Port of Melbourne Gains Government Approval for Rail Project

The Port of Melbourne in Australia has received Government support for its new A$125 million ($84 million) Port Rail Transformation Project (PRTP) to reduce truck congestion.

Victorian Minister for Ports and Freight Melissa Horne approved the port’s rail solution which will be developed over the next three years. It will mean more containers are moved by rail, therefore by-passing roads in inner Melbourne, and will be achieved via expanded common user and on-dock rail terminal capacity and improved rail terminal operation arrangements. Port rail shuttle trains will have a capacity of 84 TEUs in comparison to a B-Double truck having a capacity of three TEU. 

The project is being funded by an increase in the tariff on full import containers of A$9.75 per TEU to take place after April 1. This equates to less than five cents on the wholesale price on an average sized television.

The PRTP is due for completion in 2023, but Bourke says immediate benefits will result from ownership and management arrangements to be introduced at the Appleton and Victoria Dock rail terminals. 

The Victorian Government is also supporting the Port Rail Shuttle Network connecting freight hubs in Melbourne’s north and west to the port, new intermodal terminals planned at Truganina and Beveridge, new automated signalling for faster rail freight to GeelongPort and improvements in the regional rail freight network.