AUSTRALIA’s largest freight operator, Aurizon, has signed an agreement with Intermodal Terminal Company (ITC) to use the Melbourne Intermodal Terminal (MIT) that is currently under construction at Somerton in the state of Victoria.
Aurizon will use MIT for up to nine years to handle container traffic. Being built at cost of $A 400m ($US 260.6m) on a 45ha site, MIT is 90% complete. The 15ha Inner Terminal is due to commence operations in October, with capacity to process 600,000 TEU a year.
With terminal hardstanding totalling 31ha, ITC says that MIT will be the largest intermodal terminal in Australia, with a total capacity to process over 1 million TEU a year. This will be sufficient to handle interstate rail freight demand in Victoria, including future traffic generated by Inland Rail, until the late 2050s.
The new terminal will be 20km by rail from the Port of Melbourne, and is expected increase capacity on the Victorian Port Rail Shuttle Network. Supported by the Victorian state government, this initiative aims to upgrade existing infrastructure and reduce congestion around the port, encouraging modal shift from road to rail.
MIT will be open to third-party customers, including rail freight operators, freight forwarders and regional shippers. As well as storage for freight in bond and empty containers, facilities will include container washing, fumigation and repair.
MIT forms part of the Melbourne Intermodal & Industrial Exchange (MIIX), which is being developed by Aware Real Estate and global asset management firm Barings to establish a major integrated industrial and logistics complex at Somerton. Total investment in the project is $A 1.6bn.
“This terminal is strategically located and provides efficient connections to the national rail network and the Port of Melbourne, creating opportunities for rail to support new markets across Australia,” says Aurizon Bulk & Containerised Freight Group executive, George Lippiatt.
