South East Queensland intermodal terminal capacity
The Inland Rail project will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) forecasts freight throughput at intermodal terminals in South East Queensland (SEQ) to be 579,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in 2025 and 2,449,000 TEU in 2070.
There are existing intermodal terminals in SEQ including Acacia Ridge, Bromelton, and the Brisbane Multimodal Terminal at the Port of Brisbane. However, no existing intermodal terminal can support 500,000 additional TEU in their current configurations. In addition to capacity restrictions and rail network constraints, the existing intermodal terminal network is unable to accommodate Inland Rail's operating requirements which include use of double stacked, 1,800m-long trains. Without appropriate intermodal terminal facilities, the ability for Inland Rail to attract volumes and provide the benefits associated with mode shift from road to rail will not be achieved.
The Inland Rail project will have a similar impact on intermodal terminal capacity in Melbourne, requiring consideration of intermodal terminal capacity investments as noted by the Melbourne intermodal terminal capacity listing.
Strategic Fit
This proposal aligns with several Australian, Queensland and local government infrastructure policy objectives and strategies along with the current Australian Government investment to develop and build Inland Rail, on the Melbourne to Brisbane National Land Transport rail corridor.
Societal Impact
Increased intermodal terminal capacity to support rail movements between Melbourne and Brisbane will facilitate rail volume forecasts on Inland Rail and achieve the benefits identified with mode shift from road to rail. Reductions in road freight will improve environmental outcomes and reduce heavy vehicle crashes. Having multiple transport modes increases resilience opportunities for freight movement.
Deliverability
The proposal identifies the need to provide appropriately configured intermodal terminal capacity with supporting warehousing infrastructure in SEQ to facilitate the operations of Inland Rail. This could be achieved either by upgrading the existing intermodal terminals, or by considering alternative purpose-built facilities in a new location.
Engagement between the Queensland and Australian Governments is required during planning and business case development to determine the preferred delivery and operating models.
Proponent to identify and analyse potential investment options (Stage 2 of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework).
The Australian and Queensland Governments are jointly developing a business case for the proposal as part of the Bilateral Agreement for Inland Rail.
Refer to Infrastructure Glossary for terms and definitions.