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SUE NEALES
December 12, 2007 04:26pm
THE Australian Stock Exchange has been told Tasmania's only rail business may be shut down or sold.
The Asciano transport group, which owns the Pacific National Rail freight business, plans to sell or close its Tasmanian operations as soon as possible.
The announcement has come as a shock to the Tasmanian Government, which 18 months ago injected $110 million into Pacific National so rail freight services in Tasmania could continue.
The new Federal Government has just promised an additional $150 million-plus to enhance rail services in Tasmania, including reopening the rail tracks in the Derwent valley and west of Burnie to cart logs to the planned Tamar Valley pulp mill.
The $79 million rail hub at Brighton, which will take all freight and the rail head away from the Hobart port area, freeing up Macquarie wharf area for redevelopment, is also about to commence construction.
The Asciano board of directors has already approved Pacific National's pull-out from Tasmania, as part of a nationwide restructure that allows it to focus on bulk resource commodity transport in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Pacific National runs the only remaining train services in Tasmania.
Much of the State's freight network depends on the haulage of containers between Tasmania's container port in Burnie and Launceston and Hobart.
Pacific National also freights minerals as well as paper and raw materials for major factories such as the Norske Skog paper mill near New Norfolk.
There are no passenger trains left in Tasmania.
The Liberal Opposition this morning called on the Lennon Government to immediately ensure Tasmania is not left without a rail freight operation.
Liberal infrastructure spokesman Peter Gutwein said questions about Pacific National's commitment to Tasmania were raised earlier this year, when it cut back rail freight services to the North-West.
The State Government defended this as a commercial decision, with Infrastructure Minister Jim Cox, telling Parliament in June it would result in Pacific National becoming more efficient.
Mr Gutwein said announcement demonstrated the State Government had well and truly taken its eye off the ball.
"The State Government needs to tell Tasmanians what action it is taking to ensure the State is not left without a rail operator, at a time when we need to be looking at ways of getting trucks off our roads and onto rail," Mr Gutwein said.
Mr Gutwein said continued uncertainty for rail operations in Tasmania was outrageous, particularly in light of last year's $118 million Federal-State rescue of Pacific National that was intended to secure its future.
Mr Cox said Tasmania has a legally binding agreement with rail operator Pacific National containing strict clauses preventing the company from simply walking away from the State.
Mr Cox said he was disappointed that once again the company and its parent, Asciano, were flagging apparent changes to intermodal freight operations without providing any details to the State Government or the Tasmanian public.
"Through the rail rescue package, the State Government has secured ownership of Tasmania's rail infrastructure, and that infrastructure is subject to open-access," Mr Cox said.
"This means any other freight operator can run trains on Tasmania's freight network, regardless of what Asciano may or may not be considering."
Mr Cox said he would be formally requesting more information from Asciano and in turn advising them of Pacific National's legal obligations under the agreement that came into effect on January 1 this year.
December 12, 2007 04:26pm
THE Australian Stock Exchange has been told Tasmania's only rail business may be shut down or sold.
The Asciano transport group, which owns the Pacific National Rail freight business, plans to sell or close its Tasmanian operations as soon as possible.
The announcement has come as a shock to the Tasmanian Government, which 18 months ago injected $110 million into Pacific National so rail freight services in Tasmania could continue.
The new Federal Government has just promised an additional $150 million-plus to enhance rail services in Tasmania, including reopening the rail tracks in the Derwent valley and west of Burnie to cart logs to the planned Tamar Valley pulp mill.
The $79 million rail hub at Brighton, which will take all freight and the rail head away from the Hobart port area, freeing up Macquarie wharf area for redevelopment, is also about to commence construction.
The Asciano board of directors has already approved Pacific National's pull-out from Tasmania, as part of a nationwide restructure that allows it to focus on bulk resource commodity transport in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia.
Pacific National runs the only remaining train services in Tasmania.
Much of the State's freight network depends on the haulage of containers between Tasmania's container port in Burnie and Launceston and Hobart.
Pacific National also freights minerals as well as paper and raw materials for major factories such as the Norske Skog paper mill near New Norfolk.
There are no passenger trains left in Tasmania.
The Liberal Opposition this morning called on the Lennon Government to immediately ensure Tasmania is not left without a rail freight operation.
Liberal infrastructure spokesman Peter Gutwein said questions about Pacific National's commitment to Tasmania were raised earlier this year, when it cut back rail freight services to the North-West.
The State Government defended this as a commercial decision, with Infrastructure Minister Jim Cox, telling Parliament in June it would result in Pacific National becoming more efficient.
Mr Gutwein said announcement demonstrated the State Government had well and truly taken its eye off the ball.
"The State Government needs to tell Tasmanians what action it is taking to ensure the State is not left without a rail operator, at a time when we need to be looking at ways of getting trucks off our roads and onto rail," Mr Gutwein said.
Mr Gutwein said continued uncertainty for rail operations in Tasmania was outrageous, particularly in light of last year's $118 million Federal-State rescue of Pacific National that was intended to secure its future.
Mr Cox said Tasmania has a legally binding agreement with rail operator Pacific National containing strict clauses preventing the company from simply walking away from the State.
Mr Cox said he was disappointed that once again the company and its parent, Asciano, were flagging apparent changes to intermodal freight operations without providing any details to the State Government or the Tasmanian public.
"Through the rail rescue package, the State Government has secured ownership of Tasmania's rail infrastructure, and that infrastructure is subject to open-access," Mr Cox said.
"This means any other freight operator can run trains on Tasmania's freight network, regardless of what Asciano may or may not be considering."
Mr Cox said he would be formally requesting more information from Asciano and in turn advising them of Pacific National's legal obligations under the agreement that came into effect on January 1 this year.
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