Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio says the Darling Downs city is poised to become one of Australia’s hot spots for transport and logistics, with the region more connected than ever before thanks to expenditure on three major transport infrastructure projects.
“The $1.7 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, the advent of the $200 million Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport, and the proposed Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail line all point toward remarkable opportunity for this region,” Mr Antonio said.
All three projects have been long announced, but their completion will mean that Toowoomba will emerge as a major centre for transport and logistics operations. Toowoomba is 125 km west of Brisbane, and has a population of 160,000.
The city’s potential as a logistics hub will be promoted at a Transport and Logistics Symposium to be held in the city on 3-5 August. The conference is organised by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE), the group charged by the council with facilitating the region’s higher level economic development.
“It is fitting that Toowoomba hosts a forum of this nature to explore the remarkable potential such infrastructure is bringing to Toowoomba and eastern Australia more broadly,” said Mr Antonio. “Interlink SQ, the Port of Brisbane and FKG are also supporting the event, again pointing to the very real potential for the transport and logistics industry to grow rapidly in the coming years.
“The Toowoomba region is well positioned as an attractive investment option for many transport and logistics firms. We have the added advantage of comparatively cheap land for firms looking to expand or relocate to take advantage of our improving, integrated transport networks.”
TSBE chief executive officer Shane Charles said that the Symposium could not have come at a better time for the region. “With the long anticipated Inland Rail Project on the horizon, and with developments such as the Toowoomba Enterprise Hub at Charlton-Wellcamp ready to facilitate the transport and logistics abilities this and other major infrastructure projects presents, there is no doubting Toowoomba’s future potential is as a major transport and logistics hub,” Mr Charles said.
“We are extremely keen to see business, industry and government band together throughout this forum to truly investigate how this potential can be reached.”
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