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Rail transport in Western Australia
From top left to bottom right: A Transperth Mandurah line passenger train, an Australian Railroad Group (predecessor to Aurizon) iron ore train, a CBH grain train, a BHP iron ore train, a Transwa AvonLink regional passenger train, an Indian Pacific interstate passenger train
Operation
Infrastructure companyArc Infrastructure
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Public Transport Authority
Rio Tinto
BHP
Fortescue Metals Group
Roy Hill Holdings
Major operatorsPublic Transport Authority (Transperth and Transwa)
Journey Beyond
Aurizon
Watco Australia
Pacific National
SCT Logistics
Rio Tinto
BHP
Fortescue Metals Group
Roy Hill Holdings
System length
Total7,886 km (4,900 mi)
Electrified189 km (117 mi)
Track gauge
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)4,701 km (2,921 mi)
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)2,978 km (1,850 mi)
Dual gauge207 km (129 mi)
Electrification
Main25 kV 50 Hz AC

History

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The Public Transport Centre is the administration building for the Public Transport Authority and previously Westrail. It is also the terminal for regional and interstate standard gauge trains.

Privatisation

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In July 1998, state cabinet approved the privatisation of Westrail's freight operations,[1] and in May 2000, legislation authorising the privatisation was passed by parliament.[2] In August 2000, four bidders had been shortlisted,[3] and on 30 October 2000, it was announced that Australian Railroad Group (ARG), a joint venture between Wesfarmers and Genesee & Wyoming, was the winning bid. Under the agreement, Westrail's freight rolling stock, customer contracts, and brand were sold, alongside a 49-year lease of Westrail's freight rail network, at a total cost of $585 million.[4] The deal was finalised on 17 December 2000,[5] and on the following day, Westrail, which continued to run passenger trains, was rebranded as the Western Australian Government Railways Commission.

On 1 July 2003, the Public Transport Authority (PTA) was formed, replacing the WAGR Commission. The PTA also assumed management of bus services and ferry services from the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, making this the first time that a single agency has had responsibility for planning, constructing and running all public transport in Western Australia.[6]

In February 2006, it was announced the below-rail portion of ARG, the subsidiary WestNet Rail, would be sold to Babcock & Brown, and the above-rail portion of ARG would be sold to Queensland Rail.[7][8] Babcock & Brown Infrastructure was renamed Prime Infrastructure in October 2009,[9] and in 2010, the company merged with Brookfield Infrastructure Partners.[10][11] In August 2011, WestNet Rail was rebranded Brookfield Rail,[12][13] and in July 2017, Brookfield Rail was rebranded as Arc Infrastructure.[14][15]

The Queensland Government announced in December 2009 it would float the freight arm of Queensland Rail in 2010, spinning it off as a new company called QR National.[16][17][18] The float occurred in November 2010,[19][20] and in November 2012, QR National shareholders voted to rename the company Aurizon.[21][22]

Infrastructure

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Infrastructure managers

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A map of the southern half of Western Australia showing the railways coloured by their owner/manager
Infrastructure managers in the southern half of Western Australia:
  Arc Infrastructure
  Public Transport Authority
  Australian Rail Track Corporation
  Other

The largest rail infrastructure manager in Western Australia is Arc Infrastructure, who have a long-term lease from the Public Transport Authority of the former WAGR freight network. The Arc Infrastructure network covers the majority of the currently-operating railway lines in the south-western quarter of Western Australia, with the exception of the Transperth network and a few small branches. The network extends as far east as Kalgoorlie, Leonora and Esperance, and as far north as Geraldton and Mullewa. The network is primarily used for grain and ore haulage. The Perth to Kalgoorlie standard gauge line also carries intermodal freight and passenger trains. The Arc Infrastructure network connects to ports at Geraldton, Fremantle, Bunbury, Albany and Esperance.[23]

The other major rail infrastructure manager in the south-west quadrant is the state government-owned Public Transport Authority, which manages the Transperth suburban rail network. This is the only electrified network in Western Australia, and covers seven lines: the Airport, Armadale, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah, Midland, and Thornlie lines. Public Transport Authority control extends as far as Mundijong junction on the Armadale line and Robbs Jetty station on the Fremantle line. The Public Transport Authority also owns several disused railways in the south-west which were not included in the Arc Infrastructure lease.[24]

The federal government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation owns and manages the Trans-Australian Railway, which connects to the Arc Infrastructure network at Kalgoorlie and is the only interstate connection on Western Australia's rail network.[25]

