A state-of-the-art rail hub has been given the green light just outside of Griffith.
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The Widgelli Rail Hub development application (DA) was passed unanimously by Griffith City Council on Tuesday night.
The development is expected to significantly reduce the number of trucks on Banna Avenue and the number of trains running through the middle of the city.
The project will be developed by the Colin Rees Group, a freight company which also owns and operates a similar facility at Ettamogah near Albury.
The privately funded development will include two long sidings and a modern container handling facility, according to Colin Rees’ chief operating officer Cameron Jackson.
The location was chosen above several in the area in part because of the presence of existing utilities such as power, telephone, water and gas.
“It is a clean and quiet operation, unlike the traditional rail rubs people are familiar with throughout the region,” Mr Jackson said.
“We see the growing freight volumes from the Riverina benefiting from a modern facility and the planned business park that will be part of this development.”
The Widgelli Business Park was planned to be adjacent to the rail hub and would be a joint venture with the Amberley Group.
Amberley Group director and spokesman Chris Morshead was excited the project was given the go-ahead.
“The Amberley Group is very pleased to be involved in this venture with the Colin Rees Group and we have no doubt this facility will provide massive business opportunities for the district and will be a domestically and internationally renowned operation,” Mr Morshead said.
“The rail hub will be strategically complimented by the development of the Widgelli Business Park with stage one comprising of about 80 hectares of land for businesses wishing to access and integrate with the hub.
“The DA process has been very intensive and the fact Griffith City Council passed the DA unanimously reiterates their full and unwavering support for this project.”
The land for the rail hub and business park was part of the Morshead family farm and Mr Morshead said he had no problem continuing to farm right next to the new development.
“We have no qualms with our ability to co-exist with this, I actually think they’ll complement each other very nicely,” he said.
Some neighbouring property owners had raised objections to the development application, citing noise and traffic as major concerns.
In a letter to Griffith City Council dated May 25, the Hill, McFarlane, and Bassett families said they feared shunting and crane noise had not been addressed in the DA.
The 2012 flooding of Mirrool Creek was also cited and the authors were concerned about water supply and drainage.
Mr Morshead said the concerns raised by his neighbours had been addressed by way of conditions of approval.
“We are supremely confident there will be no adverse impacts on adjacent landholders now or into the future,” Mr Morshead said.
Grain Link managing director Paul Pearsall, who was involved in the nearby Wumbulgal intermodal freight terminal project, also objected to the Widgelli DA and said it was planned for the wrong location.
Addressing council, Mr Pearsall said the Wumbulgal site was a superior location.
However, the DA did receive support from Griffith Business Chamber.
Chamber president Paul Pierotti described the project as a vote of confidence in the Griffith local government area and believed it would signal to other enterprises that Griffith was open for business.
Similarly MC Croker managing director Greg Carroll wrote of his support for the Widgelli project and said the facility would be a great asset not only to Griffith but the broader region as well.
A key to the success of the project, according to Mr Jackson, was the development of US-style short line rail, which would see small local terminals across the region used as extensions of the main rail service.
“It will bring rail to the customer,” Mr Jackson said.
“The concept is new to Australia but has been behind the revival of rail freight in the US.
“It will tackle one of the costs currently inhibiting the use of rail – the pick up and delivery cost in getting freight to rail.”
The short line service would be operated by Regional Connect, a part of the Colin Rees Group, allowing disused rail lines to reopen.
“Short lines ‘hub’ freight to the main lines where passing rail freight services collect the wagons for delivery to their destinations,” he said.
“As Griffith is on a spur line which joins the main lines at Junee and Cootamundra, it means freight can collected at Widgelli and other locations along the spur line and ‘hubbed’ to the main line.
“Regional Connect will also look at ways of reopening or reinvigorating disused rail links such as the Whitton line from Yanco Junction.”