From the Editor

Issue 2 - March 2022

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Ray Chan

Editor - Rail Express

Welcome to the March issue of Rail Express

The logistics industries rely on the ability of the various forms of transport – whether air, land or sea – to work seamlessly and in partnership to meet customer expectations.

To facilitate this, it is vital to have in place efficient intermodal transport systems, which pivot around terminals where cargo is shifted from one form to another – for example between road and rail freight networks.

These intermodal hubs play an important role in easing the transport burden on ports and neighbouring areas. They are also essential if rail is to increase its role in the freight transport and distribution system, whether it’s interstate, regional or metropolitan.

It’s widely accepted that rail is a more sustainable form of transport and travel, causes less accidents and removes congestion from the roads. But road plays a major role in areas where rail is not possible, and intermodal sites enable the smooth transfer of goods between the two types of carriage.

With the number of rail projects in Australia at an unprecedented high, smooth-running intermodal terminals and port-rail connections will be needed to fully realise their benefits.

The development of regional sites and other complementary infrastructure is expected to be largely driven by market opportunities identified by private investors, who have established a huge number of intermodal terminals across Australia, with these stopping points along various routes and in rail corridors likely to expand over time.

In this issue, we look at how the country’s largest private rail freight carrier, Pacific National, has implemented an extensive national terminal strategy in response to surging customer demand for containerised interstate rail freight services. It points out that the pandemic accelerated the trend towards online shopping and led to disruptions and delays in road and shipping operations, creating greater demand for rail freight services.

The company is investing $20 million to secure land options in Little River in Melbourne and has commenced detailed planning and design works, with the aim for an 80-hectare intermodal terminal to be operational by 2026 and directly supporting more than 200 frontline rail freight jobs.

In Queensland, it has entered into an agreement to make Toowoomba a major intermodal centre. Once operational, the 23-hectare terminal will support up to 400 skilled jobs, including train drivers, terminal staff and associated warehousing staff.

Away from intermodal transport, we also cast an eye on the case for high-speed rail in Australia.

Bandied around every Federal Election, the concept may finally come to fruition this time round, with the Federal Opposition making a strong case for its implementation, and recent developments favourably supporting a favourable kickstart.

Find out more about why global mobility leader Alstom believes the opportunity has never been stronger for high-speed rail, a sentiment also echoed by the Australian Rail, Tram & Bus Industry Union.

Meanwhile, new partnerships seem to be in the news lately. As Australia and New Zealand continue to undergo an infrastructure boom, regional engineering consultancy Beca and global transport mobility consultancy SYSTRA have joined forces in a strategic alliance. And HVAC specialists Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle and Coachair’s rail division have come together as members of the 100% Australianowned KYR group to create Noske Rail.

As they reveal in fascinating articles, the combination of knowledge is expected to serve industry better in a consolidated power of one.

And there are plenty more informative stories, of course, along with the usual contributions from our industry partners.

We are sure you will find this issue an enjoyable read.