Here is the latest update from StarTrack:

- Due to the impacts of the flood emergency, no freight services operated through either BNE or OOL (Gold Coast) last night.

- The ST Network saw the cancellation of 25 flights and the re-routing of a further 4. As a result some 182 Tonnes was uplifted across 26 flights, which all operated in line with the revised schedule.

- Issues with flooding to the highways has resulted in product for QLD destinations being held in SYD (and vice versa). Conditions will be reassessed this morning, and further detailed planning will follow based on safety imperatives, availability of staff, conditions at the respective Airports and on the road network.

- Adding to the challenges, as the weather system is slowly moving South, a full SSS contingency will be required for tonight’s operations due to the strong winds forecast for SYD

- A further detailed update will be sent out to everyone later this morning.

No Adhoc pickups for today; Daily Pickups will also be affected, these are dependent on the truck being able to get to pickup address.

Heavy rain and flooding are disrupting StarTrack services - see below:

- Caboolture, Gympie, Maryborough, Toowoomba & Rockhampton significantly impacted with road closures preventing access.

- Greater Brisbane metro impacted by flooding throughout, with additional impacts through Ipswich area and other parts of Southeast Queensland.

- This may disrupt ST ability to deliver to merchants and consumers, and to make collections.

- ST transport and deliveries teams are continually assessing flood impacts and will make every effort to deliver and collect where it is safe to do so.

- Several Post Offices will also be closed across the state due to flooding and road closures (see list below).

Impacted Post Offices
This lists Post Office status from Friday and will be updated as information becomes available.

• Beerwah LPO
• Biggenden LPO – Closed (No power)
• Buderim PO
• Cooroy LPO
• Eudlo LPO
• Kalbar LPO
• Goomeri LPO – Closed (flooding in area)
• Gympie PO
• Imbil LPO – Closed (Licensee can’t get to outlet due to flooding)
• Kandanga LPO
• Kilkivan LPO - Closing at 11am due to rising flood waters
• Laidley LPO
• Lowood PO
• Maroochydore BC
• Maryborough PO
• Meridian Plains LPO
• Mundubbera LPO – Closed (No Power)
• Nambour PO
• Noosa Heads PO
• Noosaville LPO
• Raceview LPO
• Redcliffe PO
• Sippy Downs PO
• Southside CPA (Gympie) – Closed (staff can’t get to outlet due to flooding)
• Strathpine PO
• Sunshine Plaza PO
• Tewantin PO
• Toowoomba East LPO
• Wanda LPO
• Wandoan LPO

Note: StarTrack have advised that there will be NO pickups or deliveries today and to refrain from booking anything going into Queensland for the next couple of days to avoid disappointment. Please advise your customers accordingly.

Loss of items due to truck fire – NSW

- ​​​​​​​At approximately 3.00am this morning, a truck bound for Brisbane caught on fire near Nambucca.

- 52 ULDs were not recoverable.

- Once a list of impacted consignments has been collated, these consignments will be advised to the customers.

National ST Air Network Update

- 292 tonnes of freight were uplifted across the ST Air Network yesterday.

- Due to wet on the East Coast there continues to be some transit delays.

- Weekend services to Perth are transitioning back to normal and next week’s operation is being planned in anticipation of the WA Border re-opening on Thursday 3 March, with the progressive return of some wide body Passenger services.

South Australia and Northern Territory
Rail service disruptions between South Australia and Northern Territory

- The backlog of containers has been cleared with all freight fully recovered.

- The rail line service is operating to schedule.

Road service disruptions between South Australia and Northern Territory

- The backlog of containers has been cleared due to the loading of rail units for Darwin over the past few days.

- Services ex South Australia are operating to schedule 

Western Australia

- Following the reopening of rail lines in Western Australia on Tuesday 15 February, rail services resumed on Thursday 17 February and all freight has been transported to Perth for processing.

- There is a backlog of freight which will impact ST operations and fleet teams and may take a few weeks to sort and clear.

Rail service disruptions to Western Australia

- On Thursday 21 February, there were 325 ULDs at middle mile and 310 ULDs at last mile. ST received 41 of the initial 43 known containers that were delayed.

