Opinion – Greg Cameron
Tony Abbott’s coalition opposition could be playing a decisive role in the future of freight transportation in New South Wales.
Does the coalition agree with taking freight off Sydney’s metropolitan rail network, to enable more passenger services?
If not, would a future coalition government pay $4 billion for upgrading the metropolitan rail network to increase freight, as has been requested by the New South Wales government? Mr Abbott’s decision is needed before the New South Wales government sells a 99-year lease to Port Botany Container Terminal.
The Australian government is able to purchase Port Botany Container Terminal from the New South Wales government at the market price of $2 billion. Since BHP paid the NSW government $100 million in 2001 to take ownership of the Newcastle container terminal site, the Australian government should acquire it for $1.
With these purchases, the Australian government can invite private enterprise to finance and build a freight rail line between Glenfield and Newcastle, otherwise known as the freight rail component of the ‘Outer Western Sydney Orbital’.
There would be no need to upgrade the Northern Sydney Freight Corridor by building a dedicated freight rail line between Strathfield and the HawkesburyRiver, costing $4 billion in present value terms, because only the orbital freight rail line would be required.
All Sydney metropolitan rail capacity could be devoted to passenger services if north-south rail freight was transported on the orbital freight rail line. The economic benefits would be up to $1 billion a year.
The Australian government can invite private enterprise to add a freight rail line to the South West Rail Link, currently under construction between Glenfield and Leppington. Extending the line 10 km to Badgery’s Creek would provide a dedicated freight rail line between Port Botany and Badgery’s Creek, enabling all containers to be railed from Port Botany.
There would be no need for heavy trucks to access Port Botany Container Terminal.
The Australian government can invite private enterprise to finance and build an intermodal terminal on government-owned land at Badgery’s Creek. The terminal’s design would allow for orderly expansion to meet demand for the next 100 years.
The Australian government can cancel its plan for building an intermodal terminal on its Moorebank site and can release the land for use as a business park. A business park would be financed and developed by private enterprise to provide for up to 15,000 jobs.
The Australian government can facilitate a new era of economic development in northern NSW by inviting private enterprise to build and operate a major container terminal at Newcastle.
The Australian government’s $2 billion investment in acquiring the Port Botany and Newcastle container terminal sites can be recovered by leasing the sites to private enterprise. After container terminal operations were transferred to Newcastle, the Port Botany site could be used for improving passenger and cargo services at SydneyAirport. In addition, $970 million would be saved by cancelling the Moorebank intermodal terminal project. A contribution of $1 billion already offered by the Australian government towards a road project aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the Port Botany and SydneyAirport precinct, would not be needed when all containers were transported by rail.
A freight rail by-pass of Newcastle, as part of the orbital freight rail line, would enable re-development of government-owned land along Newcastle’s existing rail corridor. Light rail would replace the existing heavy rail.
All of the infrastructure projects can be financed and built by private enterprise – at no net cost to the Australian or NSW governments – by moving containers and general freight by rail between Newcastle, Badgery’s Creek and Glenfield.
The alternative is more trucks on more roads.
