Billionaire Gina Rinehart is planning a $2.2 billion private coal railway in Queensland that is set to offer third-party haulage from Galilee Basin and haul beyond the capacity of her planned mines, according to The Australian newspaper.
The newspaper reports that the proposed railway could carry coal cars more than twice the size of Queensland's current coal network, fuelling speculation Mrs Rinehart is shoring up a bargaining position with mining magnate Clive Palmer.
The proposal comes at a time when Mrs Rinehart and Mr Palmer continue plans to build coal mines near Alpha in Queensland worth over $7.4 billion each, and debate the use of shared infrastructure, according to The Australian.
Both mines are targeting first exports in 2013, according to the newspaper.
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