The concept of an intermodal (inland port) is not new, there are literally hundreds in the USA, South America, Europe and Asia, even New Zealand have three. The largest under construction is in Dubai and covers over 25 square Kilometres.

 

The concept is however new to Australia but growing rapidly, and provides opportunity for the Southern Highlands.

 

Freight transport provides the link between production and consumption, generating wealth for the community.

 

The Illawarra Freight Study suggests the impetus for developing an Illawarra (Southern Highlands) regional freight plan should be the exclusion of the region, in the main, from the Federal Government’s Auslink National Network.

 

One of the purposes of this submission is to ensure that the Southern Highlands is ‘on the radar’ of these organizations so that we are considered in future as part of the freight network.

 

The study also highlighted that the Illawarra is burdened by the isolation created by its topography – the Southern Highlands intermodal proposal offers solutions in this area as indicated by the current interest of the Port Kembla Port Corporation (PKPC) and logistics companies.

 

The high growth scenario of the Illawarra Freight Study for the Moss Vale line confirms the views of RailCorp and the ARTC that incremental future growth can be accommodated on the existing network without recourse to major new capital investment.

 

The current rail freight load inland from Port Kembla is virtually zero.

 

As the movement of freight by a variety of modes becomes a dominant model, and pressure mounts to ensure that the integration of these modes is efficient and effective, the role of intermodal terminals in the national distribution system becomes more prominent.

 

In addition, in response to increasing community concern at the impact of increasing truck numbers on road congestion, residential amenity, and the environment, state governments have responded by establishing targets for the greater use of rail in freight transport.

 

An increase in the rail share of the freight task will require a greater role for intermodal terminals.

 

This provides impetus for the Southern Highlands intermodal to be recognised as nationally significant.

 

An intermodal terminal of national significance is defined as ‘a facility at which in excess of 10,000 TEU per year (or the equivalent of general cargo) is transferred between road and rail, or between rail and a seaport terminal.

 

The Southern Highland intermodal shall far exceed this number.

 

The car industry alone will be importing 250,000 vehicles per year through Port Kembla from 2008 onwards.

 

The Australian intermodal sector consists of two distinct subsystems:

• A subsystem that primarily serves international imports and exports (the port-oriented system).

• A subsystem that is concerned primarily with the inter-state movement of non-bulk cargoes (the national system)

 

These systems are not entirely distinct. A number of terminals – Yennora in Sydney is an example – play an important role within both systems.

 

But to a significant extent (and increasingly) the two systems operate independently of each other.

 

The port oriented system is where the Southern Highlands has a strategic advantage over other regional areas.

 

 

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