The ACCC regulates the Interstate rail network through an access undertaking by infrastructure provider, the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
The Interstate rail network is used for freight and passenger services.
What the ACCC does
We regulate the Interstate rail network through an access undertaking.
What the ACCC can't do
We don’t set the prices or provide access to the rail network.
We don’t direct the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
We don’t set technical standards for the rail industry.
On this page
About the Interstate rail network
The network is used for freight and passenger services
The Interstate rail network includes the mainline standard gauge track. It links:
Kalgoorlie in Western Australia
Adelaide, Wolseley and Crystal Brook in South Australia
Melbourne and Wodonga in Victoria
Cootamundra, Albury, Macarthur, Moss Vale, Unanderra, Newcastle (to the Queensland border) and Parkes in New South Wales
Acacia Ridge (southern Brisbane) in Queensland.
It is used by:
general freight services, such as manufactured goods
bulk freight services, such as mining and agriculture products
long distance and regional passenger services.
The provider is the Australian Rail Track Corporation
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) manages the Interstate rail network.
It is a rail infrastructure provider that:
formed out of a 1997 inter-governmental agreement between the Commonwealth of Australia and the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia
is vertically separated, providing ‘below-rail’ services, such as the rail track infrastructure, but not ‘above-rail’ services, such as haulage
provides a single contact for parties wanting to run trains on the Interstate rail network and the Hunter Valley rail network in New South Wales.
Interstate rail network regulation
About the access undertaking and rail network regulation
The Interstate rail network is regulated through an access undertaking by its operator, the Australian Rail Track Corporation.
Access undertakings allow infrastructure owners and operators to give other parties access to their infrastructure services. Undertakings are one method to facilitate access to services under the national access regime and are described in Part IIIA of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
The access undertaking covers the terms and conditions of access to the mainline standard gauge rail track. The track is owned or leased by the Australian Rail Track Corporation. It runs from Kalgoorlie in Western Australia to Acacia Ridge in Queensland, via South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
We accepted Australian Rail Track Corporation’s access undertaking on 30 July 2008. This was under Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974, which is now the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.
Current version of the access undertaking
The 2008 access undertaking has been varied several times.
On 26 July 2024 the ACCC published a Draft Decision on ARTC's 2024 Interstate Access Undertaking application. Submissions closed on Friday 6 September 2024. On 30 July 2024 the ACCC sent a request to ARTC to provide further information to support the assessment of the Proposed Undertaking.
On 6 May 2024 ARTC submitted an application to extend the term of its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking to the earlier of: 31 December 2024, or
21 days after the acceptance by the ACCC of ARTC’s proposed 2024 IAU as submitted on 12 December 2023. On 12 June 2024 the ACCC issued a notice to extend the period of the 2008 IAU.
Past undertaking application projects
Applications to vary or extend an existing undertaking
This is a list of past projects considered by the ACCC, including applications submitted by the Australian Rail Track Corporation to vary or extend an existing Interstate rail network access undertaking.
On 21 February 2023 ARTC submitted an application to extend the term of its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking to 30 June 2024. This is a 12-month extension from the existing expiration date of 30 June 2023.
On 10 October 2022 the ACCC sent a letter to ARTC regarding the potential timing of assessing a replacement undertaking. On 19 December 2022 ARTC provided a letter to stakeholders outlining its intent to submit a new 2023 IAU and a further extension of the 2008 IAU in early 2023.
On 23 April 2020, the ACCC engaged GHD to conduct a Depreciated Optimised Replacement Cost (DORC) valuation of ARTC's Interstate network to determine the Regulated Asset Base (RAB).
On 5 May 2020, ARTC submitted an application to vary its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking. The variation sought to extend the term of the undertaking to 30 June 2021.
On 23 August 2019, ARTC sent a letter to the ACCC seeking views on ARTC's proposal to revalue the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) on the Interstate network using the Depreciated Optimised Replacement Cost (DORC) methodology. ARTC stated it was seeking views on this proposal prior to formally submitting its replacement Interstate Access Undertaking application for ACCC assessment.
ARTC is required to review the accepted access undertaking five years after the commencement date to determine whether any amendments to the undertaking are required as a result of changes to industry circumstances or Government legislation, rules, or regulations.
Under section 2.2(b) of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (IAU), ARTC must submit to the ACCC a written statement outlining whether or not it intends to submit a new undertaking to the ACCC for its consideration, no later than six months prior to the expiry of the 2008 IAU. ARTC’s 2008 IAU was due to expire on 30 June 2020.
Under section 2.2(b) of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (IAU), ARTC must submit to the ACCC a written statement outlining whether or not it intends to submit a new undertaking to the ACCC for its consideration, no later than six months prior to the expiry of the 2008 IAU.
Applications for an access undertaking
This is a list of previous Interstate rail network access undertaking applications submitted by Australian Rail Track Corporation.
On 2 March 2018, ARTC lodged a replacement undertaking for the interstate rail network. This undertaking is to replace ARTC's 2008 undertaking, which expires 31 August 2018. The access undertaking covers the terms and conditions of access for parties seeking to run trains on the mainline standard gauge rail track owned or leased by ARTC.
The ACCC accepted ARTC’s 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (IAU) on 30 July 2008, pursuant to Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974, now known as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The 2008 IAU has been varied a number of times.
