Colombian Court Further Restricts Coal Railway

After imposing a ban in February on trains crossing the town of Bosconia in Cesar province for a six-hour overnight period, the court has extended the restriction to Magdalena province, which the line also crosses. The Fenoco railway is jointly owned by three major coal miners, U.S.-based Drummond, Glencore unit Prodeco and Goldman Sachs’ Colombian Natural Resources (CNR). Ruling on a complaint by communities in three Magdalena municipalities of noise pollution, the court has also suspended work in Magdalena on construction of a second, adjacent track, for a three-month period. The work is suspended while the court investigates whether the construction was undertaken without prior consultation with the community beforehand.