Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings will today turn the first sod at the Brighton Transport Hub, beginning the construction project which will transform intermodal freight transport in Tasmania.
At its completion, the Brighton Transport Hub will become a focal point for the consolidation and deconsolidation of freight, significantly changing the way freight is moved between the North and South of Tasmania.
TasRail CEO Damien White welcomed the beginning of the project. “TasRail’s Intermodal freight volumes continue to grow through the Brighton Transport Hub, sending a clear market signal about the increased confidence in rail.”
“The start of the build by local contractor VOS Construction sends a strong message that the planning process is complete, and the project is on track to deliver the vision of a consolidated Intermodal transport hub.”
Tasmania’s leading provider of transport and logistics, Toll Group, is the major tenant in the Brighton Transport Hub.
Toll Tasmania General Manager Tony Stewart stated the firm’s long-term lease also involved a long-term freight haulage agreement that will see an increased use of rail.
“The increasing reliability of rail has allowed us to increase the amount of freight we can carry via rail. Developments like the Brighton Transport Hub mean we will continue to do so for decades to come.
“An added benefit is that moving more freight with trains will mean fewer trucks on Tasmanian roads.”
About TasRail
TasRail is a State-owned Company, established on 1 December 2009 by an Act of the Tasmanian Parliament. The principal objectives of the business are set out in the Rail Company Act 2009 and require the Company to operate a rail business in Tasmania, effectively and efficiently and to operate its activities in accordance with sound commercial practice.
With a workforce of around 250 men and women, Tasmania’s current freight task is approximately 2.5 million tonnes per year – generating annual revenue in the order of $30 million. Since it was established, TasRail has spent $97.7 million purchasing goods and services from more than 900 Tasmanian Companies.
The partnership between rail transport and the Rosebery Mine has endured for more than 75 years. TasRail branded one of its locomotives with a specially commissioned livery to mark the anniversary in 2011.
TasRail conservatively estimates that the freight it transports by rail each year effectively removes the equivalent of 100,000 B-Double truck movements from the State’s road network. Even after taking into account the total of TasRail’s reported annual carbon emissions (fuel and energy), this equates to a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of some 45,800 tonnes.
TasRail CEO Damien White
