Rail transport in Australia
| Rail transport in Australia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Passenger trains in Queensland. The small loading gauge of Queensland's narrow-gauge railways prevents the running of rolling stock from interstate on unmodified lines. | |||||
| Operation | |||||
| Infrastructure company | Australian Rail Track Corporation, government agencies and private companies | ||||
| Major operators | Government and private operators | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 31,212 km (19,394 mi) as of December 2024 | ||||
| Electrified | 3548 km (2205 mi) | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge | 2482 km (1542 mi) | ||||
| 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | 17,544 km (10,901 mi) | ||||
| 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge | 10,923 km (6787 mi) | ||||
| Dual | 264 km (164 mi) | ||||
| |||||
Rail transport in Australia is a component of the Australian transport system. In the mid-19th century, when Australia consisted of six colonies, decisions were made with little concern for the consequences when the respective railways would be joined up. They were built to three track gauges: 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) broad gauge, 1435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge, and 1067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge. Despite standardising the rail gauge between the mainland capital cities, completed only in 1982, many of the consequences of the 19th-century folly remain and to a large extent, Australian railways remain state-based.
As delineated in the infobox, total route-kilometres of these gauges as of December 2024 were respectively about 8%, 56% and 35% of the grand total of 31,212 kilometres (19,394 mi). Less than 1% was dual gauge and about 11% was electrified. About 87% of the network is single-tracked. Additionally, about 1400 kilometres (870 mi) of 610 mm (2 ft) narrow-gauge lines support the sugar-cane industry, mainly in the state of Queensland.
Except for a small number of private railways, including the very heavy mineral railways in the north of Western Australia, most "below-rail" infrastructure is government-owned, either at the state or federal level. The federal government is also involved in formation of national policies and provides funding for national projects.