The $60 million Wagga Wagga Freight Hub is on track to begin construction next year.

The plan is for the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics (RIFL) to be the largest such facility on the north-south corridor, with the capability to load and unload trains of up to 1.8km in length, swapping ten twenty foot equivalent (TEU) containers over in less than 30 minutes.

“Up to 30 per cent of production costs for a regional producer or manufacturer is getting it to port,” Strategic manager for Wagga Wagga’s city council James Bolton says.

“Depending on what the product is, it now costs between $800 and $1200 to get a box to port – we're hoping to significantly reduce this cost.”

Rail and engineering infrastructure specialist Traxion is leading the development.

The completed RIFL will feature grain and oil seed terminals, and allow direct access to the Olympic Highway for B-double-sized trucks via inland port facilities.

Planners hope that a future inland rail route connecting Melbourne and Brisbane will be built close by, further enhancing east coast freight.

“The beauty of Wagga is its location between Sydney and Melbourne,” Bolton said.

“The further you travel by rail, the more efficient rail transport options become, and Wagga sits in a sweet spot.”