Regional transport for a connected city
Canberra’s growing role as a city of global, national and regional significance and its aim of becoming a city of choice, talent and ambition, is dependent on high quality transport connections to other major cities and regions. The ACT and surrounding NSW state and local governments recognise that the people who live in the Canberra Region are committed to a borderless approach. As we grow in population, the need for goods and services will increase, with movements in and out of Canberra increasing and positively affecting our economic growth.
Several collaborative frameworks are also in place to promote the growth and prosperity of the ACT and NSW surrounding region in a borderless environment. The ACT will continue to support these frameworks including the ACT-NSW Memorandum of Understanding for Regional Collaboration and the Canberra Region Joint Organisation Statement of Regional Strategic Priorities.
Freight
Nearly all freight (by volume) into and out of the ACT is road based, with most of the freight task originating from New South Wales, with Victoria being the second largest contributor. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) estimates freight flowing from NSW to the ACT will increase from a 2007 estimate of 720 million tonne-kilometres to 1,422 million tonne-kilometres in 2030, at an average annual growth rate of 3.1%. With regard to Victoria, where the two-way freight volume totals 72 million tonne-kilometres, it is estimated that outbound freight will continue to grow strongly to over 120 million tonne-kilometres.
Urban freight will also grow over the period of this strategy. Key drivers are the movement of construction materials for new infrastructure and residential and commercial development, increasing consumer deliveries as online retail sales increase, and the movement of waste as population grows.
The increase in consumer deliveries is a trend accelerated by COVID-19. Online retail sales grew in Australia by over 10% in the year to March 2020, with the ACT recording the largest increase nationally. This growth will influence the volume and nature of urban freight on Canberra’s roads in the future and it will have implications for our management of roads and kerbsides to ensure safety, amenity and access are maintained.
The vision of the ACT Freight Strategy 2016 to deliver an efficient, safe and sustainable freight network and services for a growing ACT and regional economy while protecting urban amenity continues to be relevant. Freight movement will be prioritised on key orbital routes connecting the Canberra region, NSW and Victoria to industrial areas. Freight hubs will provide an opportunity for the city to capitalise on the potential for freight in the Canberra region, opened by Canberra Airport as an international gateway.
Canberra Airport
Since 2012, Canberra Airport has undergone significant expansion, transforming it into a world class facility for passenger and freight travel. Canberra Airport now caters to international as well as domestic flights, and as Canberra’s tourism sector grows, we will be able to welcome more visitors to our city. The Canberra Airport offers considerable opportunities for regional businesses to access air freight and expand import and export markets into the future.
Maintaining and growing public transport between the Airport and the city and beyond, will help enhance Canberra and the Capital Region as a destination for work and leisure.
COVID-19 impacted both passenger and freight travel through Canberra Airport. International flights ceased and domestic flights were reduced significantly. There was a total of 251 aircraft movements at Canberra Airport in April 2020, compared with 3,301 in April 2019. The ACT Government will facilitate the safe return of flights to Canberra as travel restrictions ease.
Faster and High-Speed Rail
The Canberra to Sydney rail corridor also presents a unique and significant opportunity to improve these regional connections and strengthen the economic, service and social relationship between Canberra, the surrounding regions, and Sydney. Upgrades to this corridor would benefit the broader transport system by increasing the capacity and efficiency of rail freight, enhancing air freight connectivity, relieving pressure on our national road network and leading to improved productivity and road safety outcomes for one of our nation’s busiest stretches of highway.
The ACT Government continues to work closely with the NSW Government to explore these opportunities with initial investigations into possible improvements to the Canberra- Sydney service already underway. The ACT Government has commenced corridor preservation for a high-speed rail service into the ACT and will reflect this in its future planning.
