- 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.
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 and undertaking
About the access undertaking and regulation of the rail network
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.
The current version is Australian Rail Track Corporation Interstate rail network access undertaking - 30 June 2023 (PDF 784.3 KB).
Current undertaking application projects
See a complete list of rail projects.
| Title(desc) | Industry | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extension of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (to 30 June 2024) | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Submissions due
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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. The extension is to allow for consultation with ARTC’s stakeholders on its replacement undertaking and to provide the ACCC with sufficient time to complete its assessment. |
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Past undertaking application projects
Past projects including applications to vary or extend
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.
| Title(desc) | Industry | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTC letter to ACCC - Intention to extend Interstate Access Undertaking | Rail | Update |
Finalised
20 December 2019 |
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. |
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| ARTC letter to the ACCC - Intention to extend Interstate Access Undertaking | Rail | Access undertaking |
Finalised
18 December 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. |
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| DORC valuation of the Interstate network | Rail | Update |
Finalised
21 October 2021 |
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). |
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| Extension of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (to 30 June 2020) | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Accepted
26 September 2019 |
On 29 July 2019, ARTC submitted an application to vary its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking to 30 June 2020. |
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| Extension of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (to 30 June 2021) | Rail | Access variation |
Accepted
19 June 2020 |
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. |
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| Extension of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (to 30 June 2023) | Rail | Access variation |
Accepted
15 June 2021 |
On 23 April 2021, ARTC submitted an application to extend the term of its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking to 30 June 2023. |
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| Extension of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (to December 2018) | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Accepted
25 July 2018 |
On 28 June 2018 ARTC submitted an application to vary its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking by four months until 21 December 2018. On 3 July 2018 the ACCC sent a letter to stakeholders seeking comments on ARTC's proposal. Submissions were due by 17 July 2018. On 25 July 2018 the ACCC consented to ARTC's variation application. |
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| Extension of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking (to February 2019) | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Accepted
12 December 2018 |
On 16 November 2018 ARTC submitted an application to vary its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking by two months until 28 February 2019. On 20 November 2018 the ACCC sent a letter to stakeholders seeking comments on ARTC's proposal. Submissions were due by 4 December 2018. On 12 December 2018, the ACCC consented to ARTC's application to vary its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking to extend the term to 28 February 2019. |
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| Five-year review of rail network undertaking 2014 | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Finalised
9 May 2014 |
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. In October 2013, ARTC provided a letter to stakeholders describing the requirements and scope of the five year review and seeking their comments. Submissions closed on 29 November 2013. ARTC received seven submissions in response. |
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| Indicative Interstate Rail access agreement variation 2008 | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Withdrawn
09 Oct 2008 |
On 9 October 2008, ARTC submitted an application to vary the undertaking with the ACCC under s.44ZZA(7) of the Act. |
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| Interstate rail network forecast expenditure variation 2012 | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Accepted
18 Apr 2012 |
On 18 April 2012, the ACCC decided to consent to ARTC’s application to vary its undertaking. |
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| January 2019 variation of the 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Accepted
28 February 2019 |
On 29 January 2019 ARTC submitted an application to vary its 2008 Interstate Access Undertaking. |
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| Proposed valuation for the Interstate network | Rail | Update |
Finalised
3 December 2019 |
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. |
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| Southern Sydney Freight Line variation 2013 | Rail | Undertaking variation |
Accepted
10 Apr 2013 |
On 10 April 2013 the ACCC made a final decision to consent to ARTC's proposed undertaking variation. |
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Previous access undertaking applications
This is a list of previous Interstate rail network access undertaking applications submitted by Australian Rail Track Corporation.
| Title(desc) | Industry | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interstate Access Undertaking 2002 | Rail | Access undertaking |
Expired
1 Jun 2007 |
This undertaking was effective until 1 June 2007. A minor amendment to the undertaking was accepted in 2003. |
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| Interstate Rail Access Undertaking 2007 | Rail | Access undertaking |
Withdrawn
15 Oct 2007 |
On 8 June 2007, ARTC lodged an access undertaking application with the ACCC for assessment |
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| Interstate Rail Access Undertaking 2008 | Rail | Access undertaking |
Accepted
30 Jul 2008 |
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. |
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| Interstate Rail Access Undertaking 2018 | Rail | Access undertaking |
Withdrawn
25 January 2019 |
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. |
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