Keeping Australia on track Australia’s rail network is the sixth largest in the world. Its heavy haul operations in the Pilbara are world leaders as is Australia’s rail componentry and systems integration. Moving more goods onto rail has positive flow on effects for the whole supply chain- freeing up our road networks, using less fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Continued investment in rail for improved passenger and freight movements around Australia will contribute to the economic growth, as well as overall productivity and prosperity of Australia. Passenger rail, both heavy and light provide vital transport links around Australia and help meet the growing demands of Australia’s increasing population while helping to reduce road congestion, improve road safety and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, more than 110,000 people are employed by rail in a wide range of occupations, disciplines and professions. Our people work in different functions including corporate roles, engineering, customer service, infrastructure and operations. Rail is a strong, exciting and diverse industry with a prosperous future in Australia.
Australian railways carried over 1 billion tonnes of freight in 2012-13, an increase of 57 per cent since 2007-08. The growth in freight tonnage has been driven substantially by the resources boom. The freight task has been dominated by bulk movements, which accounted for 97 per cent of total freight transport. The intrastate bulk task in Western Australia alone has grown by 83 per cent in the same period. The intermodal freight task is also improving. Tonnages have increased by 65 per cent since 2009-10 to 27 million tonnes. Passenger In 2013, heavy and light rail operations in Australia provided 850.3 million passenger trips.5 On a weekly basis, this is equal to 16.4 million passenger trips or 2.3 million people travelling by train each day of the year. Providing an alternative to the car, rail’s key role is weekday commuting. Heavy and light passenger rail services are the dominant transport choice for commuters in Australian cities travelling to and from work in the AM and PM periods. Sydney has the largest journey-to-work market of the rail networks, transporting 46 per cent of Sydneysiders who work in the city centre.
Industroquip are committed to the Australian railway contractors providing fast service and stocking railway specific safety equipment to help assist those dedicated to keeping this great industry on track.