Rail, the future of transport in Melbourne?
The Port of Melbourne is the largest of its kind for containerised cargo in Australia. The Port of Melbourne has been managed by the Port of Melbourne Corporation since 2003. Recently a new plan regarding the future of the Port was released, labelled the Port Development Strategy 2050, (also known as the 2050 PDS). This 30 year plan outlines the future of transport at the Port and the importance of establishing a rail network.
The Port has been working closely with the Federal and State Government, $38 million has been committed by the Federal Government as well as $20 million from the Victorian Government to help plan for rail terminals at the Port to move more freight onto a rail network, which in turn takes more trucks off the road leading to less congestion. The PDS outlines a framework for the next 3 decades, however it is flexible for changes that occur within the industry, which is important to providing the best possible outcome of improving the way freight is transported.
Chief Executive Brendan Bourke outlined the importance of the 2050 PDS – “Moving containers by rail will help get trucks off local roads, particularly in the inner-west of Melbourne.”
“We are committed to investing in the Port to ensure it remains the premier Port in Australia, a cornerstone of the Victorian economy, and to move goods in and out of the Port to their destination more quickly,” he said.
Currently the 2050 PDS is in stage 4. You can provide feedback here – 2050pds@portofmelbourne.com – (December 6 2019 is the closing date for comments).
What do you think about the direction the Port of Melbourne and the Government is taking? Establishing a rail network is essential to providing a better transport service, and the less trucks results in less congestion, which is already a major problem for most commuters within Melbourne. Will this lead to a major rail boom for other states?
