Freight intermodal terminal systems for port of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney

Abstract

This report presents comparison of intermodal network capacities for Ports of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and how these ports are planning to meet their future demand prediction. In Queensland and New South Wales, there are obvious regions for economic growth and rapid urban development. In Queensland, South East Queensland region has been identified as the region for fast economic, industrial, residential and urban developments. In the past 20 years, urbanisation in Sydney has moved to Central West Sydney, Western Sydney and South West Sydney. In Victoria, the Victoria Government adopts the policy to manage growth to ensure sustainability for all urban and rural areas. Melbourne is planning the capacity of its metropolitan and surrounding areas to absorb estimated of 620,000 extra households over the next 30 years while protecting and enhancing existing suburbs. The Australian Government Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics estimated that Australian ports that serve containerised cargoes in major capital cities including Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney would handle the increase demand in containerised cargoes between 100 % and 300 % by 2025 compared with the current containerised cargoes handled by these ports in 2004/05. Most Australian major container ports are currently planning their port capacities to meet these estimates. Container ports face similar problems such as limited port lands, limited intermodal terminals, port access congestion, environmental issues, etc. Topics to be discussed and compared in this report include: • Estimated demand for future containerised cargoes • Port facilities • Plans for freight terminals at port precincts • Road and rail accessibility to ports • Road and rail freight networks • Current port-freight intermodal terminal networks • Road and rail network infrastructure to support freight movements including AusLink networks • Plans for future demand including; o Future port capacity o Future intermodal terminals o Future road and rail acces