RAIL SIDING
The Houston Project proposes building a new rail siding approximately two kilometres
northeast of the historic Redmond pit, adjacent and parallel to the TSH mainline track. The
rail siding will include gates for controlled access, a truck scale, fuel storage, storage shed for
light maintenance, surface water management, a train loading area, and stockpile areas for
lump and sinter fines products.
The Houston Project rail siding will connect to the existing TSH mainline track by switches
located at the north and south end of the siding. The siding will consist of two parallel tracks
for loading and rail car movement, as well as a southern end stub track for switching. The total
amount of track to be built is approximately 3.3 km, including five switches. The loading area
is approximately 1.2 km long and is designed to accommodate 82 iron ore gondola cars with
the parallel track holding the remaining cars.
Tree clearing for the Houston Project rail siding was completed in 2014. Construction of the
rail siding and associated infrastructure is proposed to take approximately four months with
completion in July of Year 1. Overall, the siding area earthworks has been designed as a
balanced cut and fill.
The QP recommends consideration for using the Redmond property rail right-of-way for the
Houston Project’s rail loading operations. Although a longer product haul is required
(approximately 1.5 km greater), the Redmond property rail right-of-way was formerly used for
loading iron ore trains and includes a rail loop at the end to turnaround, versus the current
proposed operation, which requires the train to be split multiple times. The improved
efficiencies in loading operations, along with potentially lower capital cost building off an
existing rail bed, would potentially offset the additional cost of the incremental truck haul.
