A paper at the SME Annual Meeting at the beginning of the month considers the feasibility study for the Grasberg block cave mine (IM, March 2010), finalised in May 2008, that indicated a production capacity of 160,000 t/d. A rail haulage system was an integral part of the mine design. This paper describes the simulation process used in optimising the design and discusses the key factors and variables that impact the capacity of the system. The final recommendations for the haulage level layout and associated equipment are also included. (more…)