The Victorian Government has officially opened the new $17.5 million Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal.

 

Deputy Premier and Minister for regional and Rural Development, Peter Ryan, attended the official completion of works at the facility, which is set to relieve supply chain bottlenecks in the rail and port handling facilities of the state.

 

It will also overcome the constraints that have existed with the ageing terminal in the middle of Horsham and pave the way for even better infrastructure to support the movement of containerised exports and bulk grain through a bulk loading facility also to be built at the site,” Mr Ryan said.

 

The facility was jointly funded by the State Government ($9.3 million), local councils ($1 million), the private sector ($660,000) and the Federal Government ($6.5 million).

  

Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the modernisation of the Interstate Rail Network was central to Federal Government’s broader efforts to lift productivity, curb harmful carbon emissions and take the pressure off the nation's highways.

 

Within five to six years it's expected the new facility will be able to process up to 18,600 containers—more than twice the capacity of the existing Horsham facility.