THE AUSTRALIAN RAIL INDUSTRY

This article reviews the development of the railway network in Australia. Traditionally, passenger traffic has used car, bus or air routes instead of rail, and road transport dominates freight activities. Private sector railways were developed for specific freight products and they can have large operations. New private operators are being established by companies that were already major players in the freight market and major customers of government-owned railways; while a number of small private railways have also entered the market to provide niche services.