Active today, ready for tomorrow
We develop infrastructure necessary to connect Australian exporters to the global market, and to deliver products to Australian businesses, homes and families.
We support the Australian Government’s vision for an efficient and effective transport sector, as laid out in the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy, and are a critical enabler for a modern, efficient supply chain.
National Intermodal is wholly owned by the Commonwealth of Australia as a Government Business Enterprise (GBE), incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 and operated in accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act).
Our mandate is defined in a Statement of Expectations (SoE).
An expanded mandate
2022 saw us become National Intermodal, supporting the delivery and operation of intermodal terminals in Melbourne and Brisbane as part of the Government’s Inland Rail project.
Our role as investment entity for the planning, delivery and oversight of these new intermodal terminals will see an integrated approach to Australia’s rail freight network.
Our Strategic Priorities
Improve supply chain resilience
Australia’s supply chains are crucial to our everyday life. Our growing population and economy requires ongoing investment in our supply chains to keep them up to global standards.
In the two years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Australians saw a shortage in a range of goods, and 40% of businesses had to raise prices due to issues with supply. The situation was worsened by global factors, weather, and geopolitical events, highlighting long-standing challenges to the structure and function of supply chains in Australia – challenges we help address.
Increase logistics efficiency
Productivity growth is a key driver for improved living standards. In Australia, because of the large distances between ports, cities, regions, agricultural and manufacturing centres, transportation efficiency has a significant impact on national productivity.
By investing in modern, open-access facilities connected to Inland Rail, the Australia Government can enhance both national productivity and freight industry competition, resulting in lower costs of goods to consumers. Importantly, investments in intermodal precincts enable the logistics industry to readily choose the best mode of travel, road, rail or port for each type of freight.
Improve sustainability
Australia’s east coast sees the largest movements of non-bulk freight in the country, with the equivalent of around 2.6 million standard containers moving between capital cities annually. Around 90% is hauled by trucks on interstate highways, with impacts on emissions, safety and congestion. Between Melbourne and Sydney there are an estimated 4,000 trucks moving between the two cities each and every day.
Success in shifting more freight from road to rail will have significant positive impacts in terms of boosting sustainability, improving road safety and lowering the cost of living.
As our precincts progress, we will collaborate closely with Government, industry partners to adopt sustainable construction, operation and electrification practices to ensure we build climate resilient infrastructure, reduce the cost of freight handling, lower emissions and improve safety.