PORT BOTANY – FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE DRY PORT IMPLEMENTATION - A DECADE LATER

Paper in proceeding, 2017

Port Botany, and its close inland intermodal terminals are very distinctive: there are very few ports in the world with such a well developed network of close dry ports. Study on Port Botany’s dry ports and factors that influence their implementation was performed a decade ago. The aim of the present paper is to follow up the development of the seaport inland access considering the fact that ten years ago the seaport gates and surrounding roads were critically congested and urgent measures/solutions were required. The basic idea behind the concept of a dry port is more efficient port access, movement of the seaport’s interface inland with shift of flows from road to rail resulting in a reduction of road transport to/from the seaport together with associated broad social and environmental benefits. A decade ago findings showed that the most common factors that impede dry port implementation are infrastructure, land use, environment and regulations. Hence, the same reduce the efficiency of freight movements on land access routes to and from seaports. Issues surrounding suburban freight terminals are a sub-set of the wider social and environmental problems of the interactions of seaports with their hinterland. The paper shows problematic aspect of long timeframes for the development of significant freight infrastructure and the main factors that influence the same.