SYDNEY, April 3 (Reuters) - Australian coal haulage group Aurizon Holdings Ltd AZJ.AX on Monday said damage from Cyclone Debbie in Queensland meant some rail lines used by miners including BHP Billiton Ltd BHP.AX BLT.L could be closed for repairs for up to five weeks.
Queensland is the world's largest producer of coking coal, used in steelmaking, and the rail outages mean the miners are unable to get the coal to ports in the region.
Aurizon said its Blackwater rail line could open by the end of this week and Newlands within two to three weeks, but the Goonyella line could be closed for up to five weeks. Alternative routes for the Goonyella coal were being studied as a result, the company said.