Rail transport within the Australian sugar industry

The Australian sugar growing areas extend along some 2 000 kilometres of the north eastern coastline from Mossman in North Queensland to Grafton in the northern part of New South Wales. During the harvest season, which lasts from early June to late November, about 29 million tonnes of sugar cane are crushed by 28 individual raw sugar mills. Twenty-three of these mills own and operate private railway systems. These systems transport about 26 million tonnes (and about 260 x 106 tonne km) of cane per annum over 3 600 kilometres of 610 millimetre gauge track in a period of less than 26 weeks. A total of 250 diesel hydraulic locomotives of up to 40 tonnes with powers up to 520 kilowatts are used. Rolling stock used has a load capacity of from four to ten tonnes. Almost 50 thousand four-wheeled vehicles and a small number of bogey vehicles are used.

• Record URL:
  • https://railknowledgebank.com/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=MTk4MTRjNDUtNWQ0My00OTBmLTllYWUtZWFjM2U2OTE0ZDY3&rID=NDU2Mw==&qrs=RmFsc2U=&q=KEJvb2suQWxsVGV4dDooIlJhaWwgdHJhbnNwb3J0IHdpdGhpbiB0aGUgQXVzdHJhbGlhbiBzdWdhciBpbmR1c3RyeSIpKSBPUiAoUGFwZXIuQWxsVGV4dDooIlJhaWwgdHJhbnNwb3J0IHdpdGhpbiB0aGUgQXVzdHJhbGlhbiBzdWdhciBpbmR1c3RyeSIpKSBPUiAoUHJlc2VudGF0aW9uLkFsbFRleHQ6KCJSYWlsIHRyYW5zcG9ydCB3aXRoaW4gdGhlIEF1c3RyYWxpYW4gc3VnYXIgaW5kdXN0cnkiKSkgT1IgKFJlcG9ydC5BbGxUZXh0OigiUmFpbCB0cmFuc3BvcnQgd2l0aGluIHRoZSBBdXN0c
• Authors:
  • James R
• Conference:
  • Permanent Way Institution (PWI) NSW 1993 Annual Convention: Down the Track
• Publication Date: 1993

Media Info

• Pagination: 7p. ; PDF
• Monograph Title: Permanent Way Institution (PWI) NSW, 1993 annual convention

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Railroad transportation
• ATRI Terms: Rail transport
• Subject Areas: Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01711398
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 19 2019 2:23PM