QR chief executive officer Bob Scheuber said the new name underscored QR's intention to win an even larger share of the national freight market, while continuing to meet the needs of existing customers in Queensland and interstate.

 

The company has increasingly extended beyond its own state borders and now has 12% of the Hunter Valley coal market. Last Saturday, QRNational hauled its first trainload of export coal from Resource Pacific's Newpac mine near New South Wales' Singleton to the Port of Newcastle. Significantly, this was the first export coal train to be operated by a competitor to the present operator since the NSW rail industry was thrown open to competition nearly 10 years ago.

 

In an international tender, QR also won the contract to transport up to ten million tonnes of coal from Hunter Valley Energy Coal's new mine in Mount Arthur commencing July this year. In the last four years, QR has successfully defended every one of its Queensland coal contracts up for negotiation – accounting for 60Mt of haulage per annum.

 

"For some time now, QR has been operating in an open national market where competition is fierce and state boundaries are irrelevant," Queensland state premier Peter Beattie said.

 

"The new name describes the reality of QR's coal and freight business today - an integrated national provider of responsive, innovative freight and logistics solutions."

 

Beattie said heavy haulage by rail was back in vogue and would be a significant part of the state's future transport infrastructure, constituting a part of the push to get a large part of the national freight task back on to rail

 

Investment in a national rail corridor and the go ahead on the feasibility study for an inland railway between Brisbane and Melbourne have already been announced. Also on the cards is exploring railing Surat Basin exports through Gladstone.

 

Scheuber said QR and QRNational were as committed as ever to Queensland.

 

"By expanding freight operations nationally, QRNational now provides an alternative for our existing local customers to access new markets," he said.

 

"QR will also continue to play a key role in the Queensland coal industry through investing in its coal network infrastructure. QR is already committed to substantial investments, including the $A335 million Blackwater System Enhancement Program and $A120 million of new rail infrastructure for mine expansions throughout the state.

 

"In addition, more than $A600 million has already been committed to rollingstock projects - and several more are planned - to increase capacity."

 

The new name applies only to QR's freight business, not to the organisation as a whole. QRNational incorporates the three streams of QR's current freight business - coal, bulk and containerised freight.