Salta Advances South Altona, Dandenong Intermodal Hubs

Salta has simultaneously listed two rail-enabled industrial pre-leases as Victoria positions itself to handle freight volumes projected to more than double by 2050.

The developer has appointed Colliers to market the two intermodal terminals, at Dandenong South and Altona, targeting operators seeking direct rail access to the Port of Melbourne.

The Dandenong South and Altona Inland Ports are both in Salta’s Nexus-branded industrial estates.

They terminals are part of Victoria’s Port Rail Shuttle Network, a state and federal government initiative designed to reduce reliance on road transport for containerised freight.

The Dandenong South opportunity (pictured at top) covers 79,911sq m in Salta’s 180ha Nexus precinct, while the Altona site comprises 35,627sq m on a 40ha estate next to the Melbourne–Geelong freight rail corridor.

Construction of the Dandenong South terminal infrastructure has been under way since 2021. The state and federal governments jointly committed $28 million to connect the site to the main line.

Salta has invested more than $50 million on the terminal itself, on top of spending more than $200 million on land, roads and related works across the Nexus precinct.

Once complete, the Dandenong South terminal would operate 24 hours a day using automated rail-mounted gantry cranes and have capacity to handle up to 560,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) per annum.

Two 700m rail tracks are to run within the terminal, connecting to an 800m government-funded spur linking the site to the main line.

Colliers national director Gordon Code said the south-eastern sub-market was notable for the absence of existing intermodal infrastructure despite its scale.

“Dandenong South and the surrounding south-eastern industrial market is the only major sub-market in Victoria without existing intermodal infrastructure, despite being one of the largest submarkets by GLA in the country, with more than 10.5 million square metres under roof,” Code said.

At Altona, the Nexus estate is already home to a Maersk container park with capacity for approximately 6500 TEU. SCT Logistics operates an rail freight facility on the Port Rail Shuttle Network from the precinct.

The Salta pre-lease at 35,627sq m is a further expansion of the estate’s intermodal capacity.

▲ A rendering of the Salta intermodal terminal at Altona.

Colliers national director Nick Saunders said the Altona project provided direct access to key freight corridors and proximity to the port.

“Altona continues to strengthen its position as one of Melbourne’s most critical intermodal and logistics gateways,” Saunders said.

Victoria moves more containerised freight per person than any other Australian state, with volumes forecast to more than double by 2050.

Melbourne is projected to surpass Sydney as the nation’s largest city by 2031–32, increasing pressure on the freight network.

Salta director of logistics and strategic projects Clarenzo Perna said the two terminals reflected the company’s long-term commitment to Victorian logistics infrastructure.

“With more than five decades of experience as a developer, owner and asset manager, we understand what modern logistics operators need— scale, flexibility, connectivity and certainty,” Perna said.

Appetite for intermodal opportunities increases

Core Land has launched an expressions-of-interest campaign for a 15.64ha greenfield parcel at 40 and 60A Bodycoats Road, Wollert.

The site that could yield around 320 home lots, positioned near the Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal, currently under construction at a cost of $1.62 billion.

Planning minister Sonya Kilkenny has separately signed off on the Beveridge North West Precinct Structure Plan, unlocking 1279ha of land for up to 15,000 homes and 47,000 residents between Beveridge and Wallan

The Beveridge Intermodal Freight Terminal forms Melbourne’s entry point into the $31.4-billion Inland Rail network and is expected to begin Stage 1 operations in mid-2028.