SCT moves on $10m hub at Parkes

<p>SCT Logistics is moving ahead with its plans for a $10-$12m freight hub at Parkes in central New South Wales to enable it to be more aggressive in the east-west rail freight market.</p> <p>The company has lodged an application to build the freight centre with the Parkes Shire Council and is looking to begin building it in March with a completion date of October.</p> <p>The new hub will ac as a centre point for the company’s freight routes.</p> <p>Freight from New South Wales and Queensland will be sent directly from Parkes to Perth, improving efficiency by cutting many km and hours from the journey.</p> <p>SCT plans to build a 7,000 sq m shed, a 2,500 sq m canopy and 5 km of rail to its own siding on 3000 ha land west of Parkes it has purchased from wool manufacturer Austop, the <em>Parkes Champion</em> reported.</p> <p>Initially, 30 to 40 people would be employed at the hub.</p> <p>SCT was miffed when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission suggested in December that a Toll Holdings takeover of Patrick Corp would kill competition on the east-west route.</p> <p>As a freight forwarder SCT runs five services a week from Melbourne to Perth.</p> <p>SCT pointed out that it was already competing successfully with the Toll-Patrick owned Pacific National and had a third of the rail freight share on the Melbourne-Perth route</p> <p>Freight rates for forwarders had dropped 41% since 1991 in the presence of SCT competition, the company pointed out. </p> <br />