SPC’s Enfield intermodal terminal finally given the nod

<p>The development of an intermodal terminal at Enfield, in Sydney’s west, has finally been given the go-ahead, New South Wales premier Morris Iemma said today (Thursday, May 31).</p> <p>In line with recommendations handed down by the Freight Infrastructure Advisory Board (FIAB) in 2005, the State Government’s freight initiative endorses plans to establish new freight terminals at Enfield and, subject to discussions with the Commonwealth, at Moorebank.</p> <p>The Government has reiterated its commitment to moving 40% of freight on rail and to reduce truck movements around Port Botany and inner city metropolitan suburbs by 300 per day.</p> <p>The development at Enfield has been the discussion of much political debate and community activism.</p> <p>Mr Iemma said assessment of the Enfield site, owned by the Sydney Ports Corporation (SPC), would now resume and would undergo careful planning considerations.</p> <p>&#8220It is an economic imperative for our state that we can accommodate that growth by breaking open a potential bottleneck by moving freight by rail to new facilities more conveniently located to major road and rail routes,&#8221 Mr Iemma said.</p> <p>The SPC proposal is for a 60 ha, 2.5 km-long logistics centre on the site of the Enfield Marshalling Yards, to operate 24 hrs a day, seven days a week, with a throughput of 300,000 teu a year.</p> <p>In 2001, SPC put forward a proposal to establish an intermodal terminal with a annual throughput of 500,000 teu a year.</p> <p>The proposal was downgraded after an independent review into the terminal made for the Government found the proposal was &#8220too big and noisy&#8221. </p> <p>The advisory board was set up in December 2004 to prepare a framework for increasing the share of container freight transported by rail, and was chaired by former federal transport minister Laurie Brereton.</p> <p>The advisory board report proposed a network of intermodal terminals throughout Sydney, including Enfield, Moorebank and Eastern Creek, an expansion of the existing terminal at Minto and development of the planned facility at Ingleburn. </p> <p>Transport minister John Watkins said the State Government was working with the Commonwealth to examine the proposed site at Moorebank.</p> <p>&#8220A joint working group is being formed to explore the planning issues and likely stages of development, if the necessary planning approvals are given,&#8221 he said.</p> <p>&#8220The group should report back to both governments later this year.&#8221</p> <br />