By Cam Lucadou-Wells
An 865-metre spur-line railway track has been completed in the South East, as part of the Port Rail Shuttle Network (PRSN).
The $28 million track via the Cranbourne line will link a massive intermodal freight terminal in Bayliss Road, Dandenong South to the Port of Melbourne.
The work was done as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project and $1 billion upgrade and duplication of the Cranbourne line.
In total, it is expected to slash 175,000 truck trips on the Monash Freeway and suburban roads each year, and to cut freight transport costs by up to 10 per cent.
Ports and Freight Minister Melissa Horne said the project was designed to help cope with the growing “Victorian freight task”.
“Rail must and will shoulder more of the heavy lifting to keep our economy thriving.
“That’s why we’re investing in projects like the Port Rail Shuttle Network – to enable producers and operators to transport their product quicker and cheaper to port and to market, as well as create jobs and take more trucks off our local roads.”
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams said the project was “critical for the South East economy” as well as commuters, business productivity and job creation.
She said it would take “thousands of trucks off the Monash and other key arterial and suburban roads.”
The $150 million freight terminal will be built and operated by Salta Properties later this year.
Salta will build two 650-metre rail tracks to connect the spur line to its 500,000-square metre terminal and warehousing area.
The fully-automated terminal will be capable of handling 560,000 containers annually.
Salta founding director Sam Tarascio has pushed the vision for 18 years as an answer to road freight and congestion.
He recently said it would be a “major god-send” for a precinct filling with importers, exporters and major distribution centres such as Amazon, Bunnings and Woolworths.
As part of the PRSN, other freight hubs in Altona and Somerton will also connect to a new rail terminal at Port of Melbourne.
By 2050, the Port Rail Shuttle Network is predicted to move 30 per cent of Melbourne containers by rail to terminals in Dandenong South, Altona and Somerton.
The Federal Government invested $18.3 million and the Victorian Government $9.7 million in the spur line project.
