Pacific National is Australia's largest private rail freight operator. It was formed in 2002, and is operated by the consortium Australian Logistics Acquisition Investments Pty Ltd. It was previously operated by Toll Holdings before 2016 and Toll and Patrick Corporation before 2005. The rail operator was formed as an amalgamation of FreightCorp and National Rail's freight operations, and later acquired Australian Transport Network. Pacific National has since sold off some of its assets to national and other private operators. It operates services in all mainland Australian states and territories. , the company operates 596 locomotives and 12,875 wagons.
History
Formation and ATN acquisition In February 2002, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock, jointly owned by the Federal, New South Wales and Victorian Governments, were combined with FreightCorp, owned by the New South Wales Government,"FreightCorp for sale with National Rail" Railway Digest October 2000 page 17 and sold to a joint venture between Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings, trading as Pacific National.
In February 2004, Pacific National purchased Australian Transport Network, operator of ATN Access and AN Tasrail.Acquirer: Pacific National Pty Ltd; Target: Australian Transport Network Ltd Australian Competition & Consumer Competition 30 March 2004Re: Pacific National - Australian Transport Network Ltd Toll Group 26 February 2004 In August 2004, Pacific National purchased Freight Australia, giving Pacific National control of the Victorian non-urban rail track, excluding the interstate network which is controlled by the Australian Rail Track Corporation.Victorian Government grants consent to Pacific National acquisition of Freight Australia Toll Group 16 August 2004
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission attached special conditions to the sale to ensure competition in the rail freight industry. The company was required to provide a "starter pack" of locomotives, wagons, train paths, and freight terminals for a third party rail operator on the east-west route across the Nullarbor Plain. To fulfil that, Pacific National sold nine refurbished G class locomotives to competitor SCT Logistics to allow it to operate its own services.Toll boss bows to ACCC pressure Courier Mail 13 December 2005
Ownership In 2005, Toll Holdings launched a successful hostile takeover of its joint venture partner Patrick Corporation, giving Toll Holdings 100% ownership of Pacific National.Game over: Toll takes Patrick Sydney Morning Herald 14 April 2006 In 2007, Toll Holdings was restructured into two separately ASX listed companies: Toll Holdings and Asciano Limited. As part of this restructure, Pacific National became a wholly owned subsidiary of Asciano Limited.
In 2016, Asciano agreed to sell Pacific National to Australian Logistics Acquisition Investments Pty Ltd, a consortium of Global Infrastructure Partners, CPP Investment Board, China Investment Corporation, GIC Private Limited and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation. The transfer was completed on 19 August 2016.
Queensland expansion (2005-present) In March 2005, Pacific National Queensland became the first non-Queensland Rail narrow gauge commercial rail operation in Queensland, with the commencement of container services between Brisbane and Cairns.
In 2009, Pacific National Queensland further expanded its narrow gauge operations, entering the export coal market, then dominated by incumbent Queensland Rail. Tasmania withdrawal (2005-2009) In September 2005, Pacific National angered the Tasmanian State and Australian Federal Governments when it threatened to withdraw all services unless the governments paid a $100 million subsidy. Initially the governments refused to act on the issue claiming they would not be "held to mercy" by Pacific National, owned by Toll and Patrick Corporation, "which are extremely profitable multi-national companies". However, state infrastructure minister Bryan Green and federal counterpart transport minister Warren Truss announced a $120 million rescue package.Tas govt wins control of rail network The Age 12 December 2005
In May 2007, the Tasmanian Government, the Federal Government and Pacific National came to an agreement regarding the funding, ownership and operation of the Tasmanian railway network; with the Tasmanian Government acquiring the railway infrastructure previously leased to Pacific National, who would continue to provide above rail services on the network. In September 2009, the Tasmanian Government purchased the Tasmanian rail business, with rail infrastructure and railway operations to be maintained, managed and owned by a new TasRail.Rail Sale Agreement Finalised Asciano 7 September 2009
In November 2006, Pacific National entered into an agreement to sell the remainder of its Victorian rail lease of the network back to the Victorian Government.Pacific National sells Victorian rail network to Government Toll Group 1 November 2006 The sale was completed in May 2007, with the government-owned V/Line taking over management of the track.Minister for Public Transport: "Rail Buy Back Deal Complete" 7 May 2007
Downsizing controversy (2007-2008) In December 2007, Pacific National announced plans to sell or close its grain transport and Portlink rural container business operations in Victoria, selling or closing Patrick's intermodal freight business in Tasmania, and downsizing to a bare minimum Pacific National's grain operations across New South Wales. The decision was criticised as it forced grain growers to use higher cost road transport to transport the annual grain harvest from rural silos to the ports. The decision has saw many commentators accuse Pacific National of acquiring the operations of Freight Australia in 2004 only for the purposes of asset stripping and eliminating competition in rail freight.
In 2008, the company declined to sell wagons which had reached the end of their useful life to other Australian rail operators, indicating that the wagons would be scrapped or exported to Saudi Arabia.
The container freight service to Horsham, Victoria was almost cancelled in April 2008 but was given a three-month reprieve by the company. In July 2008, the service was taken over by QR National and later Qube.
Operations Pacific National is Australia's largest private rail freight operator. Pacific National operates in all mainland states and territories. , the company operates 596 locomotives and 12,875 wagons.Pacific National Coal AscianoPacific National Rail Asciano Services include bulk freight (coal, grain, steel, ore), intermodal containers (domestic and import-export), and specialised services such as 'hook and pull' for long-distance passenger trains.
