Statement: Committee to examine future freight task

[ozbob]

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Scott Emerson

Committee to examine future freight task

A Queensland Parliamentary committee will investigate how to get more regional freight on to trains.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson today asked the Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee to investigate and report on options and incentives that ensure the agricultural and livestock industry make better use of rail.

"Our draft strategy Moving Freight, released in June, delivers a blueprint for better infrastructure and planning to meet a growing demand for freight movements in the coming decade," Mr Emerson said.

"I've asked the committee to take a closer look at the operational needs of the industry to ensure we can meet the goals set out in the strategy.

"We are already taking steps to prepare for the future by having additional train lines for the Darling Downs, providing more agricultural train services and opening up routes for safer classes of heavy vehicles.

"I'll be calling on peak bodies like AgForce, Queensland Farmers Federation, Cane Growers Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, GrainCorp, Cotton Australia and operators such as Queensland Rail, Aurizon and Pacific National to contribute to this investigation."

Freight volumes across Queensland are forecast to increase from 881 million tonnes in 2010 to 1,550 million tonnes in 2021.

The committee has been asked to:

    Identify opportunities to enhance coordination and collaboration across government, transport industry and primary producers about rail freight;
    Provide future direction for enhancing the utilisation of the rail system for the freight needs of primary producers including future volume, nature, timing and frequency for freight;
    Identify the characteristics of the future transport system for primary producer freight needs;
    Identify a broad range of options, including appropriate risk sharing amongst supply chain participants, for delivering freight solutions for primary producers;
    Optimise the capacity and performance of the rail system for freight;
    Plan a rail system that is positioned to exploit future freight, particularly export opportunities;
    Develop sustainable long-term solutions for freight movement by rail for the agriculture and livestock industry.

The Committee will report to the Parliament by mid 2014.

The draft Moving Freight strategy which identifies 38 actions which would support the resources, agriculture, construction and tourism sectors, is due to be finalised shortly.

[Fares_Fair]

I have a solution - rail duplication from Beerburrum to Nambour will fix the greatest freight choke points in the 1668km from Brisbane to Cairns.


Yep, agree!
Optimise the capacity and performance of the rail system for freight;

[ozbob]

I have a solution - rail duplication from Beerburrum to Nambour will fix the greatest freight choke points in the 1668km from Brisbane to Cairns.

[#Metro]

I have a solution - rail duplication from Beerburrum to Nambour will fix the greatest freight choke points in the 1668km from Brisbane to Cairns.

Nah, we need another TUNNEL, with tolls on it to boot 
Freight trains would carry eTag and be tolled as they passed through various sections of the line. 

[Stillwater]

I just ran this quote through the polliespeak translation machine:

"I'll be calling on peak bodies like AgForce, Queensland Farmers Federation, Cane Growers Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, GrainCorp, Cotton Australia and operators such as Queensland Rail, Aurizon and Pacific National to contribute to this investigation."

The translation reads:

"Labor has left us with a big black hole of debt, which we have to pay back.  Whatever the solution, a Newman Government will be seeking financial contributions from rail freight users and operators, such as AgForce, the Queensland Farmers Federation, Cane Growers Australia, Meat and Livestock Australia, GrainCorp, Cotton Australia and especially Queensland Rail, Aurizon and Pacific National to contribute to the cost of the freight network improvements recommended by the Parliamentary Committee."