Vaughan Constructions will master-plan and develop the hub and a business park for the Colin Rees Group and Amberly Management, owned by Griffith’s Morshead family. The company will also undertake similar work at the Ettamogah Rail Hub,15 kilometres north of Albury on the Hume Hwy.

The Widgelli Rail Hub and Business Park is situated on a 68-hectare site owned by the Morshead family. The first 30-hectare stage of development at Widgelli will include the design and construction of a new rail hub, rail sidings and over 100,000 square metres of warehouse space, hardstands and road networks; a construction value in excess of $80 million. 

The Widgelli Rail Hub received town planning approval in August last year. The Business Park will offer both ‘prelease’ and land and building packages for warehouse and cold storage buildings ranging from 2 500 square metres to 20,000 square metres in addition to container-rated hardstands.

Cameron Jackson, chief operating officer for the Colin Rees Group, said there was a large variety of potential users so the hub had to be flexible.

“We know that production costs have been squeezed to breaking point, so the focus of many producers, processors, retailers and exporters is the supply chain,” Mr Jackson said. “We saw a definite gap in the market, so we’ve teamed up with the Morsheads and Vaughans and we’re able to offer ‘short-line’ rail services in addition to conventional warehouse, cold storage and distribution facilities to our customers. Our ‘regional connect’ network can get your box from anywhere in the Riverina to any eastern seaboard port and even Perth via the Junee or Cootamundra connections.”

Mr Jackson said short-line rail had led to the revival of rail transport in the United States by providing the benefits from economies of scale to individual customers.

The first of two major stages at Widgelli are expected to be built in the next two years. It is expected rents and rates will be released later this month.