The Pacific National steel contract was renewed with BlueScope and OneSteel in 2006 for $1bn, making it the largest ever freight rail contract in Australia. The deal involves haulage of about 3 million tonnes of steel over seven years. Pacific National has intermodal freight facilities at the Brisbane Freight Terminal in Queensland, the Melbourne Freight Terminal in Victoria, the Sydney Freight Terminal in New South Wales, the Adelaide Freight Terminal in South Australia and the Kewdale Freight Terminal in Western Australia.
Current locomotive fleet
ClassImageTypeGaugeTop speed(km/h)BuiltNumberNotesRural and Bulk Division48 classDiesel-electricStandard1151959–197048Ex-FreightCorp: 16 in service, 32 stored 80 classDiesel-electricStandard1151979–198322Ex-FreightCorp: 13 stored, 5 scrapped, 4 operational81 classDiesel-electricStandard1151982–199183Ex-FreightCorp: 83 in service: 8108, 8117 & 8121 allocated to Intermodal82 classDiesel-electricStandard1151994–199554Ex-FreightCorp BL classDiesel-electricStandard, Broad1151983–198410Ex-National Rail Corporation: 9 in service, 1 storedDL classDiesel-electricStandard1151988–199014Ex-National Rail Corporation: all storedG classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard1151985–198920Ex-National Rail Corporation and Freight Australia: 9 sold to SCT Logistics in 2007. G526, G530, G537, G538 & G542 allocated to intermodal T classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard1001964–19681Ex-Freight Australia: T371 in service as North Geelong shunterX classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard1151966–19763Ex-Freight Australia: All storedXR classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard1152002–200696 ex-Freight Australia: 3 built in-house, XR555 stored RT classDiesel-mechanical Broad, Standard151957–196922Ex-Freight Australia: All storedIntermodal Division94 classDiesel-electricStandard1152024–present50Fleet rejuvenation in intermodal/interstate operations, plus future Inland Rail. Will have the Evolution series engine 'C44ESACi'AN classDiesel-electricStandard1151992–199310Ex-National Rail Corporation: all stored NR classDiesel-electricStandard1151996–1998117Ex-National Rail CorporationXRB classDiesel-electricStandard11520053Cabless units: all stored Coal Division90 classDiesel-electricStandard801994–200535Ex-FreightCorp: all stored or scrapped92 classDiesel-electricStandard1152008–20091593 classDiesel-electricStandard1152012–202024TT classDiesel-electricStandard1152009–201249Pacific National Queensland71 classElectricNarrow802009–20114283 classDiesel-electricNarrow1002008–2013528347-8352 entered service in 201888 classDiesel-electricNarrow10020145PH classDiesel-electricNarrow10020143PN classDiesel-electricNarrow100200513
Former locomotive fleet
ClassImageTypeGaugeTop speed(km/h)BuiltNumberNotes45 classDiesel-electricStandard11519622Ex-Patrick Corporation: both scrappedA classDiesel-electricBroad1151984-19857Ex-Freight Australia; 6 scrapped (A71, 77, 79, 81, 83 and 85) and 1 (A78) donated to SRHCD16 classDiesel-electricStandard351959-196412Handed back to BlueScopeD35 classDiesel-electricStandard5019751Handed back to BlueScopeH classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard10019685Ex-Freight Australia. 1 scrapped (H4). 1 stored (H1) and 3 sold to Ettamogah Rail Hub in 2015 (H2, H3 + H5) then H1 - H3 + H5 on sold to Watco Australia mid-2023L classDiesel- electricStandard1371967–1969, 1972–19732Ex-ATN Access: both scrappedP classDiesel-electricBroad10019855Ex-Freight Australia. P19, P21, P22 and P23 sold on: P20 donated to 707 OperationsPB ClassHybridStandard8020147All sold to Watco Australia in late 2021PL classDiesel-electricStandard1151999-20017Ex-FreightCorp: PL2-PL7 scrapped, PL1 sold to Progress Rail in July 2025. Port Augusta shunterRTL classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard19951Ex-Freight Australia, stored until 2011, later sold to maintenance company Just TrackS classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard11519573Ex-Freight Australia. S301, S306 & S307 all sold to heritage groups in 2023 and 2024V classDiesel-electricStandard11520021Ex-Freight Australia: Sold to Aurizon in August 2022Y classDiesel-electricBroad, Standard651963–196820Ex-Freight Australia: all on-sold or scrapped DQ class Diesel-electric Narrow80 1964-1969 12 To TasRail in 2009, 4 stored DV class Diesel-electric Narrow72 1961-1971 1 To TasRail in 2009, De-motored and is used as a driving van Y class Diesel-electric Narrow72 1961-1971 1 To TasRail in 2009, 1 in service as a shunter and one de-motored and is used as a driving vanD classDiesel-electric Narrow8019712To TasRail in 2009, all storedDC classDiesel-electric Narrow 10019641To TasRail in 2009, scrappedMKA classDiesel-electric Narrow801967-19726To TasRail in 2009, all storedQR classDiesel-electric Narrow801964-19693To TasRail in 2009, All scrappedZ classDiesel-electric Narrow9719734To TasRail in 2009, all preserved; 2 at Don River Railway; 2 at Bellarine Peninsula RailwayZa classDiesel-electric Narrow971973-19763To TasRail in 2009, 1 stored, 2 preserved (1 at Don River Railway); 1 at Tasmanian Transport MuseumZB classDiesel-electricNarrow8019734To TasRail in 2009, 2 preserved (one at Don River Railway, other at Launceston and North East Railway), 2 stored;