- The following containers were identified as not being part of the 43 known containers:

- 2 containers on rail service lines DRC837 and FCGU9604658, ex VIC/SA

- 8 containers loaded between 22-31 January 2022, ex NSW (Parkes)

      - 14 containers loaded between 11-17 February, due to arrive in Western Australia this week (21-25 February)

- Weekend plans are underway for Perth and Kewdale Parcel Centres to recover delayed freight

- Due to flooding, ST received delayed containers on Friday 18 February and on Sunday 20 February.

- Following the reopening of the rail line on Tuesday 15 February 2022, trailers arriving in the depot are being processed and cleared.

- A selected number of containers will be delivered daily between Wednesday 16 February 2022 and Friday 4 March 2022.

- At this stage ST are planning to clear all containers by Thursday 31 March.

StarTrack Express into Western Australia

- Following the reopening of the rail line in Western Australia on Tuesday 15 February, rail services resumed on Thursday 17 February.

- ST commenced loading freight on the rail line from Wednesday 23 February.

- The ST operational team continues to manage the volumes ex Melbourne and Sydney.

- Due to the large volume of backlog freight, sortation and delivery may take up to 6 weeks to clear. ST are reviewing options to minimise impacts on the Perth depot.

- There will be delays resulting in bulk freight being carried over to support backlogs in Western Australia.

- There continues to be delays with some road linehaul arrivals into Perth. 

Startrack Premium in Western Australia

- A much-improved night of operations in the Premium network, however the wet weather on the east coast continues, resulting in some delayed transits.

- Weekend services to Perth are transitioning to normal services

- ST anticipate the WA border to re-open on Thursday with progressive return of some wide body passenger services

- Canberra has up to 100 items carried over

Network Update – Victoria and Tasmania

Deliveries

- 387K parcels were delivered yesterday, down 11K from previous week.

- There may be some delivery delays at the following Distribution Centres - Dandenong South and Oakleigh

 Processing

- 701K parcels were processed yesterday.

- Bayswater Parcel Delivery Centre is opening Monday 28 February for large parcel processing.

- Late arrival ex Adelaide (air) – recovery planned for today.

- Some ULDs were delayed at Seymour and Bendigo due to second wave recovery requirements.

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

Deliveries

- 657K parcels delivered yesterday

- There may be parcel delivery delays out of the following Distribution Centres – Kingsgrove, Frenchs Forest, Wollongong, Warabrook, Canberra South, Fyshwick, Macquarie Park Bowral and Kempsey.

- Carried over freight at Alexandria, Riverina, St Leonards, Coffs Harbour and Bowral. 

Service disruption at StarTrack Courier Villawood facility

- StarTrack Courier Villawood facility (NSW) is currently inoperable due to heavy rain causing flooding.

- This is impacting access to and from the facility as well as the warehouse facility itself. This impacted deliveries on Tuesday 22 February. 

Network Update – Queensland

Deliveries

- There may be parcel delivery delays out of the following DCs – Noosaville, Logan City, Nerang and Gympie.

- There will be delivery impacts today to postcodes:

1. 2440, 2482, 2484, 4272, 4275, 4289, 4514, 4516, 4570, 4574, 4562, 4563, 4565, 4566, 4573, 4580, 4600, 4601, 4620, 4621, 4625, 4626, 4627, 4630, 4650, 4667, 4830 due to flooded roads

2. 2460-2489 (NSW) and 4000-4803 (QLD) excluding any Brisbane metro postcodes due to Jetstar flight not operating at night

3. 2340, 2390 due to staffing issues.

The new StarTrack Oversize Surcharges have been implemented into WebShip as previously advised:

Deadweight >32KG single item    $75
Level 2: 200-299cm Oversize       $40

Unfortunately, the $75 fee is also being quoted on a Pallet shipment which is not applicable; the charge is only if the item is not palletised.

We have been communicating with our IT team since this morning attempting to resolve this issue, however they are still working on it.

We will advise as soon this problem is rectified.

Please find below a StarTrack update regarding an additional surcharge for their Express Post and StarTrack Premium services when delivering to Western Australia:

Service disruption at StarTrack Courier Villawood facility – NSW

The StarTrack Courier Villawood facility is currently inoperable due to heavy rain causing flooding. This is impacting access to and from the facility as well as the warehouse facility itself. As a result, extensive delays are expected. This will impact deliveries this afternoon and this evening

South Australia and Northern Territory

Rail service disruptions between South Australia and Northern Territory

Due to an incident with rail line service 2SP7 at Spencer Junction on Thursday 17 February 2022, 10 of the delayed containers were further delayed by approximately 24 hours. The rail service is currently at Port Germain with recovery of freight underway.

