13 Rail transport 13.1 Assessment objectives The DGRs specific to the rail transport aspects of the EA are: • Detailed assessment of the potential impacts of the Project on the capacity, safety and efficiency of the: - Local and regional rail network having regard to the strategic objectives and cumulative impacts for the passenger and freight rail network, and - impacts of coal trains on level crossing operations. • Details of the mine to port or other domestic customer transport movements, train path availability, and any required rail infrastructure works. • A detailed description of the measures that would be implemented to maintain and/or improve the capacity, efficiency and safety of the rail networks in the surrounding area over the life of the Project. This chapter addresses the above requirements except for the air quality and noise impacts of coal train movements, which are reported in Chapters 14 and 16 respectively. The detailed rail transport assessment is given in Appendix L. Both the chapter and appendix consider the whole rail network affected by the Project, that is, the section managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) from Cobbora to Newcastle, and the RailCorp section from Newcastle to power stations on the Central Coast. 13.2 Assessment guidelines There are no nominated standards or guidelines in the DGRs for the assessment of rail system capacity, operating efficiency or operational safety. However, relevant guidance is available from the two network managers (ARTC and RailCorp) and the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR 2009) which has been used for the assessments required. 13.2.1 Rail network capacity At full production, which will occur after 2020, the power station customers will typically require four return train trips per day (eight train movements) seven days per week from the mine. There will also typically be one additional export coal or spot domestic market coal train return trip to the Upper Hunter Valley or Newcastle area each day. Around 20% of these trains will deliver coal to the two Hunter Valley power stations (Bayswater and Liddell), while the remainder will travel on to the port of Newcastle (one return train trip per day typically) or to power stations on the Central Coast (three return train trips per day typically). The ARTC has policies and procedures in place for estimating the coal transport capacity of the Hunter Valley lines (ARTC 2012). The primary criterion is that no more than 70% of the theoretical number of coal train paths on any section of ARTC’s Hunter Valley network can be formally allocated to coal transport operators. The ARTC uses this capacity limit to determine future rail infrastructure requirements for the network (ARTC 2012) and it is used here to estimate future infrastructure requirements for the Project. Planning + Environment + Acoustics J11030RP5 317 On the dual and multiple track sections of ARTC’s network, the capacity for coal trains travelling on the same track in the same direction is primarily determined by the required limiting headway. This is normally 10 minutes between each train but this figure applies generally and needs to be longer where trains are operating on steep gradients. On single‐track sections the capacity for coal trains is determined by the length and spacing of the passing loops along the line. These determine the size of trains that can operate and the frequency at which trains travelling in opposite directions can pass each other. RailCorp manages the Central Coast section of the network, which will be used to deliver coal to power stations. A variety of coal and other freight train paths are defined by RailCorp in the weekday and weekend timetables, including spare coal and freight train paths which are not allocated to an existing operator. The spare and under‐utilised coal and freight train paths currently, represent the available capacity for use by additional coal or other freight transport trains. Most are allocated to Pacific National, which operates an average of three, but occasionally up to ten return coal train trips per day from Teralba and Newstan collieries. Some of these paths could be used by the Project if Pacific National was the haulier used. 13.2.2 Rail network efficiency The efficiency of the rail system is largely determined by its capacity. When there is little spare capacity, freight operators have less flexibility to use their preferred times and train numbers. This generally leads to increased delays and costs, particularly at the beginning and end of journeys, and at waiting points along the route where trains would mostly be delayed. Delays can greatly increase the effective transport costs for rail freight customers and, in the case of time‐sensitive freight transport, encourage potential customers to use road transport in preference to rail (DoTARS 2006). 