Rail lobby welcomes progress on Moorebank intermodal terminal, saying facility will cut costs and improve efficiency throughout the supply chain
May 23, 2013
The rail lobby has applauded progress on the Moorebank intermodal terminal project, saying the facility will go a way toward addressing a “market failure” of a reliance on trucks.
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) welcomed the Federal Government’s recent call for registrations of interest into the development and operation of the terminal.
Once built, the site will contain a rail shuttle to take containers directly from Port Botany to Moorebank to then load onto local or interstate rail and trucks. The Federal Government claims the terminal could reduce the number of trucks on Sydney roads by 3,300 each day.
“This project alone will remove significant numbers of trucks from Sydney’s roads, reduce the cost of transporting goods and create further export opportunities,” ARA CEO Bryan Nye says.
“The market failure of our supply chains that has resulted in more and more trucks blocking up local Sydney’s roads, particularly around Port Botany, is being somewhat rectified by this project, which will generate economic and environmental benefits long into the future.”
The ARA says the shuttle will improve efficiency and reduce costs along the entire supply chain.
“Well run intermodal terminals create advantages of scale that allow rail to demonstrate its substantial competitive advantages over other forms of freight transport,” Nye says.
The terminal is due to open in late 2017, with construction two years from now. Registrations of interest close on June 12. The Moorebank Intermodal Company, which is handling the process, will then seek expressions of interest in August.
