Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development, Peter Ryan was in Dooen, near Horsham, to celebrate the completion of the $17.5 million Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal, an important new regional asset which will deliver significant benefits to local industries.
"This much-anticipated development will provide a central location for specialist grain handling and vastly improved access to ports and processing plants,” Ryan said.
“It will also overcome the constraints that have existed with the ageing terminal in the middle of Horsham and pave the way for even better infrastructure to support the movement of containerised exports and bulk grain through a bulk loading facility also to be built at the site.”
The new facility was jointly funded by the Victorian Coalition Government ($9.3 million), local councils ($1 million), the private sector ($660,000) and the Federal Government ($6.5 million).
The new terminal is adjacent to the Melbourne to Adelaide interstate rail line and is currently linked by a daily container service to the Port of Melbourne.
Within five to six years it’s expected the new facility will be able to process up to 18,600 containers – more than twice the capacity of the existing Horsham facility.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese said, “Modern, reliable infrastructure will not be enough to fully restore rail’s competitiveness.  It also needs to be better integrated with other modes of transport, namely the nation’s roads and ports.
“That’s why nationwide we’re investing $118 million in a series of strategically located intermodal facilities, including here in western Victoria, to better support our industries and exporters.”
AusIntermodal 2012 | 30th – 31st October 2012 Hilton on the Park, Melbourne
 
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