DCN October Edition 2019

Report released into Brisbane
dedicated port rail connection
A new paper says a dedicated freight rail
connection to the Port of Brisbane could
take 2.4m truck movements a year off the
road by 2035.
The ‘game-changing’ port rail connection
project, which would separate the existing
shared passenger and freight rail networks,
would provide a dedicated link from the
Inland Rail to the Port of Brisbane.
The Deloitte Access Economics paper
said Queensland’s growing population and
the subsequent freight task, climbing from
1.35m TEU in 2018 to around five million
in 2050, necessitated an urgent shift from
the region’s reliance on road freight.
Port of Brisbane CEO Roy Cummins said
if Queenslanders wanted to protect the
liveability of their region, then the time was
right to connect the rail project to the port.
“If we don’t directly connect Inland Rail
to the Port of Brisbane, Queenslanders
won’t get the jobs, but they will get the
trucks,” Mr Cummins said.
“That’s because as Queensland’s
population grows, so too that the
freight task. The way our supply chain is
established at present, that means a truck
tsunami is heading our way.”
Currently only 2% of containerised
freight comes to the Port of Brisbane via
rail. The rest arrive on trucks.
“In 2018, that equated to 4m truck
movements. With the current rail constraints
in place that number would increase to over
13m by 2050,” Mr Cummins said.
“Deloitte’s paper shows that by building
a dedicated freight rail connection to the
Port of Brisbane... we could remove 2.4m
truck movements from the local road
network,” he said.
TOOWOOMBA
SECOND RANGE
CROSSING OPENED
The Queensland government
has officially opened the $1.6bn
Toowoomba Second Range Crossing.
It means heavy vehicles can now
travel around north of Toowoomba
rather than through it. The project
includes a 41km bypass route and an
800-metre-long viaduct.
“This is a monumental project for
the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley
communities,” Deputy Prime Minister
Michael McCormack said.
Queensland Premier Annastacia
Palaszczuk said the crossing would
play a vital role supporting ongoing
growth of the state’s industries.
“It means our world-class exports
can get to their destination quicker,”
Ms Palaszczuk said.
The Toowoomba SRC was jointly
funded by the Australian and
Queensland governments, with the
Australian government contributing
$1.137bn and the balance by the
Queensland government.
Ambimages; LOGOS; QLD government
New logistics estate opened
in western Sydney
Minister for Western Sydney Stuart Ayres has officially opened
Stage 1 of the LOGOS $230m Marsden Park Logistics Estate. The
ceremony occurred recently with Blacktown mayor Stephen Bali.
LOGOS bought the Hollinsworth Road site in 2016 and is
developing it into a 100,000sqm “prime logistics estate”.
Mr Ayres said establishing a Logistics Estate in Marsden Park
showed vision. “It’s great to see Stage 1 completed and it will be
exciting to see the transformation here over the next 18-months as
hundreds of people take up the opportunity to work closer to where
they live in Western Sydney,” Mr Ayres said.
Mayor Bali said Western Sydney was the fastest growing region
and economy in Australia and Blacktown City was the powerhouse
at the centre of Western Sydney.
“We have a $17.1bn regional economy supporting 130,000 jobs
and the Marsden Park Logistics Estate forms a vital part in the
sustainable industrial development of the region that is driving our
strong economy,” Mr Bali said.
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