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Victorian Intermodal freight hub seeking a developer and operator

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    Topic moved from News by bevans on 19 Feb 2020 18:05
      bevans Site Admin

    Location: Melbourne, Australia
    Guys we are now starting to see some action coming out of the new authority.  This will be a boost to the local area.  The question is of course what gauge will the connection be or will they opt for DG?

    This announcement has really restored some faith into the idea Victoria is serious about inland freight terminals.  This is really good news and if they can get the new power station up and running which uses trash to power then the volumes would also require rail access.

    Victorian Intermodal freight hub seeking a developer and operator
    Posted: 19 Feb 2020 18:32

    Last edited by bevans on 19 Feb 2020 18:34; edited 1 time in total

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      freightgate Minister for Railways

    Location: Albury, New South Wales
    Being driven by the new rail freight department ?

    Truly fab news this.

    Hopefully they can get someone into do the work and get it running. Qube might be interested.

    I would rather see SSR take this on or SCT ?
    Posted: 19 Feb 2020 19:16
      YM-Mundrabilla Minister for Railways

    Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
    More spin.
    Three weeks to submit a proposal for a project of this nature is simply ridiculous as would be restricting it to BG only.
    What traffic and at what levels do they expect from this proposed 'intermodal' terminal?
    Posted: 19 Feb 2020 19:24

    Last edited by YM-Mundrabilla on 19 Feb 2020 19:36; edited 3 times in total
      freightgate Minister for Railways

    Location: Albury, New South Wales
    What are they hoping to achieve unless the decision has been made and they know the party ?
    Posted: 19 Feb 2020 19:26
      Upven Junior Train Controller

    It's expression of interest, not a commit to buy.
    Posted: 19 Feb 2020 21:07
      YM-Mundrabilla Minister for Railways

    Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
    Might be of use for a truck yard but difficult to see a rail use for the area.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 02:38
      SinickleBird Assistant Commissioner

    Location: Qantas Club at Mudgee International Airport
    Sounds like another public-service-driven brain fart.

    A sensible approach would be:

    1. Identify freight task and likely customers
    2. Get buy-in from customers to use the facility
    3. Identify site
    4. Seek operator

    Actual approach is:

    1. What the heck can we do with this site in [insert name of town here]?
    2. “Intermodal” sounds like a good buzzword!
    3. Call tenders from private sector
    4. Well, nobody was interested. Let’s sell it off for housing instead.

    Private sector wasn’t interested because the promoters in public service hadn’t even bothered to ask who might use it.

    Problem isn’t confined to Victoria, btw. How many intermodal brain farts have been promoted in NSW? Also applies to concepts like technology precincts.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 07:58
      8077 Chief Train Controller

    Location: Crossing the Rubicon
    The article states the park has been sold to freight companies.  Intermodal rates should be discounted to permit the use of rail. states the customers can go west to Adelaide meaning SG?
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 10:06
      BigShunter Chief Commissioner

    Location: St Clair. S.A.
    Interesting one this, it may be closer ( or previously closer than we think ) I am aware one of the big transporters of containers from Horsham to PoM did have discussions about the ability to run containers to an Intermodal Hub at Ballarat which seems a bit Irish because it means they have driven 180k to an intermodal when there is one 10k out the road at Dooen.

    If this did happen is there sufficient railway access to accommodate a heap more container trains at the various ports in Melbourne ?

    Wonder if there was a ban on the distance you can truck containers, ie say any container further from Melbourne than 200 / 250k it has to be traonsported to the closest hub of origin and railed to port ?

    BigShunter.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 11:52
      BrentonGolding Chief Commissioner

    Location: Maldon Junction
    Wonder if there was a ban on the distance you can truck containers, ie say any container further from Melbourne than 200 / 250k it has to be traonsported to the closest hub of origin and railed to port ?

    BigShunter.
    BigShunter
    Once again the common sense involved in this idea means that it will never happen!

    But seriously, unlikely to get over the line due to a variety of factors including competition. Pity, it would be a real win for the environment, congestion etc etc.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 12:07
      YM-Mundrabilla Minister for Railways

    Location: Mundrabilla but I'd rather be in Narvik
    The more one sees of this 'project' the more it becomes more ethereal and nebulous (just happened to be reading the dictionary)!

    • What are the precise dimensions and configuration of the land for the terminal?
    • What traffics are there currently into and out of the Ballarat area?
    • What are the levels of these traffics?
    • What are the origins and rail gauges of inwards traffic and the destinations and gauges of outwards traffic?
    • What are the numbers of TEU involved in each category?
    • What rail gauge/s will serve the terminal?
    • What train paths are likely to be available to wherever (?)?
    • What length of train can be handled in the so called terminal?
    • What frequency of train service will be offered?

