Genesee & Wyoming Australia

Genesee & Wyoming Australia

Genesee & Wyoming Australia's logo is the same as that of its US parent company, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
Genesee & Wyoming Australia GM class locomotives in April 2008
Industry	Railway operator
Predecessor	Australian National
Founded	1 June 2006
Headquarters	Kilburn, South Australia
Area served	Northern Territory South Australia
Key people	Greg Pauline (MD)
Parent	Genesee & Wyoming (51%) Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (49%)
Website	www.gwrr.com

Genesee & Wyoming Australia (GWA) is an Australian rail freight operator company. It is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming (51%) and Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (49%).

History

700 class leading a Penrice Stone Train through Birkenhead in June 2005

CL class leads a GM class and two 22 class locomotives near Geelong in July 2007

On 1 November 1997, Genesee & Wyoming acquired the South Australian rail freight assets of Australian National from the Australian Government including a 50-year lease on the network from the Government of South Australia.^[1][2][3][4] Operations commenced in November 1997 with the operation branded Australian Southern Railroad (ASR).^[5][6]

In 1999, GWA commenced operating services from Adelaide to Melbourne for Patrick Corporation.^[7] On 1 December 1999, GWA took over operation of the BHP network in Whyalla.^[8]

In December 2000, Australian Railroad Group (ARG), a 50-50 joint venture between Genesee & Wyoming and Wesfarmers took over the Westrail freight business in Western Australia with the operation rebranded Australian Western Railroad (AWR).^[9][10] As part of the joint venture agreement, ownership of ASR passed to the ARG.^[11] In 2002 both ASR and AWR were brought together under the ARG brand.^[12][13]

In May 2001, ARG commenced operating services from Adelaide to Sydney via Broken Hill and Cootamundra.^[14] In December 2003, it commenced operating services within New South Wales when it commenced a five year contract to haul flour, grain and starch for the Manildra Group.^[15]

On 1 June 2006, ARG sold its Western Australian operations to Queensland Rail and WestNet Rail.^[16]:27[17] Simultaneously, Wesfarmers sold its 50% interest in the remainder of ARG to Genesee & Wyoming with the operation rebranded Genesee & Wyoming Australia.^[18]

In 2008 GWA signed a five-year deal with ABB Grain to haul grain trains in Victoria.^[19]

In June 2010 GWA purchased the assets of FreightLink from its receivers leading to GWA taking over operation of freight trains on the Adelaide–Darwin railway.^[20][21][22] After this transaction, GWA became the largest of the 11 Genesee & Wyoming operating regions around the world.^[5]

On 1 December 2016 GWA in conjunction with Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (MIRA), acquired Glencore's Hunter Valley business. GWI concurrently issued a 49% equity stake in G&W Australia.^{[23][24]:17[25]}

GWA already operated the Glencore rail assets with fellow Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Freightliner already operating a 20-year contract, annually hauling some 40 million tonnes of coal to the Port of Newcastle.^[26]

Operations

GWA operates trains on broad 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), narrow 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge lines throughout South Australia and the Northern Territory, and in New South Wales and Victoria.^[27][26] Major traffic flows include intermodal, grain, gypsum, iron ore, manganese, copper and other minerals over a 5,000-kilometre (3,100 mi) network.^[28]

When GWA operates over track networks owned by others, including networks owned by the Australian Government and state governments, the owners of the network rather than the operators are responsible for scheduling the use of the tracks as well as for determining the amount and timing of the expenditures necessary to maintain the network in satisfactory condition. Therefore, in areas where GWA operates over tracks owned by others, it is subject to train scheduling set by the owners as well as the risk that the network will not be adequately maintained.^[16]:24

In South Australia, if demand for services on a line ceases and no new demand eventuates, the rail track is classified as discontinued and put into a dormant state on care and maintenance for a period of five years. During this period GWA are responsible for ongoing care, security and maintenance that includes maintaining the working order of all equipment, i.e. level crossings, signals, controls and switches so that a train can operate within 24 hours notice and will reinstate at its own cost if an access seeker negotiates to return a train to operation. The discontinued track is transferred back to the South Australian Government after five years if services do not return.^[29]

Lines

Under a 50-year contract that expires in 2047^[16]:27, GWA leases the following lines from the Government of South Australia:^[30]

Locomotive fleet

As at October 2014, GWA owned 102 diesel-electric locomotives.^[34]

Class	Image	No. in use	No. stored	Gauge	Max. speed (km/h)	Year built	Owner when new; class	Owner before GWA
500		—	1	Standard	80	1964	SAR (500 class)	ARG
700		—	3	Standard	115	1971	SAR (700 class)	ARG
830		2	10	Broad, standard, narrow	115	1960– 1966	SAR (830 class)	ARG
900		6	—	Broad, narrow	115	1960– 1966	SAR (830 class DA variant)	ARG
1200		2	—	Narrow		1960– 1967	WAGR (A class)	ARG
1300		4	—	Narrow		1956– 1961	BHP (DE class)	ARG
1600		3	1	Narrow		1971	CR (NJ class)	ARG
1900		1	—	Narrow		1972	WAGR (D class)	ARG
2200		5	—	Standard	115	1969– 1970	Dept of Railways NSW (422 class)	ARG
ALF		7	—	Standard	115	1976– 1977	AN (AL class)	ARG
CK		4	—	Narrow	100	1967– 1968	VR (T class)	ARG
CLF		2	—	Standard	115	1970– 1972	CR (CL class)	ARG
CLP		4	—	Standard	115	1970– 1972	CR (CL class)	ARG
FJ		2	—	Standard	115	1966	WAGR (J class)	FreightLink
FQ		4	—	Standard	115	2003	FreightLink (FQ class)	FreightLink
GM		1	9	Standard	115	1965– 1967	CR (GM class)	ARG
GWA		10	—	Standard	115	2011– 2012	GWA (GWA class)	GWA
GWN		5	—	Narrow	100	2012	GWA (GWN class)	GWA
GWU		9	—	Standard	115	2012	GWA (GWU class)	GWA
XRN		30	—	Standard	115	2010-12	Xstrata	Glencore

References