SA’s freight industry says has ‘serious concerns’ about Liberals’ plan for new airport, rail bypass
UPDATE: South Australia’s freight industry says it has “serious concerns” about a Liberal Party plan to spend billions of dollars helping them with a new freight airport and rail bypass.
- Daniel Wills: Marshall offers a vision, not criticism
- Steven Marshall stands by new Libs’ young gun David Speirs
- Opposition Leader shakes up shadow cabinet
- Liberal TV ads spruik Steven Marshall’s personality
- Libs vow to subsidise to kids’ life saving course afloat
SOUTH Australia’s freight industry says it has “serious concerns” about a Liberal Party plan to spend billions of dollars helping them with a new freight airport and rail bypass.
The Sunday Mail today revealed Opposition Leader Steven Marshall’s plans for a new freight airport near Monarto, and dual rail-road lines linking it to Port Adelaide.
Mr Marshall said it would be a boon for the freight industry, and create jobs by helping exporters get produce to new international markets.
However, SA Freight Council Executive Officer Evan Knapp today raised serious concerns about the project’s viability.
“Airports are not sustainable purely on freight. The majority of air exports go in the belly of passenger aircraft – it is the combination of the two that makes such services viable,” Mr Knapp said.
“This may also harm the great work Adelaide Airport is doing to attract new air services to South Australia, like Qatar and China Southern.
“We support further investigation of the road route, but we have doubts as to its viability as a toll route due to volumes, and heavy freight access will still be required on the South Eastern Freeway and Portrush Rd to service the south and eastern suburbs.”
“We are disappointed that the freight industry was not consulted on this plan prior to a public announcement, however we stand ready to assist in the community consultation promised by the Liberals.”
Mr Knapp said the many billions of dollars needed to deliver the uncosted project would be better spent on a non-stop South Rd through Adelaide.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan has today also dismissed the Liberal Plans as “unviable”.
Federal Nick Xenophon Team MP Rebekha Sharkie strongly backed the plans, saying removing rail freight from the Hills would cut the bushfire risk and noise for residents.
Under the Liberals’ multibillion-dollar plan, South Australia would get a new 24-hour export airport at Monarto, with heavy road and rail freight rerouted out of suburban Adelaide.
Mr Marshall will make the freight overhaul plan a key feature of his campaign to win next year’s state election.
The plan aims to replace the state’s major freight rail line, which links Port Adelaide to Murray Bridge via the city centre and Hills, with a new train track that loops up and around Gawler.
A new freeway would also be built alongside the train line for trucks and cars, with both routes funnelling into a new all-hours airport outside Murray Bridge.
Mr Marshall said the facility would turbocharge SA manufacturing and food exporters seeking to reach new global markets — but conceded it would require substantial federal and private sector investment.
The proposed “GlobeLink” railroad freight track would be much longer than the existing route, but the Opposition says making it non-stop removes the need to battle traffic and speeds up overall delivery time.
Mr Marshall has pledged $20 million to develop a business case if elected next year, which will examine how to obtain investment from the Commonwealth and private sector.
Similar projects are being pursued around the country, including at Toowoomba.
He said the project would take between five and 10 years to finish, but boost the state’s access to global markets while also cutting down on noise and traffic hazards for Adelaide residents.
“This is an ambitious project, but one that definitely needs to be delivered,” Mr Marshall said.
“Taking road and rail freight around Adelaide instead of through the city will improve amenity within our suburbs and reduce the bushfire risk.
“Currently, that line is heading towards reaching capacity. If we’re not careful, we will find ourselves with yet another economic constraint in SA.
“Labor’s approach to infrastructure has been pet projects around marginal seats and electoral cycles. We need more productive infrastructure to create long-term, sustainable jobs.
“The Liberal Party will deliver this project. It needs to be delivered. It won’t be delivered in five minutes, but the work needs to be done now so that we’re ready for it to take place.”
A Federal Government study published seven years ago examined several plans for shifting the freight rail line at prices between $700 million and $3.2 billion, and found the costs of all options outweighed benefits.
Mr Marshall said adding a freeway and airport, as well as plans to further boost state export activity in coming years, would strengthen the merits of a new business case.
The pledge to shift heavy rail out of the Adelaide Hills, where residents fear sparks increase the bushfire risk, will also help the Liberals push back against a raid from the Nick Xenophon Team.
Mr Marshall said it made perfect sense to add a road corridor while upgrading the rail line.
It would improve safety in the city by shifting large trucks away from major thoroughfares like Portrush, Cross and Fullarton roads, Mr Marshall said.
He ruled out commuter tolls to fund the project but said industry may be willing to make payments upfront or be charged per use.
Mr Marshall said SA “needs to have a 24-7 airfreight hub” for exports, and could “steal” activity from Victoria by offering more a more cost-efficient service than going via Melbourne.
Discussions with SA industry indicated there would be strong demand for flights, he said.
The exact size of the airport would be determined as part of the business case, and Mr Marshall said he was confident of winning support from the Federal Government to fund construction.
“We’re certainly talking about billions of dollars, but that won’t be borne by the people of SA,” Mr Marshall said.
“That will be a shared cost and we will be accessing Federal Government funds, potentially local government funds and, most importantly, the private sector.
“It’s infrastructure which is going to improve the productive capacity of our state.”
In 2014, Hills councils called for urgent action to move the rail line away from populated areas after sparks from a freight train were blamed for starting a fire in Belair National Park.
The operator of the rail line has since developed a new bushfire mitigation plan.
The 2010 Federal Government report into shifting just the rail line concluded: “Although all of the alignment options that were developed by the study team would be technically feasible, none were found to be economically justifiable at this point in time.”
“The economic evaluation indicates that the capital outlay required to improve the existing rail line or construct a new line is far greater than the benefits derived from such an outlay,” it stated.
“While there are benefits flowing to rail track managers, train operators and the communities that
surround the rail line, the size of these benefits is modest and the size of the capital outlay required to generate such benefits is large, particularly in the new alignment options.”
It said future studies should also include analysis of impacts on urban passenger networks as well as the difficulty of estimating the financial value of widespread community benefits.
The Liberals pledged several months of community consultation on the new plan.