Grant Gilfillan addresses key business representatives at CEDA Conference

Sydney Ports Chief Executive Mr Grant Gilfillan emphasised that intermodal terminals are a vital element of the logistics chain necessary to transport goods to or from the ports. With the delivery of the expansion of Port Botany well underway to cater for the doubling of trade from current levels by 2020, intermodals will play an even more important role in the delivery of goods to and from the port.

The movement of container freight to and from the port is as big an issue as the capacity for the port itself. Currently 85 per cent of all containers destined for Sydney are delivered within 40 kilometres of Port Botany.

Therefore there is a need for a spread of intermodal terminals across the broader Sydney metropolitan area to enable better use of rail from the port, with final delivery of containers or cargo by road to areas not serviced by rail.

The Sydney Ports Intermodal Logistics Centre (ILC) at Enfield and the Cooks River site form part of the network of intermodal terminals that will help to cater for this growth in trade and the efficient delivery of goods.

The approved Enfield ILC is located on a dedicated freight rail line and close to the market where goods are distributed and has the capacity to service this demand.

It will also assist with the goal of achieving 40 per cent rail mode share targeted for containers to and from Port Botany. 

The Cooks River site is also a Sydney Ports intermodal facility. This 17 hectare property currently has storage capacity of 10,500 TEU’s with plans to increase capacity in the future. The site is strategically placed in close proximity to Port Botany located on the Botany Freight Line and with access to the wider rail network. Cooks River provides for 20 per cent of empty container storage in Sydney which assists with the efficient movement of containers throughout the metropolitan area via rail.

 Click here to read more about the Enfield ILC.