​​​​​​​The rail line between South Australia and Northern Territory reopened on Tuesday 15 February 2022 with test trains successfully passing through the newly rebuilt track.

Rail services resumed from Thursday 17 February 2022. It is estimated transporting freight via rail will commence from Wednesday 23 February 2022. 

Road service disruptions between South Australia and Northern Territory

From Friday 18 February 2022, all freight including backlog ex Adelaide will be transported to the Northern Territory for business-as-usual operations.

Darwin is experiencing staffing issue which may impact Operations

With capacity opening ex Adelaide to Alice Springs and Darwin, freight ex Sydney is being sent to Alice Springs via Adelaide and freight ex Melbourne will be sent to Alice Springs and Darwin via Adelaide.

Due to the ongoing impacts of flooding the road from Iron Knob to Hiltaba remains closed.

​​​​​​​Strict conditions have been applied along a 600m section of the Stuart Highway connecting South Australia to the Northern Territory. Only one truck is permitted to use this section of the highway at a time, with a 20km/h speed limit and during 7.00am – 7.00pm only.

All freight to regional areas of South Australia is being transported via road.

Rail service disruptions to Western Australia

Following the reopening of the rail line on Tuesday 15 February 2022, ST are working closely with Linfox on the arrival and delivery of all backlog rail product to the depot.

A selected number of containers will be delivered daily between Wednesday 16 February 2022 and Friday 4 March 2022.

ST expect to clear the backlog by Monday 7 March 2022.

Return To Sender requests will be managed as the backlogs reduce.

StarTrack Express into Western Australia

Following the reopening of the rail line in Western Australia on Tuesday 15 February 2022, rail services resumed on Thursday 17 February 2022.

Freight via road will continue until Wednesday 23 February 2022.

It is anticipated that the loading freight will commence on the rail line from Wednesday 23 February 2022.

The ST operational team continues to manage the volumes ex Melbourne and Sydney.

Due to the large volume of backlog freight, sortation and delivery may take up to 6 weeks to clear. ST are reviewing options to minimise impacts on the Perth depot.

There will be delays resulting in bulk freight being carried over to support backlogs in Western Australia.

Victoria and Tasmania

Isolated delays of carried over deliveries at Oakleigh, Mount Waverly, and Bayswater.

New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory

Parcel delivery delays anticipated out of the following Distribution Centres at – Warabrook, Tweed Heads South, Ballina, Byron Bay, Kempsey, and Murwillumbah.

Queensland

Some parcel delivery delays and carried over freight anticipated out of the following Distributions Centres – Bundall, Toowong, Coorparoo, Warwick, Kenmore, Staplyton, Caloundra, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Capalaba, Tingalpa and Brendale.

There will be delivery impacts today to postcodes 4289 and 4830 due to flooded roads and 4670, 2400 and Narrabri due to staffing issues.

Rail service disruptions between South Australia and Northern Territory

* The rail line between South Australia and Northern Territory is expected to reopen on Tuesday 15 February 2022.
* ST are working on a plan to manage the backlog of delayed freight as this is expected to take some time to clear.
* Freight will continue to be transported via road from the east coast to deliver the freight as quickly as possible.
* It is estimated that ST will commence transporting freight via rail from Wednesday 23 February 2022.

Road service disruptions between South Australia and Northern Territory

* With capacity opening ex Adelaide to Alice Springs and Darwin, freight ex Sydney is being sent to Alice Springs via Adelaide and freight ex Melbourne will be sent to Alice Springs and Darwin via Adelaide.

* Due to the ongoing impacts of flooding the road from Iron Knob to Hiltaba remains closed.

* There are strict conditions applied along a 600m section of the Stuart Highway connecting South Australia to the Northern Territory. Only one truck is permitted to use this section of the highway at a time, with a 20km/h speed limit and during 7.00am – 7.00pm only.

* All freight to regional areas of South Australia is being transported via road. 

