A really interesting presentation in Melbourne by the Aurizon Containerised Freight team on their re-emerging intermodal and container freight business.
This will have interesting ramifications for the Australian rail freight market, the #InlandRail project, and the development of proposed intermodal terminals at Beveridge and Truganina in Melbourne. Especially if it achieves more freight on rail.
A quick recap – Aurizon announced in August 2017 its intention to exit its Intermodal business. The Queensland Intermodal business was sold to a consortium of Linfox and Pacific National. Aurizon also sold the Acacia Ridge Intermodal Terminal to Pacific National – which was subject to unsuccessful ACCC action.
In 2022, Aurizon acquired the OneRail Australia business, which included the 2,100 km Tarcoola to Darwin railway line. Aurizon is now talking up the land-bridging concept that underpinned the development of the Alice Springs to Darwin rail link some 20 years ago. The expectation is that a direct connection to Darwin Port, with one operator, will drive efficiencies in the freight market. The customer proposition is that a direct link and shorter sail times from Asia with faster rail linehaul will drive an estimated time saving of 7-days of a journey from Shanghai to Melbourne.
More recently Aurizon announced a new freight service had departed Melbourne for the 3,000+ kilometre journey west to Perth. The announcement and Investor Presentation also included here https://lnkd.in/gHFgvGW7
The aim is to ramp up to 350k container twenty foot equivalent units (TEU’s) by FY24 and 450k TEU’s by FY25, with a total capacity of 550-750k TEU’s by FY 2030. Great to see more capacity and competition opening up in the Australian rail freight market.
Pictured here with Matthew Noll, Head of Containerised Freight with Aurizon.
