November 12, 2019 - Australia's thermal coal-dominant rail network in the Hunter Valley has been closed due to widespread fires across the eastern state of New South Wales, a spokeswoman for the Australian Rail Track Corporation said Tuesday.

The entire Hunter Valley coal network - which links mines in the region to the Port of Newcastle of export - is under temporary suspension, she said.

The rail network connects to the Port Waratah Coal Services and the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group's terminals at the port.

Coal stocks at PWCS stood at 2.37 million mt as of midnight Monday Sydney time and there were three vessels queuing to load.

In the week ending November 10, inbound receivals by PWCS totaled 3.33 million mt, up from 3.12 million mt the week before, information from the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator showed. PWCS has a 145 million mt/year shipment capacity and NCIG, 66 million mt/year. Current export data from NCIG is not available.

In the year to October, 92.07 million mt of coal was received by PWCS and 92.02 million mt exported; 90% of it thermal coal and 10% metallurgical coal, according PWCS data. Around 47% of the coal exports went to Japan, followed by China (18%), Taiwan (17%) and South Korea (11%), according to PWCS.

The ARTC spokeswoman said the network-wide suspension had been in place since about 4:30 pm Sydney time. She said it is unclear when it will be lifted.

Fires are ravaging swathes of drought-ravaged eastern Australia and it is unclear when they will be contained.

A spokesman for rail operator Aurizon, which operates the giant Queensland Coal Rail Network, said there was currently no impact to its haulage due to the fires in Queensland, New South Wales' neighboring state to the north.