Rail logistics hub proposed for section of Ford site
The imminent closure of Ford’s car assembly plant in Broadmeadows, Victoria has prompted a call from local MP Frank McGuire for the establishment of a rail logistics hub on part of the site.
Ford plans to keep part of the factory in Barry Road for use as its Asia Pacific Centre of Engineering.
The move will see 160 staff redeployed to test and design vehicles, according to a company spokesman.
Graphic designs of the proposed new centre indicate the engineering division will cover an estimated 135,000sqm of the Broadmeadows location, which is currently 480,000sqm.
It is on the balance of the land that McGuire is keen to see a logistics centre established as part of the future inland rail service network between Melbourne and Brisbane.
The freight line project has already received a funding commitment of $594m from the Federal Government towards land acquisition and research.
McGuire said he would like the Ford site, which is large enough to be a suburb, considered as a possible logistics centre for the proposed rail project.
He said that such a move will create job opportunities and economic development where it is most needed.
Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan has also been requested by McGuire to discuss future options for the site.
Ford is expected to take a number of years to undertake the process of decommissioning and remediation of the site’s manufacturing section.
Ford plans to keep part of the factory in Barry Road for use as its Asia Pacific Centre of Engineering.
The move will see 160 staff redeployed to test and design vehicles, according to a company spokesman.
Graphic designs of the proposed new centre indicate the engineering division will cover an estimated 135,000sqm of the Broadmeadows location, which is currently 480,000sqm.
It is on the balance of the land that McGuire is keen to see a logistics centre established as part of the future inland rail service network between Melbourne and Brisbane.
The freight line project has already received a funding commitment of $594m from the Federal Government towards land acquisition and research.
McGuire said he would like the Ford site, which is large enough to be a suburb, considered as a possible logistics centre for the proposed rail project.
He said that such a move will create job opportunities and economic development where it is most needed.
Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan has also been requested by McGuire to discuss future options for the site.
Ford is expected to take a number of years to undertake the process of decommissioning and remediation of the site’s manufacturing section.