An E/W route would involve feeder roads to all four communities on the route, but comes nowhere near Marten Falls. A N/W route would involve a feeder road to Marten Falls, but comes nowhere near the others (150km to nearest). Also the E/W route would open up 250km of wilderness to exploration/exploitation, while the N/S one would do little.
A smelter, where ever it is built, will require a minimum of 1 mill tons/yr of feed to make it economic, while Cliff's claims it has to mine 2m tons/yr to make a mine viable.
The E/W route is 50% longer that the N/S one.
This means they could utilize the road to move 200+ loads a day a further distance, or run 1 train/day on a rail link to Nakina. Doing it by road may work, if there were no other options, but it is extremely short sighted.
AND this only takes care of what is known to be coming out of the area. What about further development?
When CLF came up with the N/S road, they were only considering their own needs. What the Ont Gov't has to do, and apparently, with today's announcement, is going to do, is look at the whole area and it's needs. We know of two intended mines at the moment, while in truth, there could be a dozen or more by the time the dust settles. Look around at any previous upstart mining camp for verification of that thought.
There has been a lot of ranting and railing over the ineptitude and inattention expended over the last few years, while the authorities claimed to be waiting to "get it right". Now maybe they are going to. Maybe we need the railroad, but just don't need it first.
First time I felt good about posting here for quite some time. Good on me.
K
