The A$8.4bn project includes a rail shuttle service between the Port of Melbourne and intermodal terminals.
Shipping Australia chief executive Rod Nairn says it is imperative the port connections are done correctly in order for the project to be successful. “To make the shuttle efficient there needs to be on-dock rail, not a disconnect that requires double handling from the quayside.”
He said it was disappointing that the Melbourne Port rail shuttle appeared to be an afterthought to the inland project, and that the northern end of the project did not yet include a plan for a dedicated freight rail link to the Port of Brisbane.
A query about the viability of the Port of Melbourne rail shuttle has also been raised by a maritime logistics expert at the Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics at Deakin University, Peter van Duyn.
He said stevedores in Melbourne had increased infrastructure surcharges in recent times, and it may be best not to make such a levy on rail containers.
“If the price works, then these things will take off like a rocket and the (working) environment will be better for it obviously with taking trucks off the road.”