City’s right idea to connect road, rail, air and sea
EARLIER this month, I had the opportunity to travel to Melbourne with a contingent from TSBE and InterLinkSQ to attend the Australian Logistics Councils Forum 2017 to represent Toowoomba Enterprise Hub.
The forum is the largest and most influential gathering of leaders and key policy makers in the Australian logistics industry where they debate and discuss the critical issues impacting the efficiency and safety of Australia’s supply chains.
What was pleasing to see was that many of the key stakeholders in the industry were aware of the Toowoomba region and in particular the strategic plan around dealing with the transport and logistics movements.
National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson suggested Toowoomba Enterprise Hub was an example of efficiencies in freight handling throughout the region with the effective collaboration between road, rail, air and sea.
A significant focus of the event was around getting the supply chain right. There was also a focus on using the right mode for the load.
A strong emphasis was placed on the benefits of rail and the economic and social benefits of rail over road.
It was suggested this would achieve transport savings by utilising the rail over road networks while significantly reducing the number of heavy vehicle movements on roads shared with passenger travel.
On a whole, Toowoomba has got it right and we are recognised for our strategic planning around transport and logistics.
We are focused on reducing the number of freight interactions with passenger travel by getting the heavy vehicles off our suburban roads and onto rail and other more appropriate road networks.
We are benefiting the location of our region with the connectivity between road, rail, air and sea are being showcased nationally to significant occupiers.
Toowoomba is very well placed into the future particularly on the transport and logistics front.
As projects such as the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing and InterLInkSQ near completion in the coming 12-18 months while Wellcamp Airport increases exposure to export markets throughout Asia, we will see further business and development investment in the region.