Rail
Queensland Rail (QR) is the major provider of rail services in the state, controlling around 10,000km of track and providing most above-rail freight and passenger services.
In 2007-08, QR carried 244 million tonnes of freight and catered for more than 62 million passenger journeys. The majority of freight carried was coal (185 million tonnes) and the bulk of passenger journeys were on Brisbane's suburban rail network.
QR must allow other train operators to use its intrastate rail infrastructure in accordance with an access undertaking approved by the Queensland Competition Authority. The access undertaking, by QR's wholly owned subsidiary, QR Network, sets out general terms and conditions for the negotiation of access arrangements and also contains reference tariffs for coal train services in central Queensland and the western system.
The Authority's responsibilities in relation to the Rail industry are to:
- assess and approve third-party access undertakings to Queensland's intrastate rail network;
- arbitrate access disputes;
- enforce breaches of access obligations; and
- assess competitive neutrality.
Regulatory Framework
The main sources of rail industry regulation in Queensland, as relevant to the role of the Queensland Competition Authority in the rail sector, are:
The Transport Infrastructure Act 1994 regulates, among other things:
- safety accreditation;
- rail transport infrastructure powers;
- railway incidents; and
- rail corridors.
Issues
The Authority's responsibilities encompass the following rail issues:
