Significant investment and job generator during COVID economic recovery
With 60 percent of construction of St Marys Freight Hub in the heart of Western Sydney complete, Pacific National and ACFS Port Logistics today made a joint donation of $60,000 for a new community children’s playground at St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church.
Member for Londonderry Ms Prue Car MP was guest of honour at the donation ceremony.
The new church playground will be open for all the community to enjoy with the outdoor facility including soft-fall flooring and sensory play equipment.
Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah acknowledged the importance of ongoing support from community and local business groups towards the development of St Marys Freight Hub.
“Community and business groups are excited how the freight hub will allow people to live and work in the region, leading to more time spent with family and pursuing local activities as opposed to a return commute of 130 kilometres each day between Western Sydney and Port Botany.
“Eighty on-site jobs have been generated since construction commenced in November last year, while in the future local businesses and trades will benefit from increased commercial activity associated with the new freight hub,” he said.
Once fully operational, St Marys Freight Hub will take up to 80,000 truck trips off Sydney’s congested motorways and roads each year, while 175 skilled jobs will be created in Western Sydney, as part of a combined investment value between Pacific National and ACFS Port Logistics of up to $100 million.
The freight hub allows up to 300,000 shipping containers filled with a variety of essential goods and commodities to be hauled by rail from Port Botany to St Marys each year.
Mr Scurrah said a central tenet shared by both Pacific National and ACFS Port Logistics is to be closely connected and involved with the communities in which the businesses operate.
“St Marys Freight Hub is more than just a site for our two companies to conduct freight and logistics operations – it will help attract, anchor and grow commercial enterprises and related job opportunities in the district and wider region for decades to come,” he said.
Pacific National has partnered with Australia’s largest privately owned container logistics operator, ACFS Port Logistics, which will manage and operate the St Marys Freight Hub.
ACFS will also 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 Chairman Terry 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 a 15-kilometre radius of the new intermodal facility.
“There are enormous opportunities to unlock the full potential of St Marys Freight Hub with future development allowing unpacking of containers onsite, storage of goods, and then rapid distribution for B2B and e-Commerce. The logistics opportunities are unparalleled in Western Sydney,” he said.
Mr Tzaneros said the strategically located 43-hectare freight 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 and roads.
“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,” he said.
ENDS
Interesting history fact
The bricks used to build St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church (one of the oldest churches in NSW) were made from clay sourced at the original Dunheved Estate – the site which includes the new St Marys Freight Hub.
