VICTORIAN freight minister Melissa Horne says the West Gate Tunnel is set to be a transformative boon for freight movement to and from the Port of Melbourne.
The minister was the keynote speaker at the Victorian Transport Association State Conference 2025, where she talked of the government’s “strong support” for the freight industry.
The West Gate Tunnel aims to reduce the number of trucks on residential streets and is expected to improve transit times to and from the west and give unimpeded access to and from the Port of Melbourne at higher gross mass for higher productivity freight vehicles.
It is due to open at the end of this year.
Minister Horne said the tunnel, as well as the North East Link would be the largest “game changers” since construction of the West Gate Bridge half a century ago.
“The West Gate Tunnel will bring double-digit improvements in productivity that, in many cases, will completely transform your operations,” Ms Horne said.
“Being able to transport 40-foot containers at their maximum mass from places like Altona and Derrimut to the Port of Melbourne in half the time it takes today will be the game changer you need.”
Ms Horne said the North East Link would allow truck operators to more easily pick up and deliver freight to places like Dandenong in Melbourne’s outer east, “confident in your travel times and overheads”.
“As a state that makes things and grows things, we are enormously reliant on having an effective freight sector to ensure our agricultural and manufacturing sectors are competitive,” she said.
Victorian Transport Association chief executive Peter Anderson, meanwhile, urged a “more inclusive” approach to freight movement, emphasising the need for intermodal connectivity.
“Intermodal connectivity between road and rail, road and air, and road and sea will be vital to improve from where we are today to ensure that the standard of living does not diminish for all Australians,” Mr Anderson said.
The VTA State Conference is underway at the Silverwater Resort in San Remo, southern Victoria.
The focus this year is on safety; the event opened today (Monday 24 March) with discussions on infrastructure for enhanced productivity, technology and empowering people.
The conference will continue through Tuesday (25 March) with talks on risk management and planning for the future.
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