PARKES is tipped to be at the epicentre of regional growth arising from the Inland Rail project. To meet the freight demand, Pacific National together with SCT Logistics and Linfox have developed the $35m Parkes Logistics Terminal.
At the recent opening of the terminal, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, said, “The Nationals have been driving the Inland Rail agenda for decades… and now we are delivering it. This is a game-changer for Australian freight”.
Construction started on the Parkes to Narromine leg of Inland Rail a year ago creating almost 900 new jobs.
“Building Inland Rail is the impetus our regions need to see critical investment in their communities, supporting future growth and opportunities, the likes of which have not been seen in decades,” Mr McCormack said.
“I am so excited about this nation-building project because it opens opportunities for farmers and regional businesses that would otherwise not be possible and Parkes is brilliantly geographically located to be the epicentre of Inland Rail’s success.”
Minister for regional services Mark Coulton said regional Australia is uniquely placed to support private sector investment in our communities.
“Parkes is a perfect example of the significant opportunities that regional communities offer industry,” Mr Coulton said.
“By improving connectivity between major cities and regional areas, we are opening the regions to new investment and enterprise opportunities and putting in place the building blocks of a stronger, more resilient, decentralised national economy.”
The unique location of Parkes at the intersection of the East-West line connecting Sydney and Perth and the Newell Highway will put 80% of Australia’s population in reach of the Parkes Terminal overnight.
The North-West Link is already in operation and as more of Inland Rail comes online in the mid 2020s, the national freight rail network will be connected to all mainland state capital cities and major ports, with the logistics terminal ideally situated to take advantage of the fast, efficient and cost-competitive Melbourne to Brisbane rail connection.
