Article: Ettamogah rail hub on track for success

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Ettamogah rail hub on track for success

Ettamogah rail hub on track for success
By DAVID JOHNSTON July 26, 2013, midnight

ETTAMOGAH rail hub has secured one of its most significant contracts since being established in 2009.

It has clinched two more weekly services from Albury to Brisbane after securing deals to shift 100,000 tonnes of freight annually from three major locally-based manufacturers, Mountain H20, Norske Skog and Mars Petcare.

The hub also operates a freight service for import and export products between Albury and Melbourne, but the additional services to Brisbane was justification of a $10 million investment in the facility by owner Colin Rees.

One service previously operated between Albury and Brisbane and a second had already started with the third to begin in coming months.

They run on Tuesday and Friday with the company considering expanding its workforce of five to meet the additional demand.

Mr Rees said the rail service would shift the equivalent volume of freight as 3000 trucks.

"Rail hasn't had a strong track record for reliability," he said.

"But this will certainly improve that no end.

"Also the regions haven't been serviced well by rail. It is only in recent times the issues with road are substantial in the areas of compliance, fuel and drivers.

"It gives rail an opportunity to come into the freight arena with a lot stronger offering.

"But the bottom line is you are still going to be judged on how you perform."

Freight trains, sometimes 1.5-kilometres long, pull into Ettamogah and are gone again within 30 minutes.

"We aim to do a grand prix stop," he said.

"From the time the train stops, picks up its wagons and is gone again is about 20 to 25 minutes."
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Mountain H20, Norske Skog and Mars Petcare made the switch to rail since the opening of the Ettamogah hub.

It is located adjacent to the Hume Freeway and has sidings with direct access onto the main interstate rail line between Melbourne and Sydney.

Albury Council economic development director Tracey Squire said its development of the Nexus industrial precinct at Ettamogah was acknowledgement of the hub's key role in driving economic growth.

"The growth in demand for services is testimony that this is a prime location for servicing intermodal freight," she said.