Network Update – Western Australia

* All areas impacted by fires resumed full service from Wednesday 9 February

* The following localities serviced from Tom Price are still experiencing delays due to flooded roads:
    1. 6751 CHICHESTER
    2. 6751 INNAWANGA
    3. 6751 JUNA DOWNS
    4. 6751 KARIJINI
    5. 6751 MOUNT SHEILA
    6. 6751 MULGA DOWNS
    7. 6751 NANUTARRA
    8. 6751 ROCKLEA
    9. 6751 TOM PRICE
    10. 6751 WITTENOOM
    11. 6754 PARABURDO

* All other regions impacted by flooding resumed full service from Wednesday 9 February

* Following the expected reopening of rail lines in Western Australia on Tuesday 15 February 2022, freight will be transported to Perth for processing.

* There will be a backlog of freight which will impact Operations and Fleet teams and may take a few weeks to sort and clear.

* Some customers may request their items be returned to sender (RTS). ST's recommendation is: whilst the returns service is available, due to the high volume of items, it may take 5-6 weeks to locate individual items, isolate and label, and complete a returns process, and this may take longer than allowing items to flow through for delivery. 

Rail service disruptions to Western Australia

* Delayed rail product is expected to start arriving in WA this week and plans are in place to manage the volume.

* There will be a backlog of approximately 44 containers of Australia Post product and 53 containers of StarTrack Express product that were held up on the rail lines which may take over two weeks to sort and clear.

* Four containers of freight were recovered from the train and have been transported via road ex Adelaide to Perth.

* All freight since the rail line closed on 21 January 2022 has been transported to the Perth and Kewdale Parcel Centres by road.

Road service disruptions to and from Western Australia

* Road freight into Perth is all clear, and all freight to regional areas Western Australia is being transported via road.

* Mail and freight services ex Broome to Derby are operating as scheduled.

StarTrack Express into Western Australia

* With the rail line in Western Australia estimated to reopen next week (Tuesday 15 February 2022), freight will be transported via road between Monday 14 February 2022 to Friday 18 February 2022.

* It is anticipated that freight will be transported on the rail line from Wednesday 23 February 2022

* The ST Operational Team continues to manage the volumes ex Melbourne and Sydney.

* There may be some delays resulting in bulk freight being carried over to support backlogs in Western Australia.

We have now implemented restrictions for ST FPP and Road Express for booking larger shipments.

If any dimensions exceed 245cm, ST will not quote in Webship for the above services.

Rail service disruptions - Western Australia
 
Due to the ongoing impacts of flooding and rail line closures, ST are receiving high volumes of requests in Perth about the freight being held up on the trains. At this stage, the estimated reopening of the rail line is Wednesday 16 February 2022.

Once containers arrive in Perth and full consignments are located, all freight will be unloaded and scanned. Due to the backlog, this will take several days.

Transport service disruptions - Northern Territory

Due to the ongoing impacts of flooding and rail line closures, freight ex WA, SA, VIC and TAS continues to be delayed into Darwin.
  

South Australia and Northern Territory

Rail service disruptions to Northern Territory

The rail line between South Australia and Northern Territory is closed due to flooding. 

Estimated reopening of the rail line is Wednesday 16 February 2022.

ST are actively seeking additional road linehaul capacity to carry the freight that cannot be put on the trains.

Road service disruptions from Northern Territory

Flooding has also caused road diversions and closures along the Stuart Highway. Trucks are detouring via Broken Hill and Dubbo with Alice Springs product coming in southbound from Darwin. This means there are delays of a few days on items moving into the NT. This is being monitored closely.

Estimated reopening of the road is Sunday 13 February 2022​​​​​​​.

When the road reopens, there will be a backlog of freight which will impact ST operations and fleet teams. Large volumes of freight may take over two weeks to sort and clear.

The Broome to Darwin service has commenced, departing from Broome on Monday 31 January 2022. ST will monitor if this service will travel to Fitzroy Crossing and then return to Broome as a delayed service. At this stage, articles for Halls Creek, Kununurra and Darwin will return to Broome.

Some freight from Melbourne will be sent to Darwin via Minchinbury and bulk freight will be sent via Brisbane.

On Tuesday 1 February 2022, ST put 80 ULDs for Alice Springs and 120 ULDs for Darwin on trucks. They are working to identify a list of these items so they can communicate to affected customers.

On Wednesday 2 February 2022 ST moved all freight stuck in Alice Springs. Subject to space, additional freight may be transported on Friday 4 February 2022.

