The South Australian Government will invest $150,000 to deliver an Eyre Peninsula freight strategy and investigate options for upgrading the rail network.
SMEC Australia has been engaged to undertake the $150,000 transport study and business case development.
The rail study will investigate:
- The economic viability of the Eyre Peninsula rail network and examine the infrastructure investment required to upgrade the network to support future rail freight operations
- The potential to rejuvenate the existing rail network to meet export needs, modelling the cost of alternative supply chain options, and the impact of proposed regional port infrastructure projects
- Freight infrastructure proposals currently under consideration for Eyre Peninsula that have the potential to impact future grain volumes on the existing rail network
- The current lower and central Eyre Peninsula freight task across all major industries and identify the optimal modal mix for the Eyre Peninsula
The strategic investigation will form part of the broader freight study encompassing the lower and central Eyre Peninsula including rail, road and port infrastructure.
The final SMEC Australia report is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018.
The need to investigate rail improvements on the Eyre Peninsula is identified in the State Government’s Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan.
