Southern Courier: Plan taking more shipping containers via rail a drop in the ocean for total traffic

Plan taking more shipping containers via rail a drop in the ocean for total traffic

James Taylor, Southern Courier

Federal Minister for Major Projects Paul Fletcher and Asciano chief executive John Mullen at the unveiling of a three stage strategy to push more containers onto rail from Port Botany’s Patrick terminal. Photo: Daniel Aarons

A PLAN to drive freight passing through Port Botany off the roads and onto rail will take 300 trucks movements off local roads every day, but it is a drop in the ocean for ever rising container traffic.

Up to a quarter of existing shipping container throughput from the Patrick terminal, the port’s largest stevedoring operation, will start travelling by rail to Chullora in Sydney’s western suburbs.

It is one of three stages terminal operator Asciano is developing to utilise NSW’s rail network to move freight, described by chief executive John Mullen “hugely positive” for local roads.

“I think the community impact of the rail links ... taking (containers) straight out west, that’s going to be beneficial,” Mr Mullen.

However, while the news will be welcomed by nearby Matraville and Botany residents who have repeatedly called for action to reduce truck traffic, it is a drop in the ocean for increasing container movements through Sydney’s main port.

Container movements through Port Botany are set to top 7 million by 2031.

There were about 2.2 million container movements through Port Botany last year.

The vast majority of the container trips, about 85 per cent, were made on trucks, with the rest being moved by rail. The Patrick plan Pushing between 90,000 and 100,000 of those on to rail equates to just 5 per cent of movements.

And this is diluted further when container movements climb to a forecasted 7 million by 2031.

The Baird government set a goal of putting 28 per cent onto rail by the early 2020s.

The target is 12 per cent lower than the previous Labor Government’s target.

Maroubra Labor MP Michael, who attended an official unveiling of Asciano’s plan last Thursday, said 28 per cent of containers carted on rail wasn’t enough to avoid congestion issues.

“If we don’t get somewhere near 40 per cent of those containers on rail then the streets around Port Botany will be gridlocked,” he said.

NSW Roads, Maritime and Freight Minister Duncan Gay said the State Government’s target would be met through working closely with industry.

Maroubra MP Michael Daley says the Baird Government’s 28 per cent rail target isn’t enough. Photo: Tim Hunter.

“For instance, the (NSW Cargo Movement Coordination Centre and the Freight Division of Transport for NSW) have helped to broker rail window agreements between rail freight operators and stevedores to facilitate enhanced use of existing rail capacity. For example, this has enabled the Qube terminal at Minto to better handle K-Mart container volumes that have switched from road to rail” Mr Gay said.

He said the 40 per cent container movements on rail target was abandoned because it was made “without proper industry consultation and coordination ... it was a totally and utterly unrealistic figure — all Labor spin”.

WestConnex was first pitched as a way to take truck pressure off local roads around Port Botany.

But the current plan comes about 8 kilometres shy from the port, at the point where it veers north through Arncliffe on the western side of Sydney Airport.