What ARTC - Inland Rail does

Inland Rail Pty Ltd is a government-owned subsidiary of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) tasked with delivering a 1,600km freight rail corridor connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The project is structured into 12 construction sections, comprising approximately 1,000km of existing track to be enhanced and 600km of new greenfield track, and traverses 29 local government areas. The project's defining technical capability is enabling double-stacked container train operations across the corridor through bridge and vertical clearance enhancement works; it also incorporates dual-gauge track systems for interoperability with Queensland's narrow-gauge network, and complex new infrastructure including a 6.2km tunnel through the Toowoomba Range and an 850m tunnel through the Little Liverpool Laidley Range.

Name

ARTC - Inland Rail

Legal name

Inland Rail Pty Ltd

Website

https://inlandrail.artc.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Inland Rail Pty Ltd, a government-owned subsidiary of ARTC, is constructing a 1,600km freight rail corridor connecting Melbourne to Brisbane via Victoria, NSW and Queensland, enabling double-stacked container trains. The Australian Government fully funds the project, with total cost estimates exceeding $45 billion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Infrastructure

NAICS

Line-Haul Railroads (482111)

SIC

Railroads, Line-Haul Operating (4011)

akta.pro primary industry

Dry Bulk Rail Freight (Unit Trains) (TLADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Intermodal Rail Forwarding (Rail-Truck / Rail-Port Drayage) (TLACADAC)

Keywords

• Freight rail infrastructure
• Double-stacked container trains
• Interstate rail corridor
• Rail construction services
• National freight network

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Government infrastructure funding: The project is funded by the Australian Government. The Albanese government cancelled further funding, limiting the project to proceed no further north than Parkes in NSW, with $1.75bn reallocated to other national rail upgrades. Total project cost has tripled from original estimates to over $45bn.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inland Rail is delivering a 1,600km freight rail line connecting Melbourne to Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The project comprises approximately 1,000km of existing track upgrades and 600km of new track across 12 sections, enabling double-stacked container train operations that increase freight capacity per train by up to 100%. Once complete, it will provide freight operators, logistics companies, manufacturers and producers with a faster, higher-capacity inland freight corridor linking businesses to national and global markets.

Product overview

Inland Rail is a 1,600km freight rail infrastructure project now under construction, connecting Melbourne to Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. The project is being delivered by Inland Rail Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), on behalf of the Australian Government. The project comprises 12 distinct sections: Beveridge to Albury, Albury to Illabo, Illabo to Stockinbingal, Stockinbingal to Parkes, Parkes to Narromine, Narromine to Narrabri, Narrabri to North Star, North Star to Border, Border to Gowrie, Gowrie to Helidon, Helidon to Calvert, and Calvert to Kagaru. The infrastructure consists of approximately 1,000km of existing track upgrades and 600km of new track, passing through 29 local government areas. Supporting programs include the Skills Academy for workforce training and Community Grants for local community support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beveridge to Albury Section 262km of existing track in Victoria, currently undergoing enhancements for double-stacked freight train operation with ten of twelve enhancement sites completed as of July 2026. This is the southern starting section of the Inland Rail corridor from Beveridge to Albury.
• Albury to Illabo Section 185km of existing track in NSW with enhancements and modifications at 20 sites to allow safe clearance of double-stacked freight trains. This section spans the Victoria-NSW border area.
• Illabo to Stockinbingal Section 37km of new track and 2km of upgraded track creating a greenfield direct route bypassing the Bethungra Spiral, providing a more direct connection in NSW.
• Stockinbingal to Parkes Section 170km of existing track in NSW with enhancement works at nine sites completed in early 2026, enabling double-stacked trains. The completed section connects to the Parkes to Narromine section.
• Parkes to Narromine Section 98km of existing track and 5km of new track. The first completed section of Inland Rail, commissioned in late 2020, with freight trains now operational.
• Narromine to Narrabri Section 306km of new rail corridor, the longest section of Inland Rail, connecting completed sections with NSW and Australian Government environmental approval.
• Narrabri to North Star Section 184km of upgraded track and 2km of new track with Phase 1 (163km) completed in 2023 and now fully operational. Phase 2 has NSW and Australian Government environmental approval.
• North Star to Border Section 5km of new track and upgrading 25km of non-operational existing track from North Star to the NSW/Queensland border at Macintyre River.
• Border to Gowrie Section 149km new rail corridor and 68km of upgraded track linking the NSW-Queensland border to Gowrie Junction near Toowoomba, with the first 7km standard gauge and the remainder dual gauge.
• Gowrie to Helidon Section 28km of new dual gauge track traversing steep Toowoomba Range terrain, including a 6.2km tunnel.
• Helidon to Calvert Section 47km of new dual gauge track connecting Helidon to Calvert, including an 850m tunnel through Little Liverpool Laidley Range.
• Calvert to Kagaru Section 53km of new dual gauge track including 39km allowing single-stacked operations between Kagaru and proposed intermodal freight terminal at Ebenezer, connecting to Sydney-Brisbane Coastal Line and Port of Brisbane.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enables double-stacked trains doubling freight capacity per train
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SCT Logistics: Australian intermodal and bulk rail freight operator focused on the east coast corridor between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. SCT is a direct peer in the very lane Inland Rail is designed to serve.
• Aurizon: Australia's largest rail freight operator, particularly dominant in Queensland bulk and container haulage. Aurizon is the most likely anchor customer on the completed Inland Rail corridor and competes for the same east-coast freight volumes the project is designed to capture.
• Genesee & Wyoming Australia (GWA): Operates a network of regional and interstate freight rail lines across Australia, including intermodal services. GWA is comparable as an Australian rail infrastructure and freight operator competing for similar east-coast volumes.
• Qube Holdings: Australian integrated logistics provider with significant rail freight operations, particularly intermodal and bulk across the east coast. Qube is a likely operator-customer on Inland Rail and is directly comparable as a freight-rail-enabled logistics business.
• Pacific National: One of Australia's largest private rail freight operators, running intermodal, bulk and coal services across the east coast. Pacific National is a key potential operator on Inland Rail and competes for the same Melbourne–Sydney–Brisbane freight lane.

Regional players

• KiwiRail: New Zealand state-owned rail operator and infrastructure manager. Comparable as a government-owned rail entity delivering national freight and infrastructure objectives in a trans-Tasman context, though serving a different geography.
• TasRail: Tasmanian government-owned rail freight operator. Comparable as a state-owned rail infrastructure and freight operator, though operating in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Network Rail (UK): UK government-owned rail infrastructure manager. Comparable as a publicly owned entity delivering major national rail infrastructure programmes, with similar governance, funding and political-exposure characteristics to Inland Rail.
• BNSF Railway: One of the largest freight railroads in North America and a globally recognised operator of double-stacked intermodal corridors. BNSF is a strong structural comparable for Inland Rail's intended operating model — particularly the use of double-stack technology on a long-distance freight backbone.
• Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC): The parent company of Inland Rail and operator of Australia's national freight rail network. ARTC manages the broader network that Inland Rail will connect into, making it the most directly comparable peer given shared infrastructure mandate and government ownership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/inlandrailofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inland-rail

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ARTC - Inland Rail