Domino’s to fly nearly 500kg of bacon from Melbourne to Perth to overcome rail disruptions caused by flooding

Pizza giant Domino’s is taking to the skies to get around the logistical nightmare of the east-west rail closure. The company is flying almost 500kg of bacon from Melbourne to counter supply chain shortages caused by the floods at the Nullarbor. The rail line — a key route for goods including food and groceries — is expected to reopen on Saturday at midday between Kalgoorlie and Rawlinna after being closed since March 9. Some supermarkets have reported stock shortages while customers awaiting deliveries of other goods have been told they will have to wait longer. Domino’s has 82 outlets in WA, as far flung as Geraldton, Albany and South Hedland. Australia and New Zealand supply chain manager Vanessa Muller said Domino’s was committed to countering the disruption. “We know how much our customers love their bacon, and we’re committed to doing everything we can to make sure they can enjoy their favourite pizzas, even in the face of supply chain disruptions,”she said. “We’re grateful to our dedicated team members who have worked tirelessly to make this happen, and we’re looking forward to serving up delicious, bacon-topped pizzas to our customers this long weekend.” Transport disruptions have been a major pain point for national businesses in recent years with the TransAustralia rail line susceptible to flooding amid heavy rains. Most notably in 2022 it was cut for several weeks, alongside direct road routes, forcing companies to charter deliveries to WA via sea and air, or via roads in the Northern Territory. Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Rita Saffioti on Thursday said she would be working to see how the rail line’s resilience could be improved. “At the time it happened, the initial advice was that the rail line would be down for less than a week,” she said. “That wasn’t the case but the rail line will reopen on Saturday which is great news. “The major retailers have moved to store more stock, given what happened when the rail line was completely washed out a couple of years ago, so they are have more stock, but we have seen some items (in) short supply. “We’re hoping (that) with a Saturday reopening of the rail line, any of those shortages, extreme shortages we’ve seen previously, will be avoided.” Ms Saffioti said the Government would examine storage of goods could be increased in WA, and further into the resilience of the east-west rail line. “There are a number of programs that we’re looking at and we’ll want to seek other States’ support to get further funding to improve the east-west rail network,” she said. “Of course we need national support because this is a national expenditure item. The problem is that WA are the ones that are most vulnerable because of our distance.”