The Kewdale/Forrestfield area is an important component of the freight network in Western Australia due to its accessibility by road and rail, and proximity to industrial areas. This enables the transport and distribution of goods to local, intrastate, interstate and international destinations, and to and from the Port of Fremantle. A number of private freight operators are engaged in freight management and distribution from terminals situated on leased or privately owned land in the area. These terminals use the existing rail and road network.
The Department of Transport, Fremantle Ports and the Public Transport Authority are working to identify a potential site or sites for a modern freight terminal in the Kewdale/Forrestfield area to support the Inner Harbour – Kewdale container rail service. A 2008 study provided an investigation of the case for the development of a port shuttle terminal in Kewdale, including an analysis of the level of potential demand in the context of freight growth and existing container transfer operations.
Current work is updating and extending this work to support development of an intermodal terminal in the area.