Berrima Rail Upgrade Project

We are a family owned farming partnership running approximately 4000 breeding ewes across 800ha and represent the 5th generation of our family to be involved in agriculture in the Southern Tablelands of NSW.
We support the project for the following reasons:
* It will encourage young people to stay in regional Australia. A major issue for these areas s lack of viable, well paid jobs. If we want young people to be able to afford to get involved in agriculture, they will require an off farm income to get a start
* The work being done by the leasee of Hume Coal's land has done an amazing job of lifting productivity in an area that, while historically may have been a high producing agricultural region, is now dominated by unproductive `hobby farms' and lifestyle blocks'. Stock numbers, land management practices and weed control are all light years ahead of what they were under previous ownership. As has been demonstrated at other underground mines throughout Australia, underground mining and agriculture can coexisting (examples include the Rio Tinto Kestrel Mine and it's relationship with the North Australian Pastoral Co)
* Mining in areas like the Highlands will mean that really prime areas of and such as the Liverpool plains will not need to be mined. Let's have mined in already developed areas, not in real food bowls like the black soil country around Gunnedah
* We also are encouraged by the work being done by the mine to promote agriculture (we see that they are also a member of NSW farmers).

Overall, we hope to see the mine go ahead and provide a future for our kids.

This is a great project. It will allow for improved utility of the Berrima Branch Line through the extension of the No 1 siding, and will allow grade separated access into the Boral works, eliminating the need for the local Council to spend millions of dollars of ratepayer money on the Berrima Road diversion project.

It will also enable the mine to rail coal rather than use trucks, with associated environmental and safety benefits.

There are also benefits to the state of NSW and the country, through improved utilisation of public rail assets such as the ARTC-owned railway lines, which are suffering significant underutilisation at present.

I fully support this project.

This project should be approved because:

1. It permits Hume Coal Project to transport coal by rail (not trucks) and that project should be approved

2. It facilitates greater use of existing, under-utilised rail infrastructure

3. It will get rid of level crossings that are dangerous

I support the project as it has been designed to join the project with the existing rail, create jobs, allow the use of trains and their subsequent environmental benefits rather than trucks to transport the coal and invest in infrastructure that will benefit the local area and provide traffic improvements.

I believe that the Berrima Rail project will have no adverse affects on the local community.

The EIS shows that the impact is negligible.

Therefore, I support the support the Berrima Rail project as it has negligible impact and will provide the best method to transport coal from the Hume Coal project.

This project should be approved and constructed in conjunction with development and construction of the associated coal mine.
It will provide jobs for the people of NSW and Australia and revenue for the respective governments.
Failure to approve this project would be a gross failure of our governments and a total lack of support for growth and wealth creation of the population.

I support this project and my reasons why are listed in the points below.
1. Covered coal wagons - an industry first.
2. More rail = less trucks.
3. Hume Coal will have the latest generation locos - less impacts on air quality and noise.
4. The use of rail will put less strain on the roads of the Wingecarribee Shire
5. It will create jobs
6. It may mean the improvement of rail lines from Moss Vale to Unanderra.

I fully support this project and believe the Department should approve this application.

I support the Rail Project in Conjunction with the proposed Mine.

The Southern Highlands needs reviving, and I believe the Hume Coal Project will do that.

I look forward to a fruitful future in the area that I call home.

I wish to see the rail project go through to incurage work grouth in the area kind reguards Grant Mitchell

I believe that the Project enables transport of coal by rail rather than trucks which is safer to the general public and better for the environment.

I strongly support the Berrima Rail Project as together with the Hume Coal Project it will bring much needed economic benefit and jobs to NSW. The project will go some way to address the energy crisis caused by the rush to renewable energy sources and allow for an orderly transition over a number of decades.

This Rail Project is required for the Hume Coal Project to progress, and the Hume Coal Project will create about 400 full-time-equivalent jobs during construction and around 300 full-time-equivalent jobs in production.

I support the rail project as it totally removes coal haulage from roads and thus is more efficient and safer.

i am a local business owner and look forward to the opportunities this will bring.

The proposal by Hume Coal to extend the current rail from Berrima to the west and build a loop load out facility for the Hume underground coal mine appears to have significant merit. The Hume Coal mine will produce a significant amount of coal, which will need to be transported to the coast for export. The most efficient and safest method is by rail. It will be significantly more energy efficient than trucking on public roads, and will lower the amount of impact on these roads, saving the taxpayer money. It will also better utilise the existing Berrima branch line. There is also significant benefits for existing long standing businesses in the town, with the Boral works a beneficiary.

We at Highlands Workwear Support this project.

I support the Berrima Rail Project.

The rail project will create jobs and develop infrastructure in the Southern Highlands.

It will: 1) allow the coal to be transported by rail rather than trucks - which is safer and better for the environment; 2) will increase the rail use of the existing public rail lines; 3) save ratepayers money and 4) uses noise mitigation by design such as local generation locomotives, the rail loop grade, the noise wall and the interconnected braking system on the carriages.

I support the Berrima rail line for Hume Coal. For years trucks have brought coal to the cement works. A possible rail line may eliminate these trucks and allow for less traffic on our roads and less noise in our community. The company also said that it would eliminate level crossings on the Old Hume Highway and at Taylor Ave on the way into Moss Vale. This alone should allow for the rail to be approved an built.

I support this project, and the economic benefits the project will provide to NSW. This project will support local and regional communities through job creation.

The Economic benefits of this project will be felt for years to come

I support the proposal to extend the current Berrima Rail line and construct a train load out facility for the Hume Coal project.
The Hume Coal mine will produce a significant amount of coal, which will need to be transported to the coast for export.
Key beneficial elements of the proposed project are as follows:
*The use of fully covered coal wagons to reduce dust should be commended and Hume Coal will set a new benchmark with this practice
*The project will better utilize the existing Berrima branch line which currently has excess capacity
*There are significant benefits for existing businesses. The Boral Cement works re one business who will benefit from an improved local rail network.
*The use of rail for transporting the Hume Coal Mine product is the most efficient and safest method. It will be significantly more energy efficient than trucking on public roads, and will lower the amount of impact on these roads, saving the taxpayer money.
*By purchasing the latest generation of locomotives, potential impacts on air quality and noise will be minimized.