A private consortium led by Chris Corrigan’s Qube Logistics is urging the NSW government to approve its plans for a freight hub in Sydney’s west before a rival federal government proposal.

The NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure released an environmental assessment yesterday by the Sydney Intermodal Terminal Alliance (SIMTA) for a $490 million freight terminal in Moorebank, south-west of Sydney. Canberra is proceeding with a plan for a $1 billion freight hub on adjacent land, but SIMTA said in its submission that it would be “unreasonable" to approve development of that project first.