The federal government is to announce the go-ahead for a $1.6 billion freight terminal in south-west Sydney that is expected to take thousands of trucks a day off the city's roads.
Freight will be transferred from trucks onto trains at the terminal in Moorebank, from where it will be taken to Port Botany, reducing the number of truck trips by 3300 a day.
The 220-hectare site, on the western side of Moorebank Avenue, is occupied by the Defence Department and the School of Military Engineering. It is near the M5, the M7 and the southern Sydney freight line.
A spokesman for Senator Wong told the Herald that the government's proposal would ensure that the terminal remains "open access", meaning that freight firms would not have to apply to a potential competitor for access to the terminal.
Cabinet approved the project last week. Construction will start in 2014 and be completed by 2017. More than 1600 workers will be employed on construction and 950 when the terminal is up and running, rising to 1700 jobs if it is expanded to handle interstate freight.
"It will deliver significant dividends across the entire Australian economy: more jobs for south-western Sydney; savings for Australian businesses, and less congestion on Sydney's roads," Senator Wong's spokesman said.
"It will contribute significantly to Australia's productivity. More than two-thirds of the freight that arrives in Port Botany does not stay in the Sydney region."
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