Thousands of trucks to be taken off the roads around port
THE Government has committed to duplicating the Port Botany freight rail line — taking thousands of trucks of the roads each year.
Southern Courier
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THE state and federal governments have committed to duplicating the Port Botany freight rail line — taking thousands of trucks off the roads each year.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro will today sign an intergovernmental agreement which will secure the $300 million line from the port to Enfield.
The duplication of the tracks will mean fewer blockages when there are problems on the Port Botany line.
It will also free up the congested roads around the port, which have long frustrated residents and local businesses.
It is also good news for the port, which is set to become Australia’s largest container port by volume in the next 30 years.
NSW Ports chief executive Marika said the duplication will both increase reliability for rail operators now and create long-term capacity.
“About 440,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) each year travel by rail to and from Port Botany and this volume is growing.
“Completing the duplication of the Port Botany freight line will ensure reliability of freight rail access to Port Botany and resilience in the event of disruption on the single track,” Ms Calfas said.
“We have a target to move three million TEU by rail in the long term.
“The duplication of the freight line is essential to achieve this objective and will benefit Sydney with reduced volumes of trucks on roads around the Port.
“Today’s announcement by the federal and NSW State Governments is good news for all
Sydneysiders as we all rely on containerised freight for our everyday needs.”
Ms Calfas more than 42 per cent of items inside Sydney’s houses have entered the country via a container at Port Botany.
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