Question On Notice No. 128 asked in the Legislative Council on 15 August 2017 by Hon Tjorn Sibma
Question Directed to the: Minister for Environment representing the Minister for Transport
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the McGowan Government's commitment to increase the freight-on-rail subsidy from $30 to $50 per Twenty foot Equivalent Unit to take more than 36,000 truck movements off suburban roads, and ask:
(a) is road and rail transport required for the purpose of keeping the Fremantle Inner Harbour as a working port;
(b) if yes to (a), can the current road and rail systems meet expected demand of increased volumes;
(c) if no to (a), will there be a need for significant capital investment in transport links to the Inner Harbour and, if so, does the Government have an estimate of that cost; and
(d) what is the current rail container volume as a proportion of total port traffic?
Answered on 12 September 2017
(a) Yes
(b) A number of upgrades are planned to ensure the current road system remains able to meet the expected demands from port and general traffic growth, including: upgrade of the intersection of Stirling Highway and High Street; and upgrade of High Street from Stirling Highway to Carrington Road. The Government is working with industry to determine how to best enhance the efficiency of the port freight rail system.
(c) Not applicable
(d) 15.2 per cent of total container port volumes was moved by rail in 2016-17.