By Sineva Toevai
In developing the intra-metropolitan container rail services, the state government has put in place short, medium and long-term plans, WA freight and logistics policy director Drew Gaynor said.
The State government subsidised 72 per cent of the 85,000 teu in 2008/09 at a cost of more than $3 million – a move it makes “no apology” for, Gaynor said.
“We have a target of getting containers on rail for a range of reasons – social and economic,” he said.
On the 10-year horizon, the WA Government had completed an intermodal site study of how container capacity would expand and the search for a 20-hectare site was currently underway.
Looking out to the next 20-30 years, the State Government would look at more sites for the container rail project, he said.
The grain network was another key focus for the government amid expectations that grain volumes will increase in coming years, Gaynor said.
Climate change would do little to decrease future grain harvests.
“The wheat belt is going to move. Don’t be fooled that with climate change we will have less.
“We will actually have more but it will be in a slightly different (geographic) configuration.”
The harvest this year was expected to reach 13 million tonnes, which is 2 million tonnes shy of the record.
Gaynor said there needed to be a “holistic supply chain to those multiple ports”.
“That’s what we have to work through at the moment. We really need to get it efficient because those grain harvests will go up.”
The real challenge for the state government was to ensure the right investment in the grain network was made for the present and in 20 years time, he said.
“There are issues going on at the moment in terms of cost of transportation which won’t be the same in 20-30 years time.
“The crux is we need rail.”
Source: Lloyd’s List Daily Commercial News – www.lloydslistdcn.com.au
 
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