Alternatively, the freight will be transported as loose load freight through Melbourne into Sydney and bulk freight through Melbourne into Brisbane.

Freight into Perth is all clear. 

Rail service disruptions to Western Australia

Due to further rainfall in Western Australia, there is limited access to rail line repair sites between Adelaide and Perth.

Estimated reopening of the rail line is Wednesday 16 February 2022.

When the rail line reopens, there will be a backlog of freight which will impact ST operations and fleet teams. Large volumes of freight may take over two weeks to sort and clear.

From 21 January 2022 all items were placed on trucks and not on trains.

Articles are being delivered to the Perth and Kewdale Parcel Centres by road, but delays of a few days should be expected.

ST are actively seeking additional road linehaul capacity to carry the freight that cannot be put on the trains.

42 containers of Australia Post product and 53 containers of StarTrack Express product that were placed on trains prior to 21 January 2022 may be stranded until the line reopens.

Road service disruptions into Western Australia

The Great Northern Highway is closed between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek and will remain closed for several days.

The Broome Cape-Leveque Road in both directions from Manari Road to Banana Wells remain closed

The Gibb River Road between, Lennard River and Imintji, Imintji and Mount Barnett, Kulumburu turnoff and Pentecost River, Mount Barnett Kalmburu turnoff, Meda Turnoff and Lennard River and Pentecost River and Great Northern Highway remain closed.

The Darwin to Broome service which departed Darwin on Sunday 30 January 2022, has been terminated at Halls Creek. Coach and drivers returned on the GX680 service from Halls Creek to Darwin on Tuesday. Articles for Fitzroy, Broome and beyond will be returned to Kununurra.

Road service disruptions from Western Australia

Freight ex Perth to Sydney and Melbourne is being recovered. Some delays will occur.

Victoria and Tasmania

Road service disruptions from Victoria to Western Australia

Due to significant flooding, there is extensive damage along the rail line between Adelaide and Perth.

All loose pallets have been transported ex Melbourne to Perth. Some delays may occur with a few pallets of bulk freight carried over.

Road service disruptions from New South Wales

Due to significant flooding, there is extensive damage along the rail line between Adelaide and Perth.

Freight has been transported ex Sydney to Perth will minimal freight carried over.

Freight ex Sydney is being transported directly to Darwin until further notice. This includes freight for Alice Springs.

Road service disruptions in New South Wales

Due to a road closure northbound at Nabiac this morning, linehauls ex Sydney are delayed.

Premium freight will not be transported to Port Macquarie, Grafton and surrounding areas.

Freight for outlying areas of Port Macquarie will be forwarded to Kempsey for sortation and delivery over 2+ days.

Freight for Taree and Coffs Harbour (business and some residential) will be serviced.

StarTrack Express into Western Australia

ST have seen an increase in volumes despatched to Western Australia this week.

The ST team are working to secure additional capacity over the weekend to clear the backlog with the intent to be at baseline for Monday. However, there will be challenges moving large pallet despatches and there will be delays.

Most Western Australia volume is transiting through either New South Wales or Victoria and linehaul capacity has been coping well.

COVID impacts on Midstate Freight Service

Midstate Freight Service in the area of Dubbo is 95% completed, with bulk articles to be recovered. 

100% completion is expected today.

Outstanding onforwarding areas of Bourke, Coonabarabran, Cobar, Nyngan and Gilgandra are working through backlogs of freight.

ST is working with other carriers to fill the staffing shortages where possible.

See below latest update from StarTrack on Road and Rail Service Disruptions across the states:

Road service disruptions from Victoria

- Due to significant flooding, there is extensive damage along the rail line between Adelaide and Perth.

- Loose freight ex Melbourne will be sent into Darwin via Sydney and bulk freight via Brisbane.

- There are 120 bulk pallets and 23 loose pallets carried over for transport into Perth. Delays will occur.

- ST is working to locate additional transport to assist in recovery.

NETWORK UPDATE - NSW & ACT

Road service disruptions from New South Wales

- Due to significant flooding, there is extensive damage along the rail line between Adelaide and Perth.

- Freight ex Sydney is being transported directly to Darwin until further notice. This includes freight for Alice Springs.

- 120 pallets of freight carried over will be transported to Perth tonight with additional transportation scheduled for Sunday 6 February 2022, if required.

