Pacific National

Pacific National (PN) is an Australian rail freight company which transports bulk commodities and containerised freight across the length and breadth of Australia, including coal, steel, agricultural products, construction materials, fuel, waste, chemicals and refrigerated produce.

It is also Australia’s leading intermodal freight and steel freight operator, eastern Australia’s top carrier of regional exports, bulk goods, grain, and agricultural products, the largest transporter of coal in NSW, and the second-largest transporter of coal in Queensland.

Pacific National employs over 3,000 people in 90 locations across Australia, mainly in regional and rural areas.

In May 2017, Dean Dalla Valle was appointed CEO of Pacific National, following a distinguished 40-year career with the world’s largest resources company, BHP.

Pacific National is a member of the Freight on Rail Group (FORG) of Australia, which is represented by seven of Australia’s major rail freight operating companies and network rail organisations to engage with Government and key stakeholders on major public policy issues.

History
Pacific National’s heritage dates to the origins of rail in Australia when the NSW Government Railways (NSWGR) commenced operations in 1855.

In 1912, Commonwealth Railways formed to build out the national rail network of Australia and in 1975 Australian National Railways (ANR) formed to take over the assets and operations of Commonwealth Railways.

In February 2002 National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock (owned by the Federal, New South Wales and Victorian Governments) were combined with FreightCorp (owned by the New South Wales Government) and sold to a joint venture between Patrick Corporation and Toll Holdings as Pacific National.

In February 2004 Pacific National purchased Australian Transport Network, operator of ATN Access and AN Tasrail. 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. As part of the sale conditions 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 fulfill this Pacific National sold nine refurbished G class locomotives to competitor SCT Logistics to allow it to operate its own services

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 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. The sale was completed in May 2007, with the government owned V/Line taking over management of the track.

In 2005 Toll Holdings launched a hostile takeover bid for its joint venture partner Patrick Corporation which was successful giving Toll Holdings 100% ownership of Pacific National. 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 2009 Pacific National Queensland further expanded their narrow gauge operations, entering the export coal market dominated by incumbent Queensland Rail.

In 2016, Asciano agreed to sell Pacific National to Australian Logistics Acquisition Investments Pty Limited, 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.

In 2017, Pacific National announced an initial $35 million investment to develop the company’s Parkes Logistics Terminal, located within the National Logistics Hub.

Once fully operational, Pacific National’s Parkes Logistics Terminal will have the capacity to process approximately 450,000 cargo containers each year, including the ability to haul double-stacked containers from Parkes to Perth.

Parkes is located at the intersection of the main western railway line running from Sydney to Perth, the future Inland Rail corridor from Melbourne to Brisbane, and the Newell Highway.

Construction of Pacific National’s terminal commenced in October 2018. Freight trains 1,800-metres in length are expected to be hauling from the terminal to Perth in late 2019.

Operations
Pacific National services all mainland state and territories, and offer Australian industry and businesses a cost-effective, seamless and secure method of moving goods from point A to point B, maximizing efficiency, meeting environmental targets, and minimising delays and damage.

It offers Australia’s largest network of interstate rail freight capabilities, 180 services a week, and a variety of service options including Superfreighter, Express, IMEX and Sprinter. In 2018, on a weekly basis Pacific National hauled over 17,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers (TEU) and 2.97 million tonnes of coal. Its fleet of 570 active locomotives services the needs of over 340 customers.

Current locomotive fleet
In addition, Pacific National leases locomotives from CFCL Australia and operates three WH class locomotives on behalf of Whitehaven Coal.

Former fleet
All Pacific National Tasmania locomotives were sold to TasRail in 2009.