tonnes of coal over the life of the project. </p> <br />
