THE Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics (RIFL) hub is on track to become a test case across Australia.
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Representatives of Traxion, the company that will negotiate the hub's development, met with Wagga City Council yesterday.
Necessary information will be gathered over the next eight to 12 weeks, with a decision to proceed expected to follow.
"It's a demand study and economic viability studies, that's what we're working through (at present) and that's what's required here," Traxion's director of strategic development Sean Wilson said.
"It's not Wagga City Council's mandate to deliver this infrastructure, it's for private industry to deliver this infrastructure on the back of federal, state and local government input and help."
When questioned if Traxion's involvement provided a guarantee the project would proceed, Mr Wilson didn't discount its significant potential.
"It gives some resolution that it is going to go ahead, but there's still critical requirements; we still have to have state, federal and local government work together with private investment and ourselves to develop it," he said.
"But, I would say, demand drives infrastructure ... we are seeing there is demand."
"It's a test case across Australia for how private investment and varying degrees of government can work together ... to deliver strong economic drivers for the region."
Mayor Rod Kendall said Traxion's involvement had moved the project from the "early gestation period" towards development.
"They'll need to proof up work that council has done and go and talk to contacts ... (and) look at how much freight movement they can get through that intermodal facility," Councillor Kendall said.
A final decision on the commercial viability of the hub was envisaged once studies were complete, Cr Kendall said.
"The outcome of Traxion's investigation and them signing up to be the private operator, if and when that happens, will be the trigger that this development will start," he said.
"The end of this process is the go, don't go, decision time."