The chairman of Australian mining company Hancock Prospecting Pty. Ltd., Gina Rhinehart, marked the delivery of the locomotive fleet for the new Roy Hill heavy-haul railway in Western Australia’s Pilbara region on March 23, when she named the first unit Ginny in a ceremony at Port Hedland.
GE is supplying 21 of the six-axle, 4,400-hp ES44Aci Evolution Series locomotives for the 213-mile (344-km) single-track line, which is expected to carry 55 million tons per year of processed iron ore from the new Roy Hill mine to a dedicated port facility located south of Port Hedland. The Roy Hill railway plans to run five trains per day, each consisting of three locomotives and 232 cars and with a payload of 32,109 tonnes of ore.
The locomotives are being built at GE’s plant in Erie, Pa., and 14 of the 21 units have already arrived at Port Hedland. Construction is now 76% complete on the mine and rail project; the first consignment of ore is due to be shipped in September.