Austrans lease warehouse beside intermodal terminal
Austrans – which for six months in 2017 was owned by Qube – has leased a major warehouse under construction at Salta Property Group’s Nexus estate in Altona.
The logistics group has committed for an initial 15 years to the 20,692 square metre facility at 60 Modal Place (artist’s impression, top), adjacent to the proposed Altona inland port, set to connect the area by rail to Port Melbourne.
The company will relocate from a 2.94 hectare property at the West Park Industrial Estate at Truganina, which Frasers’ Logistics and Commercial Trust acquired in 2015 for $19 million.
That property is now for lease.
Salta expects to complete Austrans’ headquarters next month; it is designed with a 14 metre cantilevered canopy, five on grade roller shutter doors and five weather protected recessed loading docks.
It will be able to accommodate vehicles up to 32m long and weighing 77.5 tonnes.
The end value has been put at $55m.
Austrans shifts within the west
Colliers’ Nick Saunders and Hugh Gilbert brokered the Austrans deal (story continues below).
“The…Altona inland port is expected to deliver cost savings and efficiencies in transferring contains to and from the Port of Melbourne compared to road making Nexus a sought after industrial estate,” Colliers’ Nick Saunders, who marketed the property with Hugh Gilbert, said.
“The direct connection to the Altona inland report will also clear up some of the traffic congestion on the West Gate Bridge as import and export businesses will be able to ship containers via rail directly to Altona,” he added.
Salta is also constructing a Nexus branded estate at Dandenong South, south east of Melbourne; covering 180 hectares, it will contain an intermodal port as well.
“The two industrial estates will play a significant role in improving freight efficiency across metropolitan Melbourne, providing direct rail access to the Port of Melbourne,” the developer’s managing director, Sam Tarascio, said.
“The Dandenong South and Altona intermodal terminals will enable importers, exporters and businesses direct access to the Port of Melbourne, utilising their existing rail connections, enabling greater levels of efficiency, reliability and savings,” he added.
“By facilitating a freight mode shift, numerous non-economic benefits are also available, including a rail-related reduction in carbon emissions, lower levels of road degradation, improved safety and lower congestion surrounding the Port of Melbourne,” according to the executive.
The Nexus estate at Altona spreads 40ha.
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