Grain trains have started operating from the new hub outside of Griffith
Primary producers in the Riverina region of southern NSW have a new freight option available, although the full capacity version of the Western Riverina Intermodal Freight Terminal is still some time away.
The terminal boasts more than 160 ha of land at its site in Wumbulgal, just outside of Griffith. It plans to store and handle a wide range of bulk products, including cotton, wine, and grain.
At the moment, only the grain is being carted via the truck-to-rail interface, in both container and bulk movements.
A consortium of private organisations worked to bring the new service into being, alongside investment from the Griffith City Council.
Among the stakeholders in the terminal are Asciano and Australia Grain Link.
Grain Link managing director Paul Pearsall says the terminal will aim to fill trains from a single location, rather than connecting at each of three local stops along the line.
“It [is] midway between Leeton and Griffith to capture the freight, the wine, the rice industries, the cotton industries, the oaten hay and the grain,” he says.
“If you don’t have the volume, it’s not going to work.”
Pearsall predicts it will take the terminal up to ten years to reach its full capacity, although further public sector investment could reduce that time.
The project is distinct from the $60 million Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics hub that is scheduled to begin construction next year.