Study for Mount Isa-Townsville corridor options

<p>The Federal Government will sound out industry bodies on the options for upgrading the Mount Isa Townsville transport corridor.</p> <p>The Department of Transport and Regional Services (DoTaRS) will complete a study on the corridor to determine how it can cope with future freight task.</p> <p>Transport minister John Anderson said the corridor’s inclusion in the AusLink national network recognised its importance as a freight backbone.</p> <p>"The road and rail corridor between Mount Isa and Townsville carries $12bn worth of freight a year, primarily for export markets," Mr Anderson said.</p> <p>The study will:</p> <p>&#8226 Forecast industry trends and developments likely to affect the corridor in the next 20 years</p> <p>&#8226 Identify measures to assess how it handles traffic and</p> <p>&#8226Propose long-term strategies for a corridor upgrade.</p> <p>DoTaRS will consult companies such as Xstrata plus local councils and development organisations, Mr Anderson said.</p> <p>"In the past, governments made decisions about roads and railways in isolation and there wasn’t enough coordination with the private sector," he said.</p> <br />