BMUC – Empty Coal Trains: 19-20 Monday to Friday

Saturdays: 24 Sundays: 23

Although a Senate Inquiry proposed that coal wagons should be covered up on grounds of public health and safety, the NSW Government has failed to act, saying that detailed air monitoring should take place first.

Members of BMUC's Cover the Coal Wagons Group (CTCWG)  held a meeting with EPA representatives Jacinta Hanemann, Regional Manager Operations, Metropolitan Infrastructure, Sarah Thomson, Unit Head Metropolitan Infrastructure and Yvonne Scougie, Senor Team Leader, Atmospheric Research Office, Department of Environment and Heritage to check the progress of air monitoring in the Blue Mountains.

"Although it was a positive meeting", said Peter Lammiman, co-ordinator of CTCWG,"It's absolutely clear that the NSW Government has done no work on monitoring coal dust in the mountains nor does it intend to any time soon.

• "The government representatives stated that obtaining accurate air quality readings is a contestable area of scientific research.”
• "They explained that that obtaining reliable air quality readings across the Blue Mountains rail corridor posed real difficulties because the rail line and the Great Western Highway ran close  to or alongside each other."

Another source of pollution  is diesel emissions from engines pulling  coal trains. BMUC was informed that the State Government is working on  a refit to reduce emissions - but again, as with coal dust monitoring - no time frame was given for the work to be completed.

However the EPA has agreed to work with BMUC to  set up a portable air monitoring pod, which could be used to begin a general air monitoring program near the  mountains rail line.

• "Although it won't give us a detailed breakdown on coal dust, it's a start", said Mr. Cooke.
• "You can't put a price on fresh air. It's the reason so many people visit the mountains - to escape urban pollution in our ever growing cities.

But how fresh is our air? We intend to find out.