Negative view of rail in the bush unfounded: POTA

By Sam Collyer

POTA state manager Dan Coulton said the announced closure of Asciano's Camellia intermodal terminal in Sydney was an example of the sort of “bad press” regional and rural customers were factoring in when deciding on the most reliable choice of mode.

“People now ask me ‘is rail a long-term solution?’ and ‘are you going to be here [long-term]?’” Coulton said.

The “trial by media” had discouraged regional and rural customers from committing to rail operations and made road transport look far more attractive.

“Some of the statements that have had air-time have put a few questions in people’s minds – we want to show people that it isn’t gloom-and-doom, there are positives – we’ve made it work,” he said.

POTA secured another regional rail contract servicing Agrigrain in Narromine two months ago, with the service to call twice a week until November when an additional weekly service will commence.

The contract is for 12,000 teu of exports each year.

The biggest challenges for rail typically emerge hundreds of kilometres down the track, right at the end of the journey to Sydney.

“There’s competition in Sydney between the passenger and freight network, but that’s not insurmountable – it just comes down to planning,” Mr Coulton said.

“As a rail operator, you have your windows and you know what your pathing schedules are and you stick to those paths - you can get in and out of the port all right so long as the stevedores dedicate the infrastructure to it.

“The rail solution is the solution,” he added.

Source: Lloyd’s List Daily Commercial News – www.lloydslistdcn.com.au