Planning intermodal and general logistics infrastructure for the future needs of Perth
This project consists of a suite of related research streams to support the Westport Taskforce in planning for the Outer Harbour at Kwinana and the associated road and rail links as part of the long term integrated transport plan for Western Australia.
Studies will include:
- analysis of aspects of intermodal systems to maximise the future use of short haul rail freight services;
- research into global supply chain trends which could affect the provision of industrial land use and freight transport services; and
- a targeted research component to trial the use of GPS fleet management data for use in an urban transport policy setting.
Participants
Background
The Westport: Port and Environs Strategy (Westport) will deliver an integrated strategy to meet freight and trade logistics for Perth and surrounding regions (including Bunbury) for the next 50-100 years. It will guide the planning, development and growth of the Port of Fremantle at the Inner and Outer Harbour, the required rail and road networks, and the opportunities for the Port of Bunbury to handle trade expansion.
Given the significance of Fremantle Port to the State’s economy Westport aims to provide increased certainty around the future of Fremantle’s Inner and Outer Harbour port facilities for port investors, communities and port users. Westport will also investigate how the Port of Bunbury may contribute to the freight task.
The planning process is intended to be broad based and will include investigating options for new container facilities for the Outer Harbour at Kwinana. This major long-term infrastructure development will have a profound impact on landside logistics patterns and industrial development throughout the metropolitan area. The opportunity arises for the development of logistics infrastructure including road and rail corridors and terminal facilities to ensure the most cost-efficient and environmentally sympathetic supply chains for businesses that depend on imports and exports.
The design and management of intermodal infrastructure will play a critical role in stimulating the feasibility and improved use of rail freight to and from any new port facility. Several aspects of this issue will be addressed in this project. Findings will inform and assist the Westport Taskforce that was established by the WA Government in September 2017.
Intermodal freight options provide significant community benefits (reduced road freight activity etc) and potential commercial benefits to freight users. However, short haul urban intermodal operations suffer from double handling costs which road transport does not face. Good design of terminal infrastructure, intermodal network integration and governance framework is essential if intermodal operations are to be a significant feature of the proposed new port.
The project aims to provide practical analysis of some clear options for policy makers to consider in the planning of intermodal facilities.
The project will also assess the impact of unfolding global trends in logistics and supply chains on the development of the port area and industrial zones throughout Perth.
The project also seeks to develop the systematic use, for public policy purposes, of freight transporters’ operational data already being generated via in-cab GPS monitoring systems.
This project will therefore consist of a number of separate streams undertaken by different teams within the PATREC research community, designed to feed a series of short, targeted reports into the Westport Taskforce planning process over the next two years (2018 and 2019).
The project components outlined here have been developed in consultation with the responsible State agencies and other stakeholders including the WA Department of Transport (DoT), WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH), Fremantle Ports Authority (FPA), Main Roads WA (MRWA) and the Freight and Logistics Council WA (FLCWA).
Project objectives
- Provide a series of targeted analyses of several aspects of intermodal system design and management to support the cost-effectiveness of rail and road freight in connection with the planning of new port facilities at the Outer Harbour, Kwinana, by the Westport Taskforce for Western Australia.
- Identify current commercial, technological and physical trends in global trade and logistics which will have an impact on the planning of industrial zones in Perth and of the freight corridors linking them with ports and other infrastructure.
- Trial the systematic use of private transport companies’ fleet GPS tracking data systems to address particular policy challenges within.
Project update – May 2019
- Field visit to NZ ports of Auckland and Tauranga to assess world’s best short-haul intermodal practice and its applicability to Australia, and Perth in particular.
- Preparation of reports into design and governance issues for planning new container ports and intermodal terminals in Western Australia.
- Combined assessment of container trade data and a WA Land Use database to estimate hypothetical demand for intermodal services at various locations across Perth.
- Presentation of YULO database capability to trucking industry forum presented by Western Roads Federation.
