BRAZILIAN mining conglomerate Vale has cleared a significant hurdle in its plans to build a railway to serve the new Carajás Serra Sul (S11D) mine in the state of Pará after the project was granted environmental approval by the federal government.
FOLLOWING speculation last year, Pilbara iron-ore miner Fortescue Metal Group (FMG) has confirmed that it is to sell a minority interest in its rail and port assets.
With heavy-haul operations placing significantly more stress on track structures and components, railways should consider customised maintenance schedules and practices, as Dr David Rhodes, Pandrol's technical director, explains.
PLANS to construct one of the world's most northerly railways have faltered because of difficulties in securing finance for the Mary River iron-ore mine on Baffin Island.
In their rush to extract western Africa's vast mineral wealth, mining companies are revitalising existing, and building new, heavy-haul rail lines. Paul Ash presents a comprehensive round-up of the latest activities in the region.
SECOND tier iron ore miners operating in the mid-west of Western Australia have been dealt a blow with the indefinite suspension of the $A6bn ($A 6.2bn) Oakajee Port and Rail (OPR) project, which would have provided them with a 570km standard-gauge, heavy-haul, open-access rail link to the proposed new port facility at Oakajee 24km north of Geraldton.
IN preparation for the opening of the new manganese export terminal at the Port of Ngqura, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has carried out a series of tests on the Hotazel to Port Elizabeth line evaluating the performance of 208-wagon trains with distributed traction.
The world's leading mining companies are preparing massive operations in Mozambique's Moatize basin which holds one of the world's largest untapped coal deposits. Kevin Smith and John Batwell look at plans to develop railway infrastructure to aid extraction of the country's mineral wealth.
GENESEE & Wyoming and a new subsidiary, KeRail, have signed a contract with Tata Steel Minerals Canada to transport 3.8 million tonnes of iron-ore per year from a new mine near Schefferville, Quebec.
TRANSNET, South Africa, revealed impressive results for the 2011-12 financial year on July 10, and pledged that even in the worst economic scenario, it will proceed with the bulk of its Rand 300bn ($US 26bn) capital investment programme.