A
new direct rail freight service between Adelaide and Sydney will commence today,
offering improved transport options for freight forwarders and shippers using
this important freight artery.
The new service will provide South Australian manufacturers and producers with competitive transport solutions when accessing eastern states markets.
Australia
Southern Railroad will operate the new weekly intermodal service to Sydney,
running via Broken Hill and Parkes in Central West NSW, commencing this
Wednesday 30 May.
ASR
is planning the development of a new purpose built intermodal freight terminal
at Dry Creek South (Adelaide) to handle this and other new services (such as
Adelaide to Darwin) as they expand.
This
will be the first regular privately-owned freight operation to use the
Australian Rail Track Corporation’s Broken Hill corridor since competition
policy was applied to the rail network several years ago.
The
new service will have a capacity of up to 7000 TEU's (standard containers) per
annum in each direction with room for further expansion of the service as
required.
ASR’s
Business Development Manager, Mr Mark Lewis said, “There is an excellent
opportunity for us to boost Adelaide to Sydney rail freight options and we are
working closely with freight forwarders to meet their requirements. The response
so far has been very positive, 60% of the service is already booked out before
operations have begun.”
Mark Lewis said, “We have identified that a major concern of rail customers is terminal delays and we haven chosen the location of terminals in Adelaide and Sydney carefully in order to ensure that pick-up and deliveries are handled as efficiently as possible. “We also see the interface with FCLs’ transport hub at Parkes as an important development. Parkes is the crossroads of major North-South and East-West traffic flows.”
“We have an excellent opportunity to work cooperatively with FCL to further develop intermodal solutions based around our new service and their Parkes interchange, which provides next day delivery to 82 per cent of Australia’s population.
The
Sydney bound train will depart Adelaide on Wednesday afternoons with arrival at
FreightCorp’s Clyde rail freight facility in Sydney in time for Friday morning
deliveries. The return service will allow Sydney customers a late Friday evening
cut-off and provide an Adelaide arrival time for early collection on Monday
mornings. The option of providing a through Perth connection for the new service
will also be trialled.
Mark
Lewis concluded by saying, “With our existing operations through to Perth,
this service effectively cements ASR’s position as a transcontinental
operator. It reinforces our commitment to rail both nationally and in South
Australia by expanding rail services and offering new transport options to all
facets of the Australian economy.”
"With
upward pressure on road transport rates from increased fuel costs, combined with
the environmental and social concerns that road transport creates, Australian
businesses are looking for alternative transport solutions that are efficient
and cost effective.”
“We
believe that this new Adelaide to Sydney service will go along way to providing
that alternative.”
For Further Information and Commercial Inquiries
Contact: Mark Lewis on 8343
5332
Chiefs of Staff Please note. Video Footage of ASR interstate trains has previously been supplied to your Newsroom. Please do not use footage of National Rail or Australian National trains.
Australia Southern Railroad is
wholly owned by the Australian Railroad
Group (ARG), Australia’s largest private rail operator. ARG through ASR
and its other subsidiary Australia
Western Railroad (AWR), provides intrastate rail freight haulage of bulk
commodities to key industries in South Australia and Western Australia, as
well as short-haul shunting and terminal operations in SA. It is also a major
supplier of locomotives, crews and wagon leasing services to freight
forwarders and infrastructure providers operating on interstate rail
corridors.
ARG is jointly owned by leading US
regional rail operator Genesee &
Wyoming Inc. and WA based conglomerate Wesfarmers.
ARG is
part of the Asia Pacific Transport
Consortium, which will soon start construction and operation of the Alice
Springs to Darwin rail link.
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