Arc Infrastructure exploring growth possibilities on Leonora-to-Kalgoorlie rail line

Arc Infrastructure says it is committed to growing freight volumes on rail and is monitoring several potential opportunities in the Goldfields that could utilise available capacity on the Kalgoorlie-to-Leonora section. The rail operator’s comments to the Kalgoorlie Miner come after it this week signed a deal with iron ore miner Gold Valley to transport about 1.2 million tonnes of iron ore a year from West Kalgoorlie to the Port of Esperance. The deal is linked to Gold Valley’s Wiluna West iron ore project and the service will start on September 30 and involve three return train paths a week. The iron ore will be trucked from Wiluna to Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and not use the rail network from Leonora to Kalgoorlie-Boulder. In a statement to the Kalgoorlie Miner, Arc Infrastructure general manager commercial Nathan Speed said the West Kalgoorlie-to-Esperance transport option for Gold Valley was deemed “the most fit-for-purpose supply chain solution”. Mr Speed said the Leonora-to-Kalgoorlie rail line took freight from several mining operations including Minara, Lynas and BHP Nickel West. “Arc is committed to growing freight volumes on rail and is monitoring a number of potential opportunities in the Goldfields region, including further expansion of the Gold Valley operation that could utilise available capacity on the Kalgoorlie-to-Leonora section,” he said. Speaking earlier this week when announcing the Gold Valley deal, Mr Speed said more freight moved on rail translated to safer and less congested roads and lower emissions. “We’re looking forward to the commencement of Gold Valley’s rail task later this month, and to supporting them as they look to grow their operation moving forward,” he said. Gold Valley chief executive Scott Meacock said the agreement was a significant milestone. “The move on to rail represents a significant step in the growth of the Gold Valley Group and towards securing the long-term resilience of the Wiluna West iron ore project operations,” he said.