THE CENTRAL Victorian city of Ballarat will have a $55 million intermodal freight hub by the end of this year jointly funded by the Federal and Victorian governments.
The Ballarat Intermodal Freight Hub forms a critical part of the Ballarat West Employment Zone (BWEZ) and will provide tenants George Weston Foods (GWF) and CHS Broadbent access to the broad-gauge Ballarat-Ararat rail line.
The new rail infrastructure will support the movement of around 15,000 containers a year to the Port of Melbourne, with capacity for future growth, the governments say.
More than 300,000 tonnes of grain annually are also expected to be transported to GWF’s new flour processing facility, which is nearing completion.
Around 100 local jobs will be supported during construction, with Taylor Rail Australia delivering the track and civil works package.
The works include three kilometres of new rail track, as well as sidings, formation of mainline tracks, signalling, maintenance access to Liberator Drive, lighting, CCTV, fencing, drainage, footpath infrastructure and decommissioning of the Ring Road level crossing and pedestrian crossing.
Victoria’s freight sector contributes $36 billion to the economy each year and supports around 240,000 jobs across the state, the government says, with Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne saying “Moving more freight by rail means fewer trucks on our roads – improving safety, cutting emissions and reducing wear and tear across our network.”
The Victorian Government has invested more than $45 million to unlock commercial land at BWEZ, building on a $30 million partnership with the City of Ballarat established in 2015.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King said BWEZ was already a massive economic driver for the region.
“This new intermodal freight hub will future-proof BWEZ by providing road, rail and future air connectivity all in one precinct,” Ms King said. “It will be a drawcard for businesses wanting to locate here and for future investment in our city.”