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Arc Infrastructure (previously known as Brookfield Rail and WestNet Rail) is a transport infrastructure owner and access provider in
In December 2000, the
Non-urban rail routes covered by the WA rail access regime
Economic Regulation Authority It is responsible for maintaining the network and granting access to operators.
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
with a long-term lease on the network from the Government of Western Australia
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
. It operates approximately 5,500 km of standard, narrow and dual gauge rail infrastructure in the southern half of the state.
History
In December 2000, the State Government
A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...
privatised Westrail
Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) was the operator of railway services in the state of Western Australia between October 1890 and June 2003. Owned by the state government, it was renamed a number of times to reflect extra responsi ...
, with the Australian Railroad Group
Australian Railroad Group (ARG) was an Australian rail freight operator. It began operations in Western Australia on 17 December 2000 following its purchase of the Westrail freight business. It was purchased by QR National in June 2006. The mai ...
, a 50/50 joint venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
between United States rail operator Genesee & Wyoming
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates ...
and Australian rural services company Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian conglomerate, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It has interests predominantly in Australia and New Zealand, operating in retail, chemical, fertiliser, industrial and safety products. With revenue o ...
, the successful bidder. Included in the sale was a 49-year lease on the below rail infrastructure network."Australian Railroad Group buys Westrail freight" ''Railway Digest'' December 2000 page 23 This part of the business was rebranded as WestNet Rail.
On 1 June 2006, Australian Railroad Group was sold with the above rail rolling stock and terminal assets passing to QR National, and the below rail infrastructure business to Babcock & Brown
Babcock & Brown LP was a global investment and advisory firm, established in 1977, based in Sydney, Australia, that went into liquidation in 2009.
Babcock & Brown Securities LLC was an active investment banking firm focused on equipment and pro ...
Infrastructure. Initially Babcock & Brown held a 51% shareholding, the remaining 49% being held by minority shareholders with Babcock & Brown having an option to increase its holding. In March 2008 Babcock & Brown increased its shareholding to 76%. It later took full ownership.
In late 2009, Babcock & Brown Infrastructure was renamed Prime Infrastructure and again by December 2010 to Brookfield Infrastructure Partners
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. is a publicly traded limited partnership with corporate headquarters in Toronto, Canada, that engages in the acquisition and management of infrastructure assets on a global basis.
Until a spin-off in Januar ...
following Brookfield Asset Management
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. is a Canadian multinational company that is one of the world's largest alternative investment management companies, with over US$725 billion of assets under management in 2022. It focuses on direct contro ...
's purchase of the business. In August 2011, WestNet Rail was rebranded as Brookfield Rail.
In 2017, Brookfield Rail relocated its headquarters from Welshpool
Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
to Perth Airport
Perth Airport is an international, domestic and general aviation airport serving Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
It is the fourth busiest airport in Australia measured by passenger movements and falls within the boundaries o ...
. In July 2017, the company was again rebranded as Arc Infrastructure.
Current operations
Arc Infrastructure has a lease until 2049 on of rail infrastructure throughout the southern half of Western Australia, fromGeraldton
Geraldton ( Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth.
At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...
in the north, to Leonora and Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
in the east, and south to Esperance, Albany and Bunbury.Economic Regulation Authority It is responsible for maintaining the network and granting access to operators.
See also
*Wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia
The wheatbelt railway lines of Western Australia were, in most cases, a network of railway lines in Western Australia that primarily served the Wheatbelt region.
Maps of the Western Australian Government Railways (WAGR) system in the 1930s sho ...
References
External links
* {{Rail network infrastructure companies, state=collapsed Companies based in Perth, Western Australia Railway infrastructure companies of Australia Rail transport in Western Australia Australian companies established in 2006 Railway companies established in 2006