- A B-double truck will transport loose load freight to Perth on Friday 4 February 2022. Additional transportation is scheduled for Monday 7 February 2022. 

NETWORK UPDATE - SA & NT

Rail and road service disruptions to Northern Territory

- Significant flooding on South to North Rail Corridors in South Australia is continuing to impact rail services into and out of the Northern Territory.

- On Tuesday 1 February 2022, we put 80 ULDs for Alice Springs and 120 ULDs for Darwin on trucks. We are working to identify a list of these items so we can communicate to affected customers.

- Flooding has also caused road diversions and closures along the Stuart Highway. Trucks are detouring via Broken Hill and Dubbo with Alice Springs product coming in southbound from Darwin. This means there are delays of a few days on items moving into the NT. This is being monitored closely.

- The Broome to Darwin service has commenced, departing from Broome on Monday 31 January 2022.. At this stage, articles for Halls Creek, Kununurra and Darwin will return to Broome.

- Some freight from Melbourne will be sent to Darwin via Minchinbury and bulk freight will be sent via Brisbane.

- ST is actively seeking additional road linehaul capacity to carry the freight that cannot be put on the trains.

Road service disruptions from Northern Territory

- On Thursday 3 February 2022, ST will move all freight stuck in Alice Springs. Subject to space, additional freight may be transported on Friday 4 February 2022.

- Alternatively, the loose load freight will be transported through Melbourne into Sydney and bulk freight through Melbourne into Brisbane.

- Freight into Perth is all clear.

NETWORK UPDATE - WA

Rail service disruptions to Western Australia

- Due to significant flooding, there is extensive damage along the rail line between Adelaide and Perth, which will remain closed until further notice.

- From 21 January 2022 all items were placed on trucks and not on trains.

- Articles are being delivered to the Perth and Kewdale Parcel Centres by road, but delays of a few days should be expected.

- Additional road linehaul capacity is being resourced to carry the freight that cannot be put on the trains.

- 42 containers of Australia Post product and 53 containers of StarTrack Express product that were placed on trains prior to 21 January 2022. Delays will occur as some freight may be stranded.

- ST is working to identify a list of impacted products and will communicate this information to affected customers as soon as possible.

Road service disruptions into Western Australia

- The Great Northern Highway is closed between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek and will remain closed for several days.

- The Darwin to Broome service (GX680), which departed Darwin on Sunday 30 January 2022, has been terminated at Halls Creek. Coach and drivers returned on the GX680 service from Halls Creek to Darwin on Tuesday. Articles for Fitzroy, Broome and beyond will be returned to Kununurra.

Road service disruptions from Western Australia

- Freight ex Perth to Sydney and Melbourne is being recovered. Some delays will occur.

The new oversize charge of $75.00 for an item that is 32KG and above deadweight is applicable from today. The other change that is applicable is for any item where a single dimension falls within 150cm-199cm. This was previously $27.50 and from today, is now $20.00.

Webship has not been updated as yet to reflect these changes, however tickets have been raised and we will advise as soon as they are ready to go live.

Note: Any other incompatible freight remains at $27.50.

Please advise your customers accordingly as quotes may be incorrect.
 

See below latest update from StarTrack on Road and Rail Service Disruptions across WA and NT:
 

Rail services to WA

• Due to significant flooding, there is extensive damage along the rail line between Adelaide and Perth, which will remain closed until further notice.
• From 21 January 2022 all items were placed on trucks and not on trains.
• Articles are being delivered to the Perth and Kewdale Parcel Centres by road, but delays of a few days should be expected.
• ST is actively seeking additional road linehaul capacity to carry the freight that cannot be put on the trains.

Road services into WA

• The Great Northern Highway is closed between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek and will remain closed for several days.
• The Darwin to Broome service (GX680), which departed Darwin on Sunday 30 January 2022, has been terminated at Halls Creek. Coach and drivers will return on the GX680 service from Halls Creek to Darwin later today. Articles for Fitzroy, Broome and beyond will be returned to Kununurra.

