Rail infrastructure and freight facilities at Somerton Intermodal Terminal
ACCIONA delivered the design and construction of the Somerton Intermodal Terminal for the Intermodal Terminal Company (ITC), transforming a 45-hectare site in Melbourne’s north into one of Australia’s largest freight infrastructure facilities.
The terminal is now operating as the Melbourne Intermodal Terminal (MIT), with direct connections to interstate rail links and the Port Rail Shuttle Network, supporting more efficient movement of freight between Melbourne, the Port of Melbourne and the national rail network.
The project combines major civil, rail and terminal infrastructure, including 21 kilometres of track, nine rail sidings, complex turnouts, heavy-duty concrete hardstands, signalling and communications infrastructure, drainage, fire services and electric rail-mounted gantry cranes.
With capacity for more than one million TEUs a year and a future Phase 2 capacity of up to two million TEUs, the terminal is designed to support the continued growth of rail freight in Victoria and across Australia.
HIGHLIGHTS
- 45-hectare terminal site, including more than 30 hectares of concrete hardstand.
- More than 1 million TEUs of annual capacity, with potential to increase to up to 2 million TEUs in Phase 2.
- 21km of rail track and nine rail sidings designed to handle port shuttle services and longer interstate freight trains.
- 30 complex turnouts designed, supplied and delivered with Salix to ARTC standards, together with integrated crane rail systems.
- 56,300m³ of concrete poured, 80,000m³ of material excavated, 3.6km of drainage, 3.5km of fire service and 60km of communications and signalling routes.
- Seven electric-powered rail-mounted gantry cranes support terminal operations, with the facility also incorporating electric-powered reach stackers and other specialist freight equipment.
- More than 664,000 hours worked without any lost-time injuries or serious incidents, with 3,150 people inducted onto the project.
- At full capacity, the terminal is expected to remove up to 500,000 truck trips from Melbourne’s roads each year, equivalent to 454 million truck kilometres, saving around 451 million litres of fuel and reducing carbon emissions by 189,000 tonnes annually.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Location: Somerton, Victoria, Australia
- Client: Intermodal Terminal Company (ITC)
- Infrastructure: Intermodal freight terminal, rail infrastructure, heavy-duty hardstand, signalling and communications, civil infrastructure and terminal systems.
- Project investment: AU$400 million overall development, according to ITC.
- Construction completion: 2025
- Status: Operational
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