Aurizon’s BMA Coal Contract Could Run to 2040

AUSTRALIA: Nearly a quarter of all the coal Aurizon hauls across Queensland moves for a single customer — and that relationship just got locked in for potentially the next 14 years.

Aurizon has secured a new long-term, performance-based coal haulage contract with BMA, the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, covering metallurgical coal from Bowen Basin mines including Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji and Caval Ridge, according to an ASX company announcement cited by TipRanks. The agreement takes effect July 1, 2028, allows annual volumes of up to 37 million tonnes, and replaces a 2015 contract.

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Up to 12 years, potentially stretching to 2040

The new contract runs for up to 12 years, meaning the relationship with BMA could extend through 2040 depending on how renewal options are exercised. Aurizon’s chief executive highlighted that close to a quarter of the coal the company hauls in Queensland moves for BMA specifically, underscoring how central the customer is to the railway’s Bowen Basin business.

Part of a broader recontracting wave

The BMA deal is not an isolated renewal: Aurizon says it has now recontracted more than 60 million tonnes of annual coal haulage volume since July 2025 across its customer base, a figure the company frames as reinforcing its competitive position in Queensland’s coal corridor and giving investors long-term volume visibility. The announcement does not specify which other customers were part of that broader recontracting total, or what commercial terms distinguish the new BMA agreement from the 2015 contract it replaces.

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