SCT Logistics and the Australian Rail Track Corporation have both made moves in Bromelton recently, with the logistics provider announcing a first planned service to its new facility there in January 2017, and the ARTC buying up land.
Bromelton is near Beaudesert, 65km south west of Brisbane and 60km west of Gold Coast
SCT announced late last week it will run its first train service from Melbourne to its newly developed Bromelton Intermodal Estate in January, saying the completion of the new terminal will be the final piece of the puzzle for SCT’s entry onto the North-South Rail Corridor.
SCT said the commencement of its own independent rail services will broaden the company’s service offering and provide customers with the opportunity to utilise its integrated rail network and expanded national footprint.
“This major investment will allow SCT to run a number of weekly services into and out of Brisbane, connecting businesses from Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria directly into the Queensland market,” a spokesperson said.
The 134 hectare site features a 10,500 square metre cross dock terminal, a 5000 square metre container handling area and more than 7.3 kilometres of internal rail track.
“Consistent with other SCT Intermodal developments, the Bromelton terminal offers the opportunity for tenants and customers to locate their facilities on a major rail head,” the spokesperson said.
“SCT’s recently completed Wodonga Rail Terminal at Logic Park, will also play a significant role in developing SCT’s Queensland rail services. The Wodonga terminal will connect customers of Regional Victoria to Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.”
The operator’s Wodonga Terminal ran its first official train on October 13 and now runs several services a week between Wodonga, South Australia and Western Australia. Both the Brisbane and Wodonga Terminals will officially celebrate their openings in early 2017.
A few days after the SCT announced its first train date for Bromelton, the ARTC confirmed it has purchased nearly 850 hectares of land in the Bromelton State Development Area. 654 of the 850 hectare site purchased is deemed developable land.
“As a company we take a long-term view on decisions that will benefit and grow the rail freight industry – and we believe investing in Bromelton aligns with this goal,” ARTC boss John Fullerton said.
“Given the site’s strategic location and the intended scope for the area to see an intermodal logistics hub or ‘inland port’ to be developed over time – it was important we looked at the opportunity closely when the land became available.
“The land is the only area on the eastern seaboard with current direct access to the interstate railway line between Melbourne and Brisbane. The site is also adjacent to B-double transport routes that are less than one hour’s drive from the Port of Brisbane and the Brisbane CBD.”
Fullerton said the investment by ARTC represented confidence in the growth of rail and associated industries in the Beaudesert region over the future.
“It’s no secret that we see North-South freight flows between Melbourne and Brisbane as a pivotal growth market and that modern terminal development is essential to enabling this.”
Fullerton credited the Queensland Government for securing the land as a state development area in 2008.
“Rail has historically suffered from a lack of support from a planning perspective,” he said. “Traditionally rail terminals in Australia have been built across a small footprint in inner-city areas, only to be crowded out by urbanisation. As a consequence, we have a heavy reliance on road in this country and that has reduced the efficiency of freight supply chains and our country’s international competiveness.”
Bromelton is south of Brisbane and not south west as mentioned.