{"id":93977,"date":"2026-02-19T00:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/893596091"},"modified":"2026-02-19T00:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T03:29:08","slug":"rail-subsidy-boosts-northern-queensland-freight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/19\/rail-subsidy-boosts-northern-queensland-freight\/","title":{"rendered":"Rail Subsidy boosts Northern Queensland freight"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Queensland Government<\/span><\/span> has confirmed a new four-year subsidy for the Mount Isa Line<\/span><\/span>, supporting industry, strengthening freight corridors and providing certainty for businesses across Northern Queensland.<\/p>\n

All users of the Mount Isa Line will receive a 10 per cent subsidy on below-rail access charges for the next four years, enabling companies to plan, invest and grow with confidence. The corridor is a strategic link connecting one of Australia\u2019s richest mineral provinces to the Port of Townsville<\/span><\/span>, keeping exports moving efficiently and supporting the Queensland economy.<\/p>\n

By lowering rail transport costs, the subsidy reinforces the Mount Isa Line as a critical freight corridor. For example, a phosphate customer moving 0.5 million tonnes per year between Cloncurry and Townsville could save $2.80 per tonne \u2014 roughly $1.4 million annually, or $5.6 million over four years.<\/p>\n

The announcement precedes the Government\u2019s bid for United States\u2019 Critical Minerals funding, including a $300 million investment package for Queensland infrastructure projects, such as upgrades to the Mount Isa Rail Line.<\/p>\n

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg<\/span><\/span> said the subsidy delivers practical support to industries that underpin jobs and regional communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy lowering rail transport costs, we\u2019re making rail a more competitive option for industry, improving freight corridors and supporting growth across the North West Minerals Province,\u201d Mickelberg said.<\/p>\n

He added the subsidy encourages a shift from road to rail, improving safety on Queensland\u2019s roads and strengthening long-term freight resilience.<\/p>\n

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last<\/span><\/span> said the investment demonstrates the Government\u2019s commitment to unlocking the full potential of North-West Queensland.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mount Isa Line is the backbone of the North West economy, moving mineral concentrates, processed metals, fertilisers, phosphate rock and acid to export markets,\u201d Last said.<\/p>\n

The subsidy complements capital investment into Glencore\u2019s copper processing facilities in Mount Isa and Townsville, and supports projects such as Graphinex\u2019s Esmeralda Graphite Project near Croydon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a targeted investment that backs the Queenslanders who rely on a strong resources sector and sends a clear message that Queensland is open for business,\u201d Last said.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… Isa Line, supporting industry, strengthening freight<\/span> corridors and providing certainty for … competitive option for industry, improving freight<\/span> corridors and supporting growth across … roads and strengthening long-term freight<\/span> resilience. Minister for Natural …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93977\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}