CSIRO public servants sitting in their offices in Sydney claim farmers could save millions by using rail transport.
Most farms are hundreds of kilometres from rail loading terminals.
Dozens of rail lines are unused, and unusable because of lack of maintenance.
Farmers are expected to load a truck in a paddock.
Cart the produce to a rail freight terminal.
Then the recipient of the produce has to truck the goods from the rail to his receiving yard.
And this will save money?
Farmers of course, load the truck and keep driving to the destination.
Shifting agricultural freight from road to the proposed inland railway could save an additional tens of millions of dollars a year in transport costs, according to a study by Australia's peak science agency.
Key points:The CSIRO report found if existing road trips switched to inland rail the savings per tonne would average $76, seven times the initial estimate
Deputy PM Michael McCormack said it proves more money will go to farmers as a result of cheaper freight costs
Melbourne-to-Brisbane inland rail is expected to be operational by 2024/25
Work is underway on the $10 billion Melbourne-to-Brisbane inland rail, which CSIRO said could save the agricultural industry an additional $70 million dollars a year in freight costs on top of original estimates.
The agency has completed a year-long analysis of the transport of fruit, vegetables, and processed agriculture such as meat, rice and dairy through central-western New South Wales where the first section of the project is being built.
It found that if existing road trips switched to inland rail from that area alone, the average savings would reach $76 per tonne — seven times the initial estimate of just $10 a tonne.
What you need to know about inland rail
Proponents say Australia is in desperate need of an inland railway to ease the number of trucks on our roads and create a more efficient freight system for the next 100 years.
The central-west town of Parkes is to host a national logistics hub, where inland rail will pass through the town and intersect with the Sydney-to-Perth rail line.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has welcomed the CSIRO report, after being accused of withholding information about the route by farmers further north along the corridor.
Some landholders have threatened to rip up their access agreements over the route selection process, with many arguing the line unnecessarily dissects properties which they argue devalues them and creates operational challenges.
Mr McCormack said the report proved the project was a "game-changer" that would see more money going into farmers' pockets as a result of cheaper freight costs.
We could save a lot more money by letting farmers look after their own transport and sack these CSIRO idiots.