    In many ways this seems an even more extreme version of the impossible/impractical overnight to Sydney concept.

    Rail: Take, for example, an inwards TEU ex ship for Ballarat which will wait on the wharf for the next train - lift and demurrage. Train arrives - lift - rail transit - lift Ballarat (perhaps x 2) - road to client - lift. 24 hours wharf to client if you're lucky?

    Road: Ex ship lift and demurrage - lift - road to client's premises - lift. End of story. Say 8 hours (?).

    There are horses for courses and this is not a course for the iron horse as too much stuffing around with associated extra costs I see it.

    It has to be 'pie in the sky' so far as rail is concerned.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 17:35

    Last edited by YM-Mundrabilla on 20 Feb 2020 17:36; edited 2 times in total
      Richard stroker Junior Train Controller

    Is the site planned for wearhousing and distribution or transferring container from truck to train?

    Would it be possible to use it as a port shuttle site ? There are a lot of empty containers that need to be delivered to regional areas to get filled, so I’m guessing time isn’t always an issue if managed right.

    BS you mentioned the Dooen terminal, is that SCT only  access ? From memory Qube used to run trains out of Horsham before being shut down , now they run a fleet of trucks down the highway.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 19:14
      BigShunter Chief Commissioner

    Location: St Clair. S.A.
    Well now looky here..............Shocked

    BWEZ: Luv-a-Duck construction to begin this month.

    Work will begin this month on the latest addition to the Ballarat West Employment Zone - the Nhill-based Luv-a-Duck is moving in with a $20 million facility.


    https://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/6640401/new-20-million-facility-at-bwez-to-begin-construction/?cs=225

    Suprise suprise perhaps there is action jackson here after all.

    Link Wimmera MailTimes farcebook...

    I will get back to ya Dick, bit busy with the so called V8's atm.

    BigShunter.
    Posted: 20 Feb 2020 21:12
      brownhillboy Train Controller

    Broadbent Grain is the prime tenant of the Ballarat West Employment Zone at the moment. Currently they dispatch containerized grain on A-Double trucks via the Western Highway. Usually only one loaded 20ft container per trailer, which is not particularly efficient.
    The fact that the expression of interest documents state that construction of a grain pit is desirable indicates that Broadbent Grain would receive grain at the site, so provision of standard gauge seems essential. This could all be tied up with the Ballarat Freight Separation project, which is going on in the background.
    City of Ballarat want this project to go ahead. Lots of cash has been splashed already, especially on the partly completed ring road, which could aptly be described as the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". The ring road bridge over the Ararat line was constructed with sufficient room to allow rail entry into the BWEZ
    Another proposed major development, for which a Heads of Lease agreement has lapsed, is a waste to energy plant, which has been described by the proponent as commercially viable. It would use up to 400,000 tons of waste per annum, most of which would need to be transported in. At the moment there are A-Doubles of 40ft containers transporting waste from near Dandenong to Ravenhall. At some future stage some of this may be re-directed to Ballarat for the above concept to get up, but without an intermodal terminal at Ballarat being locked in, this proposal is unlikely to proceed.
    So, will Ballarat see port rail shuttles when the Port of Melbourne provides better rail access? Will there be a response to the EOI? Time will tell if private enterprise is willing to come up with the cash to get this off the ground.
    Posted: 21 Feb 2020 13:23

    Last edited by brownhillboy on 21 Feb 2020 16:26; edited 1 time in total
      freightgate Minister for Railways

    Location: Albury, New South Wales
    Intermodal terminals are doing well in Mildura near me at barnawartha and Horsham. There is every chance this terminal will do very well especially since the tenants have already committed to the terminal and federal government funding and the council are right behind this.
    Posted: 22 Feb 2020 11:41
      BigShunter Chief Commissioner

    Location: St Clair. S.A.
    Thanks for the info Brownhillboy, yes Broadbent are a fair sized operation and if they are going to shift containers through here, excellent. They have a grain recieval site out in no-mans land in between Streatham and Beaufort, so a short run into the West side of Ballarat will be quite handy.
    They may be running A-Doubles with 20' containers so they don't go over weight and there is a B-Double load limit on the Westgate bridge as well.

    Qube have been running A-Doubles from Horsham, single semi from Boardertown with a container of frozen meat and then hook another trailer on with a container of hay from Johnstone Ashi to limit their weight to B-Double specs. The hay joint has chosen to use road transport over rail.

    And Dick SCT only from Dooen and correct Qube only ran trains to the depot they had in the old Horsham rail yard. Well yes they now run a fleet of trucks down the highway but only because there is a market to do so.