Rail and road services to NT

• Significant flooding on South to North Rail Corridors in South Australia is continuing to impact rail services into and out of the Northern Territory.
• Freight for Alice Springs and Darwin will be placed on trucks today and the network is working to identify a list of these items so we can communicate to affected customers.
• Flooding has also caused road diversions and closures along the Stuart Highway. Trucks are detouring via Broken Hill and Dubbo with Alice Springs product coming in southbound from Darwin. This means there are delays of a few days on items moving into the NT. This is being monitored closely.
• The Broome to Darwin service (GX680) has commenced, departing from Broome today. There will be a close monitoring of the freight to Fitzroy Crossing to establish if the freight needs to return to Broome. At this stage, articles for Halls Creek, Kununurra and Darwin will return to Broome.
• Some freight from Melbourne will be sent to Darwin via Minchinbury and bulk freight will be sent via Brisbane.
• ST are actively seeking additional road linehaul capacity to carry the freight that cannot be put on the trains.

COVID impacts on Midstate Freight Service

• COVID is impacting ST staffing across Midstate Freight Service in the areas of Dubbo, Coonamble (Express & Premium), Coonabarabran (Express), Cobar, Nyngan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Lightning Ridge, Walgett and Wellington ( Startrack Premium).
• These areas receive and sort freight for onforwarding to Wellington (Express), Warren, Trangie, Narromine, Trundle, Tottenham, Tullamore and Gilgandra.
• Midstate Freight Service remain committed to providing a limited service until Friday 4 February 2022, with normal services to resume from Monday 7 February 2022.
• ST is working with other carriers to fill staffing shortages where possible.

The new oversize charge is effective from tomorrow 2 February 2022, for StarTrack Road Express, however we received notification last night that the Level 1 Band of 150cm - 199cm has been reduced from $27.50 to $20.00 as per table below. All other bands remain the same.
 

Please note that the charge of $27.50 still applies to incompatible freight ie. anything that cannot be sorted on a conveyor belt. The $20.00 charge change is only for freight with dimensions of 150cm - 199cm.

Significant flooding on East-West Rail Corridor in South Australia is continuing to impact rail services into and out of Western Australia. 48 rail services are impacted into Western Australia. It is anticipated rail services will reopen on Monday 7 February 2022.

Freight from South Australia and eastern seaboard are being dispatched via road.

Due to a lack of equipment, some freight from Western Australia will be moved through Minchinbury for arrival in Melbourne and Adelaide.

Upcoming charge for oversize items via StarTrack Road Express only

From 2 February 2022, StarTrack will be introducing an Oversize Charge which will apply for all items exceeding weight and dimension criteria using the StarTrack Road Express service across the following bands:
 

 
Where an item falls into more than one Oversize Charge band, the item will be charged at the higher band so there will be one charge only.

 When there is more than one oversized item, the Oversize Charge will be applied per item at the applicable rate based on the dimensions or weight instead of the Manual Handling Surcharge unless on a pallet/skid.

Freight consigned on pallets (and for delivery on pallets) will not attract the Oversize Charge.

Where ST are required to deliver items on pallets individually, the Oversize Charge will apply to each >32KG deadweight item on the pallet.

The Oversize Charge will be included as one of ST's Additional Charges from February 2022, and further detail will be provided at www.auspost.com.au/business-pricing-updates.

Note: The new Oversize Charge applies to all ST customers.

See link to new ST Oversize Charge guide below:

https://auspost.com.au/content/dam/auspost_corp/media/documents/oversize-charge-help-guide.pdf

Further to requests from the network, a new function has been developed to restrict size of items when booking ST and will soon be implemented. We will advise when this function is live.

Listed below are the updated rates effective early 2022 received last week and now in the process of being updated in XMS (please note that there are still some Accessorial Rates yet to be received).

StarTrack:

• 4.45% increase 1^st January
• No updates to surcharges at this stage, but in the near future there will be some changes

Qantas Melbourne Depots

We have just been advised by our Account Managers at Startrack that Qantas freight in Melbourne is currently closed for a deep clean. As a result, there are expected delays for all freight that is required to travel through any Qantas depot in Melbourne, for both domestic and international freight. We have not yet been advised of a reopen date.

Startrack have advised that, where possible, they will attempt to send items via road transport, however you should expect delays to occur. 
 
As a reminder, both Startrack and TNT have advised previously that there will be no credits for any service failures due to the pandemic. These delays will fall under this category.

For further updates on this matter, please view the Qantas link: https://freight.qantas.com/news/latest-coronavirus-information.html