A map of the Pilbara showing the railways coloured by their owner/manager
Infrastructure managers in the Pilbara:
  Rio Tinto
  BHP
  Fortescue
  Roy Hill Holdings

In the Pilbara region, there are four privately owned and vertically integrated rail networks, which are exclusively used for hauling iron ore from mines to ports. Rio Tinto owns the Hamersley & Robe River railway, which is the longest of these networks, and goes from ports in Dampier and Cape Lambert to mines near Tom Price, Paraburdoo, and Newman. BHP owns the Goldsworthy and Mount Newman railways. The Goldsworthy railway has been mothballed since 2014, and goes from Port Hedland to Yarrie. The Mount Newman railway goes from Port Hedland to mines near Newman. Fortescue Metals Group owns the Fortescue railway, which goes from Port Hedland to mines inland. Hancock Prospecting owns the Roy Hill railway, which goes from Port Hedland to the Roy Hill mine. These railways were built to significantly higher standards to the rest of Australia's rail network.[26]

Minor infrastructure managers include Karara Mining, Griffin Coal, the Pemberton Tramway Company and the Hotham Valley Tourist Railway. Karara Mining has had a 49-year lease on the 78-kilometre (48 mi) Karara railway spur to the Karara mine near Morawa since 2012. Griffin Coal owns a three-kilometre (1.9 mi) spur to the Ewington mine near Collie.[24]

Gauge

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A map of the southern half of Western Australia showing the railways coloured by their gauge
Track gauge in the southern half of Western Australia:
  Narrow gauge
  Standard gauge
  Dual gauge
Two parallel dual gauge railway tracks in a rural area with a large hill in the background
The dual gauge Eastern Railway in Brigadoon
See also: Rail gauge in Australia
Route length by gauge[27]
Gauge Length
Standard gauge (1,435 mm / 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) 4,701 km 2,921 mi
Narrow gauge (1,067 mm / 3 ft 6 in) 2,978 km 1,850 mi
Dual gauge 207 km 129 mi
Total 7,886 km 4,900 mi

The rail network in Western Australia was initially all narrow gauge. The Trans-Australian Railway, which opened in 1917 linking Kalgoorlie with South Australia, was originally built as a standard gauge railway, causing a break of gauge at Kalgoorlie. The isolated Pilbara railways were also all built as standard gauge railways.

As part of the gauge standardisation project, the Northam–Kalgoorlie, Esperance–Kalgoorlie and Leonora–Kalgoorlie railways were converted to standard gauge. The Perth–Northam railway was rerouted and rebuilt as a dual gauge railway, which allows the interstate standard gauge trains and intrastate narrow gauge trains to enter Perth on the same railway. The Kwinana freight railway was built as a dual gauge railway as well to allow freight to bypass the Perth suburban network on its way to and from Fremantle Harbour.

Electrification

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The only electrified railways in Western Australia are the Transperth suburban railways in Perth. The total length of electrified railways in Western Australia is 189 kilometres (117 mi).[27] Diesel-powered trains run on the rest of the network.

Operations

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Western Australia has the following rail operators:

Passenger

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Two electric multiple unit trains next to each other on parallel tracks
A Transperth A-series train and a Transperth C-series train on the Armadale line in Burswood

Perth

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Main article: Railways in Perth

Regional

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A yellow diesel multiple unit passenger train with three carriages
A Transwa Prospector train near Kalgoorlie

Interstate

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A blue diesel locomotive hauling a long line of stainless steel passenger carriages
The Indian Pacific passing through Midland on its way out of Perth

Freight

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Intermodal

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Red and white diesel locomotive hauling intermodal freight wagons in a shipping port with cranes behind
SCT Logistics intermodal freight train at North Quay, Fremantle Harbour

Intermodal Group and Watco run trains carrying intermodal containers between the North Quay of Fremantle Harbour and Kewdale Freight Terminal and Forrestfield marshalling yard, a distance of about 24 kilometres (15 mi). This service has a frequency of two or three trains per day. Aurizon runs trains carrying intermodal containers between the North Quay and Kwinana marshalling yard. This service has a frequency of one or two trains per day, five days per week. Each of these services is subsidised by the state government to reduce road congestion around Fremantle and increase the proportion of containers being moved by rail. In March 2022, the proportion of containers moved at Fremantle Harbour was 24.3 percent, higher than the state government's target of 20 percent.[31]

Rail freight between Perth and the eastern states of Australia has the highest

Grain

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Two blue diesel locomotives attached to hopper wagons loading with grain
A CBH Group train at a grain receival point in Goomalling
Main article: Wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia

