Australia`s goverment expects substantial growth in the transport of goods in Australia over the next few decades, but the existing rail transport infrastructure cannot meet that growth. To ease predictable freight transport pressures, the Federal goverment decided to invest in the inland railway (Inland Rail) project. The inland rail project connects Melbourne and Brisbane, through 22 sites in Victoria, New and Queensland, and the federal goverment indicated in the federal budget for fiscal year 2017 / 18 that the project has invested about A $8.4 billion and will begin work in the second half of this year. It is planned to be completed in 2024-25.
According to a study by Australian commercial real estate agency Cushman & Wakefield, the southern end of the inland rail project is determined to be about 5 km from Melbourne`s port in the inner west and about 10 km from the heart of Melbourne. This means that Tottenham may face re-development and could become an intermodal terminal. In addition, Melbourne`s inner west side will also welcome the Westgate tunnel project in 2022, the proximity of convenient infrastructure, the region`s industrial plants are likely to face huge demand in the future.
The inland rail route is located at the intersection of the north-south rail line and the east-west railway line in the town of Parkes, Xinzhou. The Parkes logistics hub is still in the early stages of development. With the support of the local council, the, Inland Rail project will attract factory enterprises and investment in Parkes. The region has the advantage of adequate land supply and low transport costs compared to Sydney.
The northern end of the inland rail project is Acacia Ridge., 15 kilometers from the central business district of Brisbane Currently, the area is known for its heavy industry and intermodal terminals, is one of the largest railway terminals in Kunzhou. , Acacia Ridge, the northern end of the inland rail project, can transfer large quantities of cargo from the original freight rail to road or shuttle bus transport to the port of Brisbane and to the domestic market. At the same time, the area`s transport infrastructure is very convenient, attracting a large number of freight and logistics operators to gather, the new warehouse has now accounted for 30%. Cushman & Wakefield estimates that as the region continues to develop, AcaciaRidge and South Central Brisbane may be the largest freight hub in Brisbane. But there are also challenges, as population growth and cargo traffic increase, the existing road transport capacity is likely to be unable to meet this growth.
