Railway Gets Green Light

[Jack]

An important facet of the iron mining project in Labrador got the thumbs-up from the Department of Environment. The department rubber stamped the environmental assessment for Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines` proposed railway line, which will run 31 kms from its Bloom Lake mine to an existing railway between the Wabush Mines and the Quebec North Shore Labrador Railway. The ultimate goal is to transport iron ore to the port at Sept-Iles in Quebec. "With today`s announcement, CLM is on track to ship initial concentrate by September 2009," Consolidated Thompson president Richard Quesnel said Monday. The rail line was originally proposed in 2006, but met with objections from cabin owners in the area, which the company placated by moving the line north. When completed it will hold 240 full and 240 empty rail cars, with a siding proposed near the junction with the original railway. Consolidated Thompson said preliminary work is well underway on the survey of the railway. Within a few weeks the company hopes to start clear-cutting the route, to make way for construction to start in early 2009. The company hopes the railway will be up and running by Sept-ember 2009, which is when the Bloom Lake mine is expected to start producing ore.

(St. John’s Telegram 081028)