    BigShunter.
    Posted: 22 Feb 2020 14:48

    Last edited by BigShunter on 22 Feb 2020 18:59; edited 1 time in total
      bevans Site Admin

    Location: Melbourne, Australia


    Qube have been running A-Doubles from Horsham, single semi from Boardertown with a container of frozen meat and then hook another trailer on with a container of hay from Johnstone Ashi to limit their weight to B-Double specs. The hay joint has chosen to use road transport over rail.

    And Dick SCT only from Dooen and correct Qube only ran trains to the depot they had in the old Horsham rail yard. Well yes they now run a fleet of trucks down the highway but only because there is a market to do so.
    BigShunter

    Where is the meat coming to which is going to Dooen? or is it going via truck to the Port of Melbourne?
    Posted: 23 Feb 2020 13:44
      BigShunter Chief Commissioner

    Location: St Clair. S.A.


    Qube have been running A-Doubles from Horsham, single semi from Boardertown with a container of frozen meat and then hook another trailer on with a container of hay from Johnstone Ashi to limit their weight to B-Double specs. The hay joint has chosen to use road transport over rail.

    And Dick SCT only from Dooen and correct Qube only ran trains to the depot they had in the old Horsham rail yard. Well yes they now run a fleet of trucks down the highway but only because there is a market to do so.
    Where is the meat coming to which is going to Dooen? or is it going via truck to the Port of Melbourne?
    bevans
    Both containers to the PoM.

    BigShunter.
    Posted: 23 Feb 2020 15:39
      Richard stroker Junior Train Controller

    Thanks BS , no link to the Wimmera times for this one?
    Or are you busy working on it?
    Posted: 23 Feb 2020 17:27
      BigShunter Chief Commissioner

    Location: St Clair. S.A.
    Thanks BS , no link to the Wimmera times for this one?
    Or are you busy working on it?
    Richard stroker
    Dick I might be the Wimmera MailTimes  Wink

    The only link I have is a man on the ground who works within the industry and rather close to what has been going on here.

    It would seem, back to what Brownhillboy said regarding a grain pit, Broadbent's would prefer to have a rail link to this site and load containers directly onto a train. They have had talks with a trucking operation from the Wimmera which would be very keen to be involved with deliveries of containerised grains from the Wimmera. The reason they would be involved in this, is the amount of down time waiting to load / unload at the PoM, not to mention the extra travel time to Melbourne.

    There a plenty of containers that do not go the the Dooen fright hub for what ever reasons and this type of operation would pick up the surplus, which sounds good to me. Only a couple of years ago Wimmera Grains at Rupanyup were sending a stream of trucks to the PoM with an assortment of grains.

    If Broadbents and who ever swill in some $$$ which seems to get the Govt on board and some action happening, like the Hay job up at Ultima, it will be interesting to see what evolves.

    BigShunter.
    Posted: 24 Feb 2020 14:19
      BigShunter Chief Commissioner

    Location: St Clair. S.A.
    Ok bevans, you've all but blown a gasket over the line down in Gippy but as Potatoman says ' it's ROOTED ' that's a technical term meaning no long functional !

    Have a go at this, something that is actaully happening and moving forward...... just look at the nice shiny spades.

    Luv-a-Duck kicks off construction on $20 million facility.

    Construction is under way at the latest business to arrive at the Ballarat West Employment Zone, though questions remain about larger infrastructure.

    https://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/6657444/luv-a-duck-kicks-off-construction-on-20-million-facility/?cs=225


    Link BigShunter Times......I mean Wimmera MailTimes Dick    Razz

    WimmeraShunter..ahh BigShunter.
    Posted: 02 Mar 2020 20:20
      bevans Site Admin

    Location: Melbourne, Australia
    Bigshunter yes I am very excited about the new terminal and in touch with the council.

    Anyhow, here is the map of the terminal.



    Entry from the main line will be to the north and I am wondering how many tracks will be required adjacent to the main and how many will be required in the terminal.  With the volumes anticipated the second (DOWN) track from Ballarat to Wendouree might be a possibility for storage if there is not enough space for tracks in the terminal.
    Posted: 03 Mar 2020 13:21
      Richard stroker Junior Train Controller

    Keep up the good work BS , the typewriter at the BS (Wimmera)times must be working overtime
    Posted: 03 Mar 2020 17:44
      Richard stroker Junior Train Controller

    Interesting article, would it be possible to rail in the extra rubbish needed for the proposed power plant
    Posted: 03 Mar 2020 17:45
      trainbrain Chief Commissioner

    Interesting article, would it be possible to rail in the extra rubbish needed for the proposed power plant
    Richard stroker
    any available pollies they are RUBBISH.
    Posted: 03 Mar 2020 19:25

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