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Western Australia's trucking body says freight prices have jumped 20 per cent because of rail disruptions in the eastern states.
Key points:
- An Australian Rail Track Corporation spokesperson says the Broken Hill line will be closed until the end of the year
- Australia Post is putting in place a temporary WA Emergency Service Levy
- An Australia Post spokesperson said severe and widespread weather events have caused "significant logistical impacts" for supply chains
Western Roads Federation chief executive Cam Dumesny said east-west road freight was picking up the extra load, but it coincided with a busy time.
"In terms of price, it's up about 20 per cent," he said.
"That largely reflects high fuel costs and equipment shortages and the like, but there's obviously a spike in demand.
"We've got a bumper harvest coming in, so there's demand for trucks there and drivers, and obviously, the mining industry is still strong."
Call to climate-proof transport
Mr Dumesny said there was an impact on delivery times, but the situation would stabilise over time.
He said there had been numerous disruptions to freight transport in recent years, including flood damage in South Australia earlier this year.
"We are getting climate-impacted disruptions to our freight networks," he said.
"It's time just to have a look at what we can do to protect those and harden them against such disruptions.
"That's both road and rail."
Rail line to be closed until end of year
There are two rail routes connected east to west — the coastal Melbourne–Adelaide line and the inland Broken Hill line.
There was a derailment on the Melbourne–Adelaide line earlier this month, which caused a temporary delay.
An Australian Rail Track Corporation [ARTC] spokesperson said the Broken Hill line was closed due to flooding, but there was movement through the coastal route.
The representative said a section of the inland route was closed, and inspections and repairs would only begin once water levels dropped significantly.
"The duration of repairs will be dependent on the damage sustained," he said.
"The ARTC expects the line to be closed until at least the end of the year."
The spokesperson said ARTC was working with government agencies and customers to work through the busy period.
"The network has sufficient capacity for increased freight movements," he said.
Weather impacts postal services
Multiple postal services are being impacted by the delays and cost rises, with Australia Post putting in place a temporary WA Emergency Service Levy.
The levy is 40 per cent of freight charges, applied to contracted business customers on items lodged for interstate shipping in and out of WA.
An Australia Post spokesperson said severe and widespread weather events had caused "significant logistical impacts" for supply chains, and road and rail services used by the company were either severely disrupted or unavailable.
The spokesperson said express services were not affected.