New construction and freight jobs in the heart of Western Sydney

Significant investment and job generator during COVID economic recovery

Up to 80,000 truck trips will be taken off Sydney’s congested motorways each year, while 235 jobs will be created in Western Sydney, as part of a combined investment value of up to $100 million to shift freight off the city’s road network and onto rail.

NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney and Member for Penrith the Hon. Stuart Ayres MP was today the guest of honour at a sod turning ceremony to mark the milestone of major construction of a new freight hub in the heart of Western Sydney.

The new freight hub will allow shipping containers to be hauled by freight trains from Port Botany to St Marys rather than transported by thousands of truck trips on busy Sydney motorways.

Pacific National’s CEO Dean Dalla Valle said St Marys Freight Hub will shift up to 301,000 shipping containers onto rail each year, removing up to 80,000 truck trips off Sydney’s congested motorways annually, helping to improve road safety and the daily commute of thousands of motorists.

“By shifting more freight onto rail between Port Botany and Western Sydney, the number of truck trips on the congested M4 and M5 motorways will be reduced by 8.7 million kilometres each year – that’s equivalent to 23 (one-way) truck trips to the moon,” he said.

Mr Dalla Valle said St Marys Freight Hub will allow more people to live and work locally, rather than commuting around 130 kilometres each day between Western Sydney and Port Botany.

“With Western Sydney’s population forecast to grow by another 1.7 million people by 2036, freight will be in high demand as will the need for new skilled employment in the region,” he said.

Mr Dalla Valle said the project will also play an important role in helping to boost the NSW economy as it recovers from the deep shocks of the coronavirus crisis.

“With the COVID-19 global pandemic creating the most testing employment conditions since the Great Depression, the St Marys Freight Hub will create 60 construction jobs during the peak construction phase and 175 skilled jobs once fully up and running,” he said.

Pacific National has partnered with port logistics operator ACFS who will manage and operate the St Marys Freight Hub and deliver shipping containers the ‘last mile’ by truck to retail and wholesale customers at surrounding warehouses and distribution centres in Western Sydney.

ACFS Port Logistics Managing Director and CEO Arthur Tzaneros said St Marys Freight Hub was ideally located to process large volumes of containerised freight, with many of Australia’s major retailers and wholesalers operating national warehousing and distribution centres within 15 kilometres of the new intermodal facility.

“Imported shipping containers will be hauled from Port Botany to St Marys Freight Hub by train and transported to nearby warehouses and distribution centres by truck.

“There are enormous opportunities to unlock the full potential of the Hub with future development of the site to enable unpacking of containers onsite, storage of goods, and then rapid distribution for B2B and e-Commerce. The opportunities are unparalleled in Western Sydney,” he said.

Mr Tzaneros said St Marys Freight Hub will be a game changer for commercial and industrial areas and facilities in Western Sydney where many large-scale customer warehouses and distribution centres are located.

“The strategically located 43-hectare hub – initially 10-hectares in size – will increase reliability and cost efficiency of freight movements for ACFS customers. It is located outside of Sydney’s road toll zone and will help ensure freight deliveries are not delayed in traffic congestion on the city’s motorways,” he said.

Mr Tzaneros said contents of shipping containers include everything from fresh, refrigerated and tinned food, groceries, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, building products, and household items like whitegoods, electronics and furniture.

ENDS

Benefits of St Marys Freight Hub

Investment, employment and strategic location

• Combined investment by Pacific National and ACFS valued at up to $100 million (i.e. terminal construction, rollingstock, land value etc).
• Hub will support 60 construction jobs and a further 175 full-time operational jobs, including train and truck drivers, reach stacker and forklift operators, administration roles, and local traineeships.
• Hub strategically located in large catchment area for national warehouses and distribution centres operated by many of Australia’s major retailers, wholesalers and logistic companies, including Coles, Bunnings, Ikea, Nestle, Big W, Kmart, Goodyear, DB Schenker and DHL.

Development details and freight train services

• Construction of the Hub has commenced, and weather and COVID permitting, phase one of the project is forecast to be fully operational in H2 2021.
• First stage of development will cover approximately 10-hectares of the 43-hectare Pacific National site, including seven hectares for an intermodal terminal and three hectares for an empty shipping container park which will be able to store up to 7,500 boxes.
• Building work will involve construction of hardstand and pavement areas, existing rail siding upgrades, internal access roads, operational building and facilities and vehicle parking.
• Pending future local and state planning approvals, St Marys Freight Hub has potential for extensive warehouse development.
• Hub will facilitate up to five freight train services between Port Botany and St Marys each day. Each 600-metre long freight train service has the capacity to transport 87 shipping containers (equivalent to approximately 40 B-double truck trips).

Alignment with key government plans and initiatives

• St Marys Freight Hub development aligns with numerous state and federal plans and strategies, notably the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy (August 2019), NSW Freight and Ports Plan (2018-2023), NSW Government’s A Metropolis of Three Cities – The Greater Sydney Region Plan, and Australian Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.

About Pacific National

• Employs more than 3,200 people across Australia, including approximately 2,200 workers in New South Wales. Operations in every state and territory in mainland Australia (no operations in Tasmania).
• Owns and operates numerous depots, terminals and maintenance facilities across Australia. Key sites in NSW include Sydney Freight Terminal, Chullora; Parkes Logistics Terminal, Central West; Kooragang Island and Port Waratah, Newcastle.
• 340 customers across Australia, running approximately 800 freight train services across the country each week. Hauls 850,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) shipping containers each year.
• Hauls food (fresh, refrigerated and dry/canned), grain, cotton, coal (thermal and coking), mineral ore, steel, household items, fuel, chemicals, electronics, solar panels, medical and pharmaceutical supplies, furniture, cars, and heavy machinery and parts.

About ACFS Port Logistics

• ACFS is the largest privately-owned container logistics operator in Australia, employing more than 1,200 people nationally – approximately 400 in NSW alone.
• Since it commenced operations in 2005, the ACFS vision has been to create one of Australia’s premier transport, warehousing, port-to-door supply chain solution providers, integrating with shipping lines, freight forwarders, direct importers and exporters.
• ACFS moves more than 1.2 million twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) containers annually with a record for safe and efficient operations.
• ACFS key infrastructure sites are strategically positioned nationally, to ensure their operations are dynamic and efficient. They have long-standing established clients in Western Sydney and will relocate the majority of their operations from Port Botany to the St Marys Freight Hub.