Push for Auckland freight hub at Penrose/Southdown

By PAM GRAHAM

Auckland needs an inland freight hub reachable by rail and road and open to all because its port is going to run out of space in seven to 10 years, says Simon Tapper of Tapper Transport.

It should be in Penrose/Southdown, where the city's main railfreight hub has always been and where Port of Tauranga has its Metroport depot.

"None of them is a common-user facility to which allcomers have access. That is what we need."

Ports of Auckland also has land nearby used as a microlight airstrip.

Tapper's company is already moving about 10 per cent of the Auckland port's containers by road at night to avoid congestion and it has an "inland port" adjacent to the area he is talking about.

Inviting others to set up a facility open to all next door is probably not an intelligent business plan but Tapper sees the hub idea as an issue of national interest.

The idea that ports are being squeezed by inner-city developments and that freight should move quickly to the outskirts of cities is not new.

Night movement improves trucks' productivity and relieves pressure on port land, but import and export clients do not want to pay for extra movements.

A short rail haul from the port to Southdown would take pressure off roads but it is not yet clear if it would be economic or a priority for Tranz Rail or Ports of Auckland.

Some analysts believe that Ports of Auckland has shied away from Southdown in favour of small inland sites in East Tamaki, Otahuhu and Wiri because it wants a point of difference from Port of Tauranga.

Tapper is arguing for one big multi-modal site open to all.

Tranz Rail chief executive David Jackson was in the audience for Tapper's speech but his company is not disclosing development plans and suspicions remain about how committed majority owner Toll Holdings is to rail.

Its focus has been on negotiating the sale of the track to the Government and the transfer of land adjacent to the track has been a sticking point.

A complication is that any land adjacent to rail lines that was compulsorily bought can only be used for rail operations, unless the original owner is consulted.

Everyone involved with the movement of freight is waiting to see what happens next. Tapper has laid out what is at stake.

Tranz Rail's new owner is a self-declared multi-modal operator and the natural site for a hub in Auckland is Southdown.

Tapper said that in Sydney the need for an inland terminal was recognised years ago and the intention was to move containers by rail to Enfield in Western Sydney.

The plan has run into difficulties with 50-odd councils, resident's objections and problems with land tenure.

"The lack of timely action in Sydney has already added a huge cost to the import/export process and will possibly result in Sydney losing container traffic to other interstate and intrastate ports," said Tapper.

"Auckland will be faced with exactly the same issues if we do not take positive steps now to provide for future container flow.

"Someone needs to decide now whether Penrose will be the site for this future hub because many other planning requirements flow from that one core decision."

Without action, in 10 years Auckland will be reliant on provincial ports and upon a foreign-owned rail network for a major part of its container traffic.

"As an Aucklander and a New Zealander, I do not want to see that happen."