SUBMISSION RE: THE DRAFT GREATER NEWCASTLE FUTURE TRANSPORT PLAN FEBRUARY 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 2. THE NEED TO RECOGNISE AND PROTECT FREIGHT CORRIDORS 4 3. FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT GREATER NEWCASTLE FUTURE TRANSPORT PLAN 6 4. THE NEED TO PLAN FOR ROAD AND RAIL FREIGHT GROWTH 9 5. CONCLUSION 12 ATTACHMENT A - OVERVIEW OF THE PORT OF NEWCASTLE 13 ATTACHMENT B - THE PORT’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE REGIONAL ECONOMY 15 ATTACHMENT C - PORT OF NEWCASTLE MAP 16 © Port of Newcastle February 2018 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Protecting port land and road and rail supply chains from urban enroachment is critical to enable future growth in port-related industries and the economic benefits and jobs that they deliver to our regional NSW communities. I welcome the opportunity to respond to the Draft Protecting port land and road and rail supply chains Greater Newcastle Future Transport Plan. from urban enroachment is critical to enable future growth in port-related industries and the economic This submission addresses the following topics: benefits and jobs that they deliver to our regional • The Port of Newcastle’s contribution to the NSW communities. regional economy • The need to recognise and protect freight The Port is only operating at 50% capacity. The corridors significant capacity that exists within the Port’s land • The need to plan for freight growth within road and shipping channel and the road and rail supply and rail transport planning chains that service the Port are not just a strategic advantage, but a great opportunity for NSW. Port of Newcastle (PON) has also made a submission to the Draft Future Transport 2056 Strategy which Utilising Newcastle’s existing port and supply chain provides feedback on the overarching Draft NSW infrastructure will deliver cost savings to the NSW Future Transport Strategy. Please refer to PON’s Government, cargo owners and the broader Future Transport Submission for further information. community. The Port of Newcastle is Australia’s third largest port. PON’s plans include the development of a large scale It services a large part of the state including the container terminal at the Mayfield Site, alongside the Hunter region, the central west and the north, continued growth of bulk trades including coal, providing cargo owners with efficient and cost wheat and fuel. effective export and import facilities and access to growing Asian markets. Over the coming decades, the Port’s expansion will have a flow-on benefit across our community, from The Port is a significant economic driver for cargo owners exporting their produce to families Newcastle and the Hunter region as well as NSW. Port purchasing imported retail goods. activity alone currently contributes around $1.6 billion to Gross Regional Product and 9,240 full time We were pleased to see Newcastle acknowledged as equivalent jobs to the region per annum. The Port’s one of three Global Gateway cities and supported by considerable capacity for growth provides the a region specific transport plan to drive transport opportunity for further investment and employment objectives and customer outcomes. for our region. The growth of freight within the Port and throughout This does not include the economic contribution of the road and rail supply chain must be considered in the production of port cargoes, including coal and transport planning. wheat, which contribute many additional billions in direct and flow on economic impact and tens of Geoff Crowe thousands of additional jobs to the economy. Chief Executive Officer, Port of Newcastle 3 THE NEED TO RECOGNISE AND PROTECT FREIGHT CORRIDORS This Plan needs to acknowledge that a broad state-wide network of road and rail funnels through Newcastle. The Plan needs to consider how it will manage urban amenity and networks which are shared between passengers and freight (as outlined on pages 6-8). The Port of Newcastle has excellent access and the existing ARTC track to the Inland Rail at connectivity to the national highway and the Parkes, helping prevent the loss of NSW trade extensive rail networks linked to capital cities and its to Brisbane and Melbourne. regional catchment. The Port has direct road access for heavy vehicles The Port of Newcastle has direct rail access to: via Industrial Drive and Cormorant Road to the M1 • the national Australian Rail Track Corporation Motorway, the Pacific Highway and the New England (ARTC) network via the North South Rail Highway. All berths in the Port of Newcastle are B Corridor, connecting the Port to Brisbane, Double accessible. Sydney and Melbourne, and • the Hunter Valley Rail Network, connecting The above rail and road corridors are key to current the Port to the Hunter Valley and Western and future port and industrial activity and need to be NSW. The Port will also have a direct link via protected from urban encroachment. KEY RAIL & ROAD CORRIDORS 4 THE NEED TO RECOGNISE AND PROTECT FREIGHT CORRIDORS (CONTINUED) KEY RAIL NETWORKS THE AUSTRALIAN RAIL TRACK CORPORATION (ARTC) HUNTER VALLEY NETWORK The ARTC Hunter Valley Network consists of more than 1,000 kilometres of track, extending to Parkes via Dubbo in the Central West of NSW to North Star in the far north of the state. In 2016 the Hunter Valley network hauled around 37 billion gross tonne kilometres, which is equivalent to 132,000 B Triple movements. The ARTC network has ample capacity for new freight. For example, it offers grain growers from Moree to Newcastle the opportunity to double or triple payloads. The ARTC network can run heavier, longer grain trains than ever before: • Grain trains: 1,200-1,350m or 70+ wagons long. • Coal trains: 1,800m or 90+ wagons long. CONNECTIONS TO THE INLAND RAIL The Port of Newcastle will be the first port North Star to be connected to the Inland Rail. This is an Moree opportunity for New South Wales to retain trade which could otherwise be lost to Victoria Narrabri or Brisbane when inland rail connections to Coffs Harbour Melbourne and Brisbane Ports are complete. Tamworth Narromine Dubbo Parkes PORT OF NEWCASTLE Bathurst Sydney Stockinbingal Wollongong Pictured: The proposed Inland Rail and connections to the Port of Newcastle. 5 FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT GREATER NEWCASTLE FUTURE TRANSPORT PLAN It is pleasing to see Newcastle acknowledged as one of NSW’s three Global Gateway cities with a PON supports the proactive supporting region specific Transport Plan to drive management of urban interface with transport objectives and customer outcomes. the port and transport corridors to The Greater Newcastle Transport Vision ensure sustainable operations and The Plan should ensure there is greater alignment protection from urban encroachment. between TfNSW’s transport plans, the Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Plan and Port of Newcastle’s Recognition of the Port’s economic (PON) master planning for future growth. value and operational requirements in Government strategies and plans To leverage off investment in Newcastle’s improved is critical. public transport network (Light Rail and Interchange), an extension to the ferry network should be considered by the NSW Government. For example, the Government may wish to invest in new initiatives outlined in the draft Plan to provide for public ferry wharf infrastructure at Dyke Point to the efficient movement of freight through the region facilitate a ‘special events’ ferry. by ensuring freight connections along major highways to the Port of Newcastle to meet the In recognising the importance of freight, PON would existing and future demand. like to see greater emphasis on the proactive management of urban interface with the Port and Some specific comments regarding these are transport corridors to ensure sustainable operations provided below: and protection from issues of urban encroachment. Recognition of the Port’s economic value and Lower Hunter Freight Corridor operational requirements in Government strategies The identification and protection of the Lower Hunter and plans is critical. Freight Corridor is an important task to be completed in the next ten years. The Plan notes (P28): “As Greater Newcastle and its catchment grows in population and freight This corridor will link the Main North line between throughput, traffic congestion issues along key Hexham and Fassifern, providing a bypass of the corridors will worsen. This will make it increasingly Newcastle metropolitan area. Importantly it will difficult to travel, reducing Greater Newcastle’s alleviate current urban amenity issues in Newcastle ability to function and grow as a vibrant Global and allow separation of passenger and freight trains Gateway City.” for a small portion of the route. PON supports the proactive management of urban However, PON notes that on its own this project does interface with the Port and transport corridors to not create any additional capacity on the Main North ensure sustainable operations and protection from Line for either freight or passenger services, and will urban encroachment. not address pinch points for congestion. We note that Cormorant Road, Tourle Street, Port of Newcastle supports this initiative of the NSW Industrial Drive and Hannell Street are key urban Government, as it addresses urban amenity issues, corridors. Industrial Drive and Cormorant Road are but stresses that this is not a project that supports also key freight corridors. economic development. In this regard PON supports the establishment of a Improvements to Main North Line secondary feeder corridor (e.g. enhanced ferry and Improvements to the Main North Line through the bus options) between the Newcastle city centre and Northern Sydney Freight Corridor (NSFC) Program Stockton to offset the volume of domestic traffic aims to improve freight train capacity and reliability traversing Kooragang Island, as identified by the between Strathfield and Broadmeadow (Newcastle map on page 34. Junction). The NSW Freight and Ports Plan identified Stage 2 of the NSFC Program as an initiative for PON supports the policy, service and infrastructure investigation in the 0 -10 year period.