Work starts soon on $280m Toowoomba road-to-rail freight precinct InterLinkSQ
WORK will start within months on a $280 million road-to-rail freight precinct west of Toowoomba.
Development
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InterLinkSQ has revealed the first stage of its massive intermodal project, on 150,000 sqm of land in Charlton, will start construction in the first quarter of 2021.
Transport and logistics company Seaway, which has been hired as the terminal’s operator, expects about 185,000 tonnes of freight will be processed per year initially.
InterLinkSQ general manager Blair Batts said the overall precinct, which includes a second stage involving the multibillion-dollar Inland Rail project and a potential southwest freight hub, could be worth in the range of $280 million.
“We intend to be in the ground towards the end of Q1 at 2021, and see trains moving out of it at the end of next year,” he said.
“In the interim we’re working with Australian Rail Track Corporation (Inland Rail) to undertake some common early works at the site – that will aid the construction of the terminal.
“We are in discussions with several other freight companies to establish facilities on the site.
“The type of development we may see in the next 12-18 months is agricultural storage, with operators sending freight to the Port of Brisbane.
“The initial project value will be $15-20m (with the first stage), but the overall project value to be delivered over the next 15 years is $280m.”
A Federal Government-funded business case for a regional aggregation and distribution centre to service western Queensland is also in progress.
But Mr Batts said the true value of the project will be seen when the Inland Rail inevitably makes its way to Toowoomba, where a second stage of the terminal will be built to cater for trains almost 2km long.
“Stage two comes with a full Inland Rail-compliant terminal, and that will be able to take 1.8km-long trains (to Acacia Ridge),” he said.
“For us, if Inland Rail goes ahead, we will go ahead with stage two.
“Regardless, we have a business model to service the Queensland market with stage one.
“All Inland Rail will do is offer a better access to markets for those products.”
Seaway regional manager Jamie Kennedy said the company was excited to take operation of the terminal once the first stage was completed.
“We see Toowoomba as a pretty strategic location, especially when you consider the Inland Rail runs right through it,” he said.
After Inland Rail trains are serviced at the terminal, they will head to Acacia Ridge where they will be broken up to make their way to the Port of Brisbane through the passenger rail network.
Mr Kennedy hinted at the need for a more direct route in the future.
“The length of a train is limited to about 700m (on the Brisbane passenger network),” he said.
“When Inland Rail is completed, anyone with the political appetite could build a dedicated rail line to the port, and that would complete the Inland Rail project.”