BULKS

Second iron ore train off track in WA

MinRes train derailed on way back to mine

Staff reporter

This article is 6 years old. Images might not display.

MinRes and Arc Infrastructure said the train derailed early on Sunday morning, south of Norseman, as it was returning to the mine from Esperance.

Around 30 empty iron ore wagons derailed. The train comprised 106 wagons.

There was damage to some of the wagons, but not MinRes' locomotives.

No one was injured.

It was the second iron ore train to derail in Western Australia in just six days, following BHP's forced derailment last Monday.

MinRes said initial investigations into incident indicated all safe train operating procedures were followed at all times, but a full investigation is underway.

At this stage, it appears localised heavy rains and flash flooding washed out some ballast from under a small section of the track.

MinRes is working with Arc, the owner and operator of the track, to assess the damage and how long repairs will take, but it is expected to open within days.

The company does not expect the incident to have a material impact on Koolyanobbing.

MinRes managing director Chris Ellison said haulage would be resumed once the company received confirmation the track was repaired.

"Most importantly, no one was injured," he said.

"Mineral Resources continually reviews its operating procedures to ensure we maintain a safe work place and achieve our safety objectives."

The train left Koolyanobbing on November 7, carrying the maiden load of 7488 tonnes of iron ore fines since MinRes acquired the mine from Cleveland-Cliffs three months ago.

The company will start stockpiling ore at the port ahead of the first shipment, expected within four weeks.

Koolyanobbing produced 92,000t of iron ore in the September quarter.

MinRes expects the mine to produce 6-6.25 million tonnes of iron ore per annum.

 

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Journal Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Journal Intelligence team.

editions

ESG Mining Company Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Mining Company Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Global Leadership Report 2024: Net Zero

Gain insights into decarbonisation trends and strategies from interviews with 20+ top mining executives and experts plus an industrywide survey.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Project Pipeline Handbook 2024

View our 50 top mining projects, handpicked using a unique, objective selection process from a database of 450+ global assets.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Investor Sentiment Report 2024

Survey revealing the plans, priorities, and preferences of 120+ mining investors and their expectations for the sector in 2024.