GrainCorp
The upgrade is expected to increase competitiveness for local grain.
 
WEST PERTH, AUSTRALIA —GrainCorp began construction on its Cunningar grain terminal facility. The A$8.1m upgrade of the grain receival and train loading facility is expected to improve train loading times by 80%, allow for a 24-hour turnaround time to port, increase competitiveness for local grain and deliver a A$10 per tonne benefit to growers.   

The multi-million-dollar upgrade was previously announced in December 2015 as part of the Australian government’s National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF).

“We are excited to start work to ensure we can take full advantage of the upgraded facility for next harvest,” said Sarah Roche, GrainCorp’s regional manager for Southern New South Wales.

This is the latest in a series of upgrades for GrainCorp.  In November 2016, GrainCorp partnered with the Australian New South Wales (NSW) government to deliver a A$4.7 million upgrade to a major grain handling facility in Burren Junction, northern NSW. The completed site rail loading times will be reduced by 70% as a result of the upgrade, which will deliver faster cycle times to port with a freight saving of over A$6 per tonne, GrainCorp said.

GrainCorp’s Tocumwal site also was relaunched as part of the company’s regeneration project. The A$3 million upgrade included the extension of the rail siding from a 10-wagon, 150-meter siding to a full 40-wagon unit train (640-meter) siding. The traffic flow of the site also was substantially redesigned – improving turnaround times. The site has a 120,000 tonne capacity.