Western Australia’s government has reported a record share of of container freight transported by rail in and out of Fremantle Inner Harbour in 2025-2026
Ports Minister Stephen Dawson commented: “Strong, efficient ports are vital to Western Australia’s economy. Every container, commodity and export shipment moving through our ports supports jobs, businesses, and the communities that depend on them. The record results at Fremantle Ports demonstrate the integral role our ports play in strengthening supply chains, facilitating trade and ensuring goods move efficiently across our State and beyond”.
A total of 26.4 per cent of Fremantle’s container trade, or more than 240,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers, were transported in and out of Fremantle’s Inner Harbour by rail during this period, according to a WA Government statement. The State Government attributed the results in container freight movement to the container rail subsidy scheme; about 80% of the rail containers were subsidised.
“The increased use of rail is estimated to have removed around 164,000 one-way truck movements from metropolitan roads in 2025-2026, helping to reduce congestion, improve efficiency, sustainability and road safety,” an official statement reads. The subsidy is currently set at $50 per TEU, the subsidy is paid to the North Quay Rail Terminal operator, who passes it on to rail customers through reduced transport costs.
All loaded rail containers transported between Fremantle Inner Harbour and intermodal terminals at Forrestfield, Kwinana, Rockingham and Kenwick are eligible for the subsidy, along with containers of hay received by rail for international export.
More than 920,000 containers were handled at Fremantle Ports in the 2025-26 financial year, the WA government.
Ports Minister Stephen Dawson commented that: “The Cook Labor Government is proud to own and operate the majority of Western Australia’s ports”.
The WA container port at Fremantle is currently the worst-performing port in Australia and, ranked at 366 out of 400 ports in the world with a performance score of negative 74, it is one of the worst performing ports globally, according to a highly authoritative World Bank report.
Fee hikes imposed by Fremantle Port Authority of up to 295% for mooring, and hikes in various kinds of container fees ranging from 20% to 42% have been heavily criticised by Shipping Australia.
