Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) has welcomed the allocation of $20 million from the Federal Government, plus a matching in-kind contribution from the Queensland Government, as part of the finalisation of negotiations between both levels of Government for the Queensland leg of Inland Rail.
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PBPL has always insisted that the rail must directly connect to the ports, without sharing the suburban passenger network. The funding announcement last week will allow all parties to assess demand, financing, design and timing for this project. It should also lead to corridor preservation as an immediate priority.
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Without a Port Connection, the freight this region relies will continue to be moved almost entirely by truck, increasing congestion, emissions and road safety risks well into the future. The project, which will separate the existing shared passenger and freight rail networks, would provide a dedicated link from the Inland Rail project to the Port of Brisbane. By doing so, Brisbane could achieve a globally competitive rail modal share and remove 2.4 million truck movements from the local road network at the same time.
A recent Deloitte Access Economics paper said that Queensland’s growing population and the subsequent freight task, climbing from 1.35 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent shipping container) in 2018 to around 5 million in 2050, necessitated an urgent shift from the region’s reliance on road freight. Currently only 2% of containerised freight comes to the Port of Brisbane via rail. The rest arrives on trucks. In 2018, that equated to four million trucks movements. With the current rail constraints in place, that number would increase to over 13 million by 2050.
The Port of Brisbane is Queensland’s largest multi-cargo port and the third largest in Australia. The Port is located in an area of high environmental value and is the import/export gateway for Queensland and northern New South Wales. It is home to over 73 businesses, which in turn provide thousands of jobs.
As your licensed Customs Brokers and International freight forwarders, Colless Young can advise you how to economise on your international trade and shipping activities, including road & rail connections, not only in Brisbane, but at all major ports and airports around Australia.