Iron ore

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A long line of loaded iron ore wagons on a curve
A loaded Rio Tinto iron ore train leaving the Brockman 4 mine

Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue Metals Group and Roy Hill Holdings each operate iron ore trains on their own private networks in the Pilbara.[26] Outside the Pilbara, Aurizon operates narrow-gauge iron ore trains to and from Geraldton Port under contract. Trains go to the Karara mine[32][33][34] and the town of Perenjori.[35][36] Mineral Resources Limited operates standard-gauge trains between the Koolyanobbing mine and the Port of Esperance via Kalgoorlie.[30][37]

Coal

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Bauxite

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Yellow diesel locomotive hauling brown hopper wagons
An Aurizon bauxite train in Mundijong

Other

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Yellow diesel locomotive hauling brown hopper wagons with the ocean and a large hill in the background
An Aurizon woodchip train in Albany

Aurizon operates a shuttle between the Port of Albany and the Mirrambeena siding, carrying woodchips under contract to the Albany Plantation Export Company. This train runs four times per day, four times per week.[38]

Accidents and safety

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Heritage railways

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References

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  1. ^ "Sale of freight business of Westrail approved". Media Statements. 30 July 1998. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Minister says Westrail may be sold by year end". Media Statements. 25 May 2000. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Four bidders shortlisted for Westrail freight sale". Media Statements. 9 August 2000. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Government announces winning bid for Westrail freight business". Media Statements. 30 October 2000. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Minister accepts payment for sale of Westrail freight". Media Statements. 18 December 2000. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  6. ^ "New PTA to provide better planned and integrated services". Media Statements. 30 June 2003. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Sale of Australian Railroad Group" (PDF). Wesfarmers. 14 February 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Qld Rail buys into freight market". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 February 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  9. ^ Garvey, Paul; Whyte, Jemima (2 October 2009). "Suddenly BBI becomes Prime again". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  10. ^ Range, Jackie (23 August 2010). "Brookfield Infrastructure swoops on Prime". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  11. ^ O'Sullivan, Matt (24 August 2010). "Brookfield makes $971m offer for the rest of Prime". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  12. ^ Quinn, Russell (17 August 2011). "WestNet Rail changes track". PerthNow. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  13. ^ Williams, Peter (17 August 2011). "Rebranded WestNet becomes Brookfield". The West Australian. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  14. ^ Beyer, Mark (17 July 2017). "Brookfield's rail arm widens focus". Business News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Brookfield Rail becomes Arc Infrastructure". Railway Gazette International. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  16. ^ "QR National to be floated in 2010". Railway Gazette International. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  17. ^ Marriner, Cosima; O'Sullivan, Matt (10 December 2009). "Queensland in $7b float of rail freight". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  18. ^ Ludlow, Mark (10 December 2009). "Qld privatisation backlash widens". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  19. ^ Janda, Michael (22 November 2010). "QR debuts at $2.54, then surges higher". ABC News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  20. ^ Wiggins, Jenny; Ludlow, Mark (27 November 2010). "QR float defies critics as stock gains 16pc". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  21. ^ Carter, Mark (23 November 2012). "QR National becomes Aurizon". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  22. ^ "QR National rebranded to end QR confusion". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  23. ^ BITRE 2023, p. 112–113.
  24. ^ a b "Public Transport Authority: Railway System" (PDF). Public Transport Authority. April 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  25. ^ BITRE 2023, p. 112.
  26. ^ a b BITRE 2023, p. 81–82.
  27. ^ a b BITRE 2023, p. 78.
  28. ^ a b c d "Freight rail in Western Australia" (PDF). Freight and Logistics Council of Western Australia. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g BITRE 2023, p. 115.
  30. ^ a b "Mineral Resources first iron ore train leaves Koolyanobbing". Investor Insight. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  31. ^ BITRE 2023, p. 46.
  32. ^ "QR National clinches Karara iron ore deal". International Railway Journal. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Gindalbie signs rail haulage deal with QR". The West Australian. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  34. ^ Herbert, Carolyn (6 June 2011). "Billion dollar deal for QR National". Business News. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  35. ^ BITRE 2023, p. 82.
  36. ^ Pickles, Saskia (16 February 2015). "Mid West miner signs rail deals". Business News. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  37. ^ "Koolyanobbing Iron Ore Mine". Mining Technology. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  38. ^ "Effective leadership and empowering our workforce – Albany Bulk Handling's approach to safety". LINX Cargo Care Group. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2023.

Bibliography

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