Media Release
Agreement supports a suite of rail investment that will increase rail’s market share
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The Australian Rail Track Corporation CEO John Fullerton welcomed the announcement today that the Australian Government has approved the agreement between the Moorebank Intermodal Company (MIC) and the Sydney Intermodal Terminal Alliance (SIMTA) for the development of the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal.
“The new terminal at Moorebank will connect to ARTC’s Southern Sydney Freight line, directly to Port Botany and is expected to provide capacity for up to 250,000 containers by 2017 growing to 1.05 million import-export containers by 2030.
“With the State Government’s goal to double the amount of freight travelling by rail in and out of Port Botany by 2020, today’s announcement joins a range of other infrastructure either recently completed or shortly coming on line that boost rail’s efficiency, capacity and reliability, “ Mr Fullerton said.
This includes:
- The Southern Sydney Freight Line – a dedicated freight corridor from Macarthur to Enfield which connects Port Botany, removing freight curfews and increasing freight capacity, opened December 2012
- Metropolitan Freight Rail Network upgrades – with Stage 2 of the Port Botany Rail Line upgrade commissioned in December 2014 and development works for stage 3 underway
- The North Sydney Freight Corridor, a joint Australian and NSW Government initiative, has projects commissioned over 2015 and 2016 which will further improve capacity and reliability for freight and passenger services.
- Asciano doubling its capacity at Sydney Freight Terminal in Chullora by launching two new Rail Mounted Gantry (RMG) cranes earlier this year. The new cranes will boost capacity at the terminal from 300,000 to 600,000 containers a year, a massive boost for Sydney’s metropolitan rail freight infrastructure.
“Only 14 per cent of Port Botany freight travels by rail, so projects like these are imperative to supporting modal shift, which is not only good for freight and the nation’s competitiveness, but the whole of Sydney as road congestion compounds around the Port Botany precinct,” said Mr Fullerton.
ENDS
Media Contact: Bas Bolyn, 0477 340 658