My 2 cents worth. Ive kept quiet on this since the AGM as no...

My 2 cents worth.
Ive kept quiet on this since the AGM as no sensible comments were made i was prepared to publish
I would love to be proven wrong by anyone with authority on the matter.
Dont pin LNY hopes on ashford.
The resource is not the issue, its excellent, high grade, good quantity, easy to mine and process etc.
THE PROBLEM IS THE ROADS!
to transport 0.5M Tonnes p.a. to port has to consist of road haulage to Inglewood at closest.
there is no facility on rail capable of handling a bulk loading facility in place and unlikely unless Big $$$ are spent.
Getting back to the roads to transport 0.5M tonnes p.a. to a facility would be approximately 10,000 50T road trains per year (avg 38 per day) on a 110km stretch of road that is not road train rated for the whole route. The Local governments im sure would love to see industry of this nature to commence for employment, revenue into local communities etc. BUT, who is going to stump up the 100-150Mil to upgrade the roads, NOT US-NOT THEM.
And before you bring up the proposed inland rail corridor thats been on the cards for years, its still years away from happening if at all, and even IF it does get the go ahead the nearest it will pass Ashford is still a 100-150km Road trip by truck for the coal.
Happy to engage in sensible converation on the topic but GOLD is our payday not coal IMO. it just cant climb out of the too hard basket, maybe when we a are a gold producing major in a decade or so we can spend the $$ but hardly likely.