BHP Iron Ore Railroad Overview
September 2003
World Class Heavy Haul Railway
9Best Practice
9Innovation
9High Technology
9Cost Minimisation
Operational Excellence
Safety
“Good Safety is Good Business”
Behavioural Focused
People
motivated and “can do”
majority of staff AWA
Technology
leading edge
drives efficiency
Rail Classified Injuries
7.1
5
3.7
2
1
1
1
2
1
1
0
0
0
2
02
/ 03
Au
g02
Se
p02
Oc
t-0
2
No
v02
De
c02
Ja
n03
Fe
b03
Ma
r-0
3
Ap
r-0
3
Ma
y03
Ju
n03
Ju
l-0
3
Au
g03
0
01
/0
00
/ 01
9 8.3
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Classified injury rate for Rail
Historical
Actual CI
Actual
Targets
0
Three Rake Trains (312-336 Cars)
• Long trains ran for July is a record of 156,
1,649
Number of Train Runs
1,493
1,401
1,170
597
1,085
547
1,017
482
931
1000
836
343
768
300
702
597 139
854 896
y-0
3
792
Ma
Ma
Ja
n-
r-0
3
700 734
631 674
03
585 598
No
v-0
2
508 563
Se
p02
414 447
Ju
l-0
2
Ma
Ma
y-0
2
366
270 317
r-0
2
200 214
02
Ja
n-
No
v-0
1
Se
p01
Ju
l-0
1
y-0
1
Ma
r-0
1
Ma
01
Ja
n-
238
8
117 156 178
81
6 10 12 15 15 15 15 21 26 29 40
No
v-0
0
Se
p00
Ju
l-0
0
436
484 89
422 37
Yandi
Newman
2 4
183
385
969
Ju
l-0
3
Long Trains
1
680
1,274
January 03
Top 5 Railing Months
7.500
7.368
7.039
6.662
6.651
July-03
Aug-03
May-03
Aug-02
Oct-02
Train Cycle Time Improvement
Newman & Sat
45
40
35
Combined
39.1
34.9
36.1
32.2
30
Yandi
30.6
33.2
31.3
29.6
27.8
31.2
29
26.7
25
20
2001
2002
2003
Jul-03
Higher Axle Load
Operating Improvements
Axle Load
40.2 tons
28.5 tonnes 30.0 tonnes
Wet
tonnes
per
wagon
89
1970
96
1974
32.5 tonnes
35.0 tonnes
107
116
Yandi
1986
1996
37.5 tonnes
126
Yandi
99-03
In Track Flash Butt Welder
Instrumented Ore Car
1- Onboard GPS & Cell Phone
- Track Location & Train Speed
1
2- Instrumented Couplers
- In-train Forces
3- Side Frame Accelerometer
- Car Body Acceleration Levels
- Indication of Rail Impact Load
(Wheel-rail Interaction)
4- Spring Nests Instrument
- Spring Nests Deflection
(Vehicle- Track Interaction)
2
3&4
3&4
Rail / Wheel Interface
1.858
Ore Car Wheel Life
Million Tonne Kms
0.34
1980
2002
1,172
Rail Life (Tangent Track)
Million Gross Tonnes
350
1980
2002
Ore Car Fleet
103
103
98
23 Train Set
Total Ore Car Fleet Now 2360
Pr
es
en
t
8A
ug
us
t0
3
3
22 Train Set
31
Ap
ril
0
Cars Per Rake
105
• Second Set of 120 Cars to be added by November 03
• Third Set of 120 cars ordered
Train Lengths / Cycle Time
312
180
208
131
Train Lengths
Cars per Train
1972
1984
Current
40
36
30
Train Cycle Time
Hours
1972
1984
Current
Current Train Operations
Newman Line
– 9 ore trains per day
– Flexibility of One / Two / Three Rake Trains
– Train configuration:
1 rake = 104 ore cars = 12,480 tonnes of ore
2 rakes = 208 ore cars = 24,960 tonnes of ore
3 rakes = 312 ore cars = 37,440 tonnes of ore
Goldsworthy Line
– 4 ore trains per day
– Train configuration:
90 ore cars = 7,650 tonne of ore
Environmental & Efficiency
Locomotive Fuel Consumption
Contributing Factors
Litres per Wet tonne
¾Rail / Wheel profile
1.45
0.68
Fuel Savings
¾Aerodynamic Ore Cars
¾Efficient Locomotives
¾ Distributed Power
¾Higher Axle Load
¾Longer Trains
1978
2003
Motive Power Requirements
Short Term
Purchased 8 used SD-40 locomotives
Medium Term Term
Tendering for 10 – 30 additional locomotives
Long Term
Fleet Replacement beyond 2008
What’s in the Future
• Continued Safety Focus
• Human Resource Efficiency
• Higher Axle Loads
• Moving to Automated Trains (software nearing completion)
– Driver assist
– Meet Pass Planning
– “Cruise Control”
– Full Automation
• Increased Tonnage Customer Demand