The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has welcomed an announcement made on 8 July by Premier Jay Weatherill to establish a trial of a national heavy vehicle road-user charging system.

The ARA’s Acting Chief Operating Officer, Mr Phil Allan, said all rail freight operators and the peak body had long been calling for road user charging and that the reform would provide a strong incentive for freight businesses to improve the efficiency of their freight supply chains and drive productivity growth.

“We welcome Premier Weatherill’s announcement for freight infrastructure reform, which would see a charging system based on mass, distance and location – a system that reflects actual use of the road network,” said Mr Allan.

“The interstate rail network has already operated with a similar regime of mass-distance charging for over a decade.

“The rail industry welcomes proposals for road-user charging as a way to level the playing field, meaning
many types of freight will become more contestable between road and rail, ultimately lowering costs of transport for getting essential goods between ports, factories, shops and households,” he said.

If implemented in a timely and appropriate manner, road user charging would assist in reducing urban congestion, improve the efficiency of the freight supply chain, drive productivity growth and give State Governments greater control over funding and investing in urban public transport infrastructure based on a more efficient allocation of resources toward infrastructure projects that improve productivity.

Mr Weatherill also announced that heavy vehicle road-user charging would be one of his pillars for national reform that he will take to a meeting of Australia’s First Ministers and Prime Minister in Sydney on 22 July.

“The ARA congratulates Mr Weatherill on his proposal. Introducing heavy vehicle road-user charging is at the forefront of the next wave of economic reform in Australia,” continued Mr Allan.

“We call on other state and territory first ministers and the Prime Minister to make a commitment to road-user charging at their meeting later this month,” he concluded.

(Source: ARA)