Tasmanian log transport is currently undergoing a “quiet but major transformation”, with TasRail now handling up to six log services every week, each loaded with up to 30 wagons.
The “10-fold increase” is, according to Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael Ferguson, making the forestry sector more efficient when it comes to transporting logs and “reducing pressure” on the Midland and East Tamar Highways.
“From a base of a little over 20,000 tonnes of logs hauled by rail in the final full year of the former Labor-Green Government in 2012-13, TasRail transported nearly 260,000 tonnes of logs in the last financial year,” Ferguson said.
“We have invested heavily in our track and rolling stock and the investment is now paying off across a number of industries, particularly forestry.”
“Our investment is also occurring at rail sidings and hubs, such as Brighton, where the logs are moved onto our trains and the development of new and improved Logtainer units.”
Logtainer’s are custom designed cradles that sit on top of a conventional intermodal rail wagon, enabling both logs and traditional shipping containers to be transported.
TasRail purchased 40 of the locally designed and manufactured Logtainer Units from Elphinstone with a $1 million grant from the Australian Government in 2016.
“Industry sees the commercial value of our freight rail network and its reliability in terms of on-time delivery of large volumes, with derailments an extremely rare event,” Ferguson said.
TasRail’s fastest-growing customer segment is the transportation of whole logs, facilitated by two loading sites in the south, two discharge sidings at Bell Bay and specialised truck weighbridges at Parattah and Brighton.
