The Australasian Railway Association, in partnership with the SCT Group, applauds the recent announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss that the Bromelton area, west of the Gold Coast, is to benefit from $9.6 million worth of federal funding for intermodal infrastructure.

“We are delighted that Bromelton will receive federal funding for intermodal infrastructure under Round Two of the Australian Government’s National Stronger Regions Fund. This is an important development for the region as intermodal and rail infrastructure will be even more critical given the rising demand on interstate freight,” said Danny Broad Chief Executive Officer of the Australasian Railway Association.

“This infrastructure will support the transfer of an additional 630,000 payload tonnes of freight along the north-south corridor between Brisbane and Melbourne from 2020, removing close to 20,000 trucks from this route. We see this outcome as providing a considerable community benefit in terms of improved safety, environmental and congestion benefits along this corridor.

“According to the Queensland State Government’s Connecting SEQ 2031 report, demand for interstate freight will increase significantly. In 2004 the demand for freight was around 7 million tonnes per annum, this figure is set to grow to around to 17-19 million tonnes per annum between Brisbane and Sydney by the year 2029. The freight demand between Brisbane and Melbourne sat around 4.5 million tonnes per annum back in 2004, with this predicted to increase to around 10-13 million tonnes per annum by 2029.

“Additional investment in intermodal and rail infrastructure is essential for the region in order to meet upcoming demands. The investment will also work to alleviate congestions in the State’s metropolitan area, while opening up potential new markets for a range of SME businesses along the north-south corridor,” said Mr Broad.

(Source: ARA)