Logistics News

St Marys Freight Hub construction set in motion

Intermodal facility touted to improve Sydney supply chain efficiencies

 

Construction of the St Marys Freight Hub started with a ceremonial sod turning event in Sydney this week.

The project is a joint venture between Pacific National and ACFS Port Logistics, with the latter managing and operating the freight hub and making last-mile deliveries by truck to retail and wholesale customers at surrounding warehouses and distribution centres in Western Sydney.

The event was attended by Pacific National CEO Dean Dalla Valle, ACFS Port Logistics CEO Arthur Tzaneros, and NSW jobs, investment, tourism and Western Sydney minister Stuart Ayres.

Dalla Valle says the new freight hub is expected to take up to 80,000 truck trips off Sydney’s motorways each year by allowing up to 301,000 shipping containers to be hauled by freight trains from Port Botany to St Marys.

“By shifting more freight onto rail between Port Botany and Western Sydney, the number of truck trips on the congested M4 and M5 motorways will be reduced by 8.7 million kilometres each year – that’s equivalent to 23 (one-way) truck trips to the moon,” Dalla Valle says.

“With Western Sydney’s population forecast to grow by another 1.7 million people by 2036, freight will be in high demand as will the need for new skilled employment in the region.”

The project is expected to create 235 jobs in Western Sydney, as part of a combined investment value of up to $100 million to shift freight off the roads and onto rail.

“With the Covid-19 global pandemic creating the most testing employment conditions since the Great Depression, the St Marys Freight Hub will create 60 construction jobs during the peak construction phase and 175 skilled jobs once fully up and running,” he says.

Tzaneros says the new facility will be ideally located to process large volumes of containerised freight, with many of Australia’s major retailers and wholesalers operating national warehousing and distribution centres within 15 kilometres of the new freight hub.

“Imported shipping containers will be hauled from Port Botany to St Marys Freight Hub by train and transported to nearby warehouses and distribution centres by truck,” Tzaneros says.

“There are enormous opportunities to unlock the full potential of the Hub with future development of the site to enable unpacking of containers onsite, storage of goods, and then rapid distribution for B2B and e-commerce.

“The opportunities are unparalleled in Western Sydney.”

Tzaneros had earlier referred to the project as the “single largest and most important development to date in ACFS’s history”. 


Our deep dive into ACFS and PN’s St Marys Freight Hub moves, here


 

“The strategically located 43-hectare hub – initially 10-hectares in size – will increase reliability and cost efficiency of freight movements for ACFS customers.

“It is located outside of Sydney’s road toll zone and will help ensure freight deliveries are not delayed in traffic congestion on the city’s motorways.”

The contents of shipping containers include everything from fresh, refrigerated and tinned food, groceries, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, building products, and household items like whitegoods, electronics and furniture, he adds.

 

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