MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The key rail line delivering coal to Australia’s Port of Newcastle was shut late on Tuesday due to heavy rainfall, and is expected to reopen within the next 48 hours, the rail line’s operator said on Wednesday.
The Australian Rail Track Corp (ARTC) said it had closed the Hunter Valley network in New South Wales following relentless rainfall and flooding, affecting coal, freight and passenger services.
The closure has affected not only coal deliveries to Newcastle, the world’s biggest coal export port, but also to power stations that currently need rail deliveries as their regular supply from mines near their plants has been disrupted.
The rail operator said it was monitoring waterways for rising water levels.
“Pending the ultimate levels these waterways reach ARTC is forecasting operations could initiate again within 24-48 hours,” the ARTC said in an emailed statement.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
