Riverina Intermodal Freight & Logistics Hub-rifl and wagga wagga special activation precinct-sap  

Updated July 2022

The development of the Riverina Intermodal Freight & Logistics (RiFL) Hub will enhance the effective and efficient movement of freight to and from national and international markets for regional businesses and products.

The project involves the construction of new major rail and road infrastructure and a freight terminal on 80 hectares of land at Bomen Business Park. The RiFL Hub will consist of rail infrastructure, installation of turnouts off the Main Southern Railway Line, as well as an intermodal terminal for the transfer of containers between road and rail development and adjoining industrial land development.

The RiFL Hub is incorporated in the Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct.

The RiFL Hub will be completed in 3 stages.

Stage 1 of the Project, the Bomen Enabling Roads project ($35M), which improved the Higher Mass Limit (HML) road network was completed and officially opened in November 2017.

The supporting road network consists of:

• Stage 1 of the Riverina Intermodal Freight & Logistics Hub (RiFL) project, the Bomen Enabling Roads project ($35M), which improved the Higher Mass Limit (HML) road network was completed and officially opened in November 2017.

• The Eunony Bridge upgrade ($10.6M) which provides a new route for HML vehicles, avoiding the CBD and reducing travel time. Construction was completed and the bridge opened in September 2020.

• Construction of a concrete intersection connecting the terminal site and industrial subdivision to the existing Merino Road roundabout.

Stage 2 of the project includes the construction of rail siding and signalling works, funded through the NSW Government Fixing Country Rail Program, and intermodal terminal infrastructure required to load and unload freight on the main southern rail network between Melbourne and Sydney.

The new 4.9km rail siding that will connect the Main Southern Railway to the future Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics (RiFL) Hub at Bomen in Wagga Wagga completed in December 2021. This will enable freight trains to safely load and unload improving the import and export of local produce to the rest of the country and the world.

Stage 2 also includes construction of:

• Installation of turnouts off the Main Southern Railway Line to facilitate construction of the RIFL Hub Master Siding

• Intermodal terminal for the transfer of containers between road and rail development

Stage 3 of RiFL – the Bomen Industrial Precinct adjacent to RiFL consisting of a 60 hectares industrial subdivision, RiFL Road and associated services and fibre to the premises within the existing Bomen Industrial Park - has grant funding of $29.2M from the State Government’s Growing Local Economies fund. Work is underway on Stage 3 of the project with stormwater and sewer complete; and electrical, potable water services, street lighting and NBN fibre network being installed.

Visy Logistics will operate and manage the RiFL Hub terminal and master siding under a Public Private Partnership with Wagga Wagga City Council. Visy Logistics is expected to commence operations at the RiFL Hub terminal in October 2022.

The RiFL Hub is incorporated in the Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct.

The Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct

In 2019, the State Government designated the Bomen Industrial Park as a Special Activation Precinct (SAP). Special Activation Precincts will be delivered as part of the $4.2B Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund and the Wagga Wagga SAP incorporates the RiFL Hub. The Wagga Wagga Special Activation Precinct Master Plan came into effect on 21 May 2021.

The Wagga Wagga SAP will capitalise on the inland rail, and focus on advanced manufacturing, agribusiness, and freight & logistics. Key elements of a SAP include: faster and easier planning processes, government-led development in some locations, investment in infrastructure, coordinated land-use and infrastructure planning and business concierge services to help businesses start up in the Special Activation Precinct.

In November 2020 the NSW Government announced $20.6 million in funding for the SAP. The NSW Government announced a further $137 million in funding for the design and building of the precinct in May 2021. This will fund the supporting infrastructure including roads, sewer, water and electricity services allowing business to access the precinct sooner.

The Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation is responsible for the delivery of the Wagga Wagga SAP in line with the Activation Precincts SEPP and the Wagga Wagga SAP Master Plan. The draft Delivery Plan was released in March 2022 and feedback received will help inform the final delivery plan.

Wagga Wagga City Council recently announced the strategic acquisition of 250 hectares of land in the precinct to assist in the future development.

Background

The development of a modern, efficient and strategically located freight hub at Wagga Wagga will strengthen the regional economy and create opportunities for businesses looking to relocate from metropolitan areas and establish in regional NSW. 

Stage 1 of the project, construction of the necessary infrastructure and road network to enable the RIFL Hub, was completed in 2017. Stage 2 of the project involves the development of rail infrastructure required to load and unload freight travelling along the line linking Melbourne and Sydney. Stage 3 of the project consists of the Bomen Industrial Precinct.

The RIFL Hub will deliver the following benefits to Wagga Wagga and the broader region: 

• Enable regional businesses to trade more effectively with national and international markets through access to cost effective transport and logistics. 

• Reduce road freight movements within the Wagga Wagga central business area and establish a central distribution point within the Bomen Business Park. 

• Reduce carbon emissions by encouraging more freight to be moved on rail. 

• Improve the efficiency of the transport and logistics industry by reducing operating costs. 

• Encourage commercial development within the Bomen Business Park through the potential to attract businesses seeking greenfield industrial sites adjacent to a cost effective transport hub. 

The RIFL Hub will benefit from Wagga Wagga’s advantageous location at the junction point of the Sturt and Olympic Highways and mid-point on the railway line linking Sydney and Melbourne. More than 41 million tonnes of freight is moved annually between NSW and Victoria, and 6 million tonnes is moved between NSW and South Australia, figures that are projected to double by 2030. In addition, rail freight volumes moving between Melbourne and Brisbane will rise significantly as the Inland Rail route is established and completed over the next 10 years. Funding for the Inland Rail Project is confirmed, with $8.4B committed as part of the 2017/18 Federal Budget. The project will be one of the most important general freight routes in Australia and strategically located intermodal hubs along the corridor are required to service current and future demand. 

Freight volumes across NSW are projected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050.