![Rail inquiry on track: Hobbs Rail inquiry on track: Hobbs](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-agfeed/2047018.jpg/r0_0_1024_671_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
IDEAS from interstate and overseas will be investigated as State Parliament's transport, housing and local government committee begins an inquiry into options for improving rail use by agricultural and livestock industries in Queensland.
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Committee chairman and Warrego MP Howard Hobbs says it will be a massive job, citing the cost differences between using road and rail as one of the challenges facing the group.
"It seems companies are more interested in carting coal than cattle, agricultural products and general freight," he said.
"Not one freight train travels west from Toowoomba to Charleville any more - it all goes by road. It's the same with our huge cotton industry - not one ball of cotton is taken by rail.
"I'm going into this with determination to make it better and pull together a system to grow rail, not reduce it."
Ideas already on the table include exploring the gains Western Australia has made with grain containerisation and the differences between the coastal strip, where rail freight is still strong, and the inland.
"I can't see why we couldn't have more intermodal places to link rail and road, where containers can be picked up and dropped off," Mr Hobbs said.
"There'd be room for contractors in something like that."
He said unions hadn't helped keep rail efficient in Queensland and he wanted to talk more with Aurizon, which he said received $100 million for a community service obligation to deliver freight.
"I'd like to see what more they can do. They may not have been focusing on us over here, and they may be able to offer some solutions."
The committee will consult with key industry groups, including AgForce, Queensland Farmers Federation, Cane Growers Australia, MLA, GrainCorp, Cotton Australia and rail managers and operators, including Queensland Rail and Pacific National as well as Aurizon. It is also calling for submissions.
The committee has until June 10, 2014, to report back to parliament. The rail freight inquiry guidelines are:
- Identify opportunities to enhance coordination and collaboration across government, transport industry and primary producers about rail freight.
- Provide future direction for enhancing the utilisation of the rail system for primary producers and their freight needs including the demand for freight, future volume, nature, timing and frequency.
- Identify the characteristics of the future transport system for primary producer freight needs.
- Identify a broad range of options, including appropriate risk sharing among supply chain participants, for delivering freight solutions for primary producers.
- Optimise the capacity and performance of the rail system for freight.
- Plan a rail system that is positioned to exploit future freight, particularly export, opportunities.
- Develop sustainable long-term solutions for freight movement by rail for the agriculture and livestock industry.