Logistics News

Qube Ultima Intermodal Terminal sees official opening

Horne on hand for Qube, Pentarch Agricultural and Pickering Transport’s facility

 

A new rail freight terminal in Victoria’s north is delivering jobs for locals and exporting Victorian hay to Asian markets.

Ports and freight minister Melissa Horne has officially opened what is known as the Qube Ultima Intermodal Terminal, west of Swan Hill, and It is understood trains have been running on the line since at least June.

Qube, Pentarch Agricultural and Pickering Transport invested in the facility which has delivered a jobs boost for the small Mallee town.

The operations have been helped by a recent $23 million upgrade of the Manangatang freight line.

The upgrade saw sleepers replaced along a 90km section of the line in the Ultima region by V/Line.

Track formation was also improved with new ballast which will improve the ride quality for trains, the state government says.

Two trains a week currently service the Ultima facility, but it’s expected that will expand to three or four trains a week.

“This new facility is creating jobs for the local community and is helping to get more freight onto rail – removing around 4,000 truck trips every year from Victorian roads,” Horne says.

“The $23 million upgrade of the Manangatang freight line is making it safer and more efficient for trains to carry hay and grain to port.”


Read about Qube’s Adelaide port development, here


Hay from local farms is compressed and loaded into containers at the northern Victorian facility.

The containers are then put on a train and taken to the Port of Melbourne for export to Asia.

“Qube is proud to be delivering jobs for the Mallee and taking trucks off the road through our significant $3.65 million joint venture investment in the Ultima Intermodal Terminal,” Qube MD Maurice James says.

Pentarch markets Australian oaten hay, cottonseed and other grain internationally and the new facility will generate millions of dollars in new exports to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China.

 

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