Rees re-enters rail industry with rival Wodonga intermodal facility

<p>A new intermodal hub at Ettamogah is set to take on its neighbour, the Wodonga-based Logic hub.</p> <p>Infrastructure developer and provider Colin Rees will build the 10-ha facility to accommodate all brands of road and rail providers on the old Norske Skog paper mill site. </p> <p>Mr Rees &#8211 the CRT Group founder who sold the group to QR in 2005 &#8211 bought the adjoining land with a long-term lease from the Australian Rail Track Corporation.</p> <p>&#8220The interest has been quite widespread because it’s the first example of a common user hub,&#8221 he said.</p> <p>&#8220Traditionally the railway company has owned the terminal, so you’re locked into that provider.</p> <p>&#8220In this case we’re looking to make it open to all rail operators. That way, the companies have got the opportunity to talk to all transport providers.&#8221</p> <p>The Ettamogah Intermodal Hub will house import-export facilities, including an empty container facility and a rail-connected warehouse, and will be developed in three stages over six years.</p> <p>The cost of the facility is expected to total $22m.</p> <p>Mr Rees was in talks with QR and CRT about relocating from CRT’s Bandiana facility to Ettamogah.</p> <p>&#8220That’s not a done deal yet but we’re certainly talking and I’d be encouraged if they were one of foundation companies to come to the hub,&#8221 he said.</p> <p>&#8220CRT are running from the end of a branchline [at Bandiana&#93. From a cost point of view, the service takes longer …&#8221</p> <p>Mr Rees will launch the venture today (Friday, March 2) at a media event. </p> <p>Roughly 30 km from Ettamogah, the Logic Wodonga facility is on 610 ha of industrial land, 16 km from the Wodonga.</p> <p>Woolworths runs its 58,000 sq m, $100m distribution centre from the site. Neighbours Border Express are also operating from the hub.</p> <p>Patrick Corp has invested $25m with a view to handling 100,000 containers over 20 years and the right to purchase a further 22 ha adjacent to and adjoining the rail terminal site.</p> <p>Both Logic Wodonga and the Ettamogah intermodal facility are near the Hume Freeway, the Murray Valley Highway, and the Sydney-Melbourne rail track.</p> <p>Both are an overnight trip at most to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra.</p> <br />