Media Release

Coal trains to run between Ohai and Nightcaps

9 January 2008

A daily train will run each way along the Ohai-Nightcaps trunk line from 12 January to 5 February 2009, carrying coal fines from Solid Energy’s Ohai Opencast Mine.

Local residents are encouraged to be alert for trains when crossing the line. Trains have not run on the line regularly since August 2008, when Solid Energy stopped supplying Fonterra’s Clandeboye dairy plant.

The daily 20-wagon train will take coal fines from Ohai so that rehabilitation can continue at the site. Solid Energy could not find a local buyer for the fines and is therefore taking them to Lyttelton via Nightcaps for export.

The inbound train will travel towards Ohai mid-morning, with the outbound train heading towards Nightcaps in early-afternoon. Each train will take about 850 tonnes, with the aim of removing up to 20,000 tonnes by 5 February. The Ohai fines resource is about 60,000 tonnes so there may be more trains later in the year.