13.2.3 Level crossing safety Operational safety issues on the rail network are most evident at level crossings where there is a potential collision risk between trains, road transport vehicles and also pedestrians. The existing and potential future collision risks at level crossings that are affected by the Project has been quantified using the results of ITSRR research (ITSRR 2009). The assessment also considers the daily road and rail traffic volumes at a crossing, the type of crossing control and whether there are any improved level crossing safety features or increased accident risk factors for road and rail traffic on the approaches to the crossing. The NSW government guideline, Development Near Rail Corridors and Busy Roads (DoP 2008), states that new level crossings are to be avoided wherever possible and alternative access arrangements should always be explored. All existing level crossings have a risk profile that can be defined on the basis of the following factors: • visibility — how well motorists can see on‐coming trains; • existing protection at the crossing; • frequency of trains passing over the crossing; • the number of tracks; • the volume and type of road traffic over the crossing; • nearby road geometry; and Planning + Environment + Acoustics J11030RP5 318 • the likelihood that motorists will queue over the crossing. Wherever a proposed development will generate additional traffic or change the composition of traffic using a level crossing, the predicted changes to the risk profile must be taken into account. 13.2.4 Level crossing waiting times Typical delays motorists experience at crossings from all freight and passenger train movements have been quantified using a recent (March 2012) five‐day survey of the St James Road, Adamstown level crossing. This allows determination of the delays from individual train movements and the total daily duration of delays on a typical weekday. The data has be used to estimate all delays at level crossings that will be experienced along the length of rail network affected by the Project. 13.2.5 Future coal transport demand Future coal transport demand from the Project has been quantified when the mine is at full production in the years after 2020. Coal transport from the Project and all other export or domestic coal production from mines in the Hunter and New England regions has been estimated for the years 2017 and 2021 in the latest Hunter Valley Corridor Capacity Strategy (ARTC 2012) which enables a cumulative assessment to be made of the capacity impacts of the coal transport on the ARTC and RailCorp networks in future years. 13.3 Assessment method 13.3.1 Rail capacity In response to the strategic economic importance of the Hunter Valley coal train operations to the economy of NSW and Australia, the ARTC is currently implementing a number of major rail corridor infrastructure improvements for the Hunter Valley network including the Muswellbrook to Ulan line. The coal transport capacity of the Muswellbrook to Hexham route will be significantly improved to meet the predicted future coal transport demand in the years 2017 and 2021 by the identified improvements, primarily the Nundah Bank, Minimbah to Maitland and Drayton Junction improvements. Eleven more passing loops or extensions of existing passing loops are now identified by ARTC to be constructed on the Ulan line, mainly on the central Wilpinjong to Mangoola section. These works are included in the list of required projects in the current ARTC strategy. This works program (ARTC 2012), which is summarised in Table 13.1, will significantly increase capacity on all the capacity constrained sections of the Muswellbrook to Ulan and Ulan, Gulgong and Tallawang lines by 2017. Planning + Environment + Acoustics J11030RP5 319 Table 13.1 Summary of Ulan line rail corridor upgrade work Ulan Line rail Proposed works for contracted tonnage growth, Proposed works for contracted and prospective corridor works maximum demand 48.5 Mtpa (all works by tonnage growth, maximum demand 59.5 Mtpa (all location 2017) works by 2017) 296.15 km Bengalla Loop extension west (to 296.15 km) 299.1 km Bengalla loop extension west (to 299.1 km) 310.5 km Mangoola west extension (to 310.5 km) 324 km Additional passing loop (324 km) 337 km Additional passing loop (337 km) Baerami East 345 km Baerami west extension (345 km) 353 km Additional passing loop (353 km) Widden Creek 374.1 km Murrumbo west loop extension (to 374.1 km) 377 km Bylong east extension (to 377 km) 386.7 km Bylong west loop extension (to 386.7 km) 400.7 km Coggan Creek west extension (to 400.7 km) Gulgong area Gulgong loop Gulgong– Gulgong to Tallawang CTC Tallawang Gulgong– Gulgong to Tallawang track upgrade Tallawang Source: (ARTC 2012). The current capacity improvement works in the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor Strategy for RailCorp’s Sydney to Newcastle route are all located south of Gosford as this is the most capacity constrained section of the route.