Ash Bolt
Australia’s largest private rail freight company has this week unveiled plans to develop a new intermodal container terminal in Little River, creating up to 4000 jobs.
Pacific National chief executive Paul Scurrah said the company had secured an option over a 540-hectare site to construct the terminal and develop a surrounding logistics precinct on the existing interstate rail corridor in Little River.
“Pacific National’s new Little River site is in a prime position on the main interstate rail line and close to the Princes Freeway, delivering efficient freight transport connectivity to nearby logistics companies, distribution centres, warehouses, shippers, and manufacturers,” he said.
“Close to Melbourne’s freight centre of gravity, Pacific National’s plans for Little River will help to shift more freight from road to rail until delivery of the Western Interstate Freight Terminal.”
Mr Scurrah said Pacific National was investing $20 million to secure land options in Little River and commence detailed planning and design works, with the aim for an 80-hectare intermodal terminal to be operational by 2026 and directly supporting more than 200 frontline rail freight jobs.
“In the future, the broader logistics precinct – serviced by the rail terminal – will feature extensive warehousing, cold storage, and re-fuelling facilities, generating more than 4000 skilled jobs,” he said.
Pacific National’s Little River site is located near Melbourne’s major freight catchment zone to the west of the CBD, where more than 70 per cent of containerised rail volumes are concentrated, and only 39 kilometres by rail to the Port of Melbourne.
Mr Scurrah said a Little River terminal would better service the major east-west market – a critical corridor in the national supply chain – where approximately three million tonnes of containerised freight is hauled annually by rail from Melbourne to Adelaide and Perth.
“Pacific National is investing heavily in an extensive national terminal strategy in response to surging customer demand for containerised interstate rail freight services,” he said.
“The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the trend towards online shopping and created disruptions and delays in road and shipping operations, creating greater demand for rail freight services.”
Mr Scurrah said improved rail freight infrastructure would “help reduce traffic congestion, road accidents, and emissions in the overall national supply chain”.
“Road freight produces 14 times greater accident costs than rail freight per tonne kilometre and up to 16 times more carbon pollution as rail freight per tonne kilometre,” he said.
