The Interstate Terminal at the Moorebank Intermodal Precinct has officially opened, marking an important milestone in the Government’s commitment to build a resilient, efficient and sustainable national supply chain and support a future made in Australia.
It will be Australia’s first major metropolitan ‘independent’ interstate terminal, operating under an open access arrangement and not controlled by a single existing above rail operator.
The site will be able to manage 500,000 20-foot containers annually, with each train that comes through the terminal able to move 1500 tonnes of freight.
Each of the 1800 metre trains the Interstate Terminal can accommodate has the potential to remove 100 ‘B Double’ trucks from Australia’s roads, easing congestion.
This will help the movement of rail freight between cities and regions, and help drive efficiency and competition across the national freight network which will ultimately flow onto savings for businesses and consumers.
When complete, the fully integrated industrial precinct at Moorebank will house over 850,000 square meters of modern industrial warehouses and will support more than 6800 jobs.
It is also home to Australia’s largest rooftop solar installation with the capacity to generate over 100 megawatts of renewable energy.
The Moorebank Interstate Terminal is being developed as a joint venture between the Australian Government-owned National Intermodal Corporation, with Qube Holdings and LOGOS, with the Australian Government having committed $570 million towards the Intermodal Precinct.
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the new terminal connected the precinct to the interstate rail and road network – including the future Inland Rail project – enabling movement of vital consumer goods between Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
“The Interstate Terminal is the cornerstone of the Moorebank Intermodal Precinct, directly adjacent to modern warehouse facilities and last mile delivery services,” she said.
National Intermodal CEO James Baulderstone said the terminal had an open access arrangement that allowed multiple rail operators to use the terminal, driving competition and delivering further cost savings to end users.
“The precinct’s scale also provides the platform and location for major renewable energy generation, enabling warehouse owners and last mile delivery transport companies to reach their net zero ambitions,” he said.