Company Overview

WestNet Rail controls over 5000 kilometres of crucial rail infrastructure throughout the southern half of Western Australia – from Geraldton in the north, to Leonora and Kalgoorlie in the east, and south to Esperance, Albany and Bunbury.

Owned by ASX-listed Prime Infrastructure, WestNet Rail is one of the few independent rail infrastructure providers in the world, and is responsible for access management, signalling and communication systems, train control and rail construction and maintenance throughout its network.

WestNet Rail transports a wide range of commodities including grain, alumina, bauxite, iron ore and interstate freight – as well as passengers on the Perth to Kalgoorlie line – thus playing a vital role in protecting and growing Western Australia’s economy.

With the privatization of Westrail in December 2000, WestNet Rail was granted a 49 year lease by the State Government to manage the rail freight network. Now owned by ASX-listed Prime Infrastructure, which in turn is 40% owned by Canadian investment group Brookfield, WestNet Rail is one of the few independent rail infrastructure providers in the world. A regulatory overview and arbitration mechanism is provided by the Office of Western Australian Independent Rail Access Regulator (a division of the Economic Regulation Authority), established under the Railways (Access) Act 1998 (WA) to ensure access to the network on fair commercial terms. On one of Western Australia’s most important pieces of transport infrastructure, WestNet Rail’s business is responsible for track access and train control, rail construction and maintenance, signalling, communications and controls, network safety and compliance and commercial and business development.