CBH Group chief executive Jimmy Wilson has said the organisation would continue to work with the State government on progressing business cases for funding priority projects identified in the Revitalising Agricultural Region Freight (RARF) strategy.
Announced by the government in late June, the strategy identifies 20 priority project packages designed to "improve rail infrastructure, establish intermodal terminals, undertake targeted road network investment, increase heavy vehicle access and improve regulatory efficiency".
It covers key road, rail, intermodal and port infrastructure projects in the Mid West, Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance agricultural regions for the next 10 to 15 years.
Included in the strategy is the business case for a new passing loop at Broomehill and rail siding extensions at Brookton, Cranbrook and Moora, which will allow for longer trains to be loaded at those key sites.
Mr Wilson has welcomed strategy of the development, saying it was "an important and essential step in improving the efficiency of the Western Australian grain supply chain through strategic rail and road investment".
"CBH has had the opportunity to give practical and pragmatic input to the development of the strategy, including data on forecast grain production growth and a focus on what will deliver the greatest transfer of grain tonnes from road to rail," Mr Wilson said.
"While the majority of the State's harvest is transported on rail from site to port, it is essential that CBH and WA growers can rely on both the road and rail networks to transport the crop from paddock to port at the right time, to meet demand from our international customers.
"The low-cost, high benefit projects outlined in the strategy would facilitate the transfer of more grain tonnes off road onto rail, deliver more rapid rail movement from site to port to capture the market window when the Black Sea is least active, as well as improve efficiencies in the road network where rail is not an option.
"CBH also welcomes the State government's recognition of the need for targeted road network investment, particularly on local government roads identified in the Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network, to address the growing harvest."
The RARF strategy complements the State government's recently announced $87.5 million Wheatbelt Secondary Freight Network upgrades aimed at improving safety and efficiency of the freight supply chain.
WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the government was working with CBH and Arc Infrastructure to progress business cases for Tier 1 and Tier 2 railway packages identified as a priority in the strategy and had commissioned an engineering assessment to advise on the cost and time required for potential rehabilitation of the Tier 3 lines.
