As the newly appointed Chairman of
ARTC, I am delighted to present the past
year’s Annual Report.
The outlook for rail in Australia is very
positive. And ARTC is well positioned
to take advantage of the opportunities
that will emerge over the next five years
and beyond.
The ARTC network is a critical part of
Australia’s infrastructure, linking our
ports, our capital cities, our regions
and our mining precincts to our
domestic and international markets.
With our network, we help Australians
do business. We help the nation’s
productivity. And we help our clients
move critical goods and services
around our nation. This is a significant
responsibility that we do not take lightly.
We have come a long way in the past
five years. Over $5 billion has been
invested in infrastructure. That has made
a difference to the nation.
The scale of the business has also
changed markedly. Access Revenue
has almost doubled, growing from
over $380 million in FY 2009-10 to
$758 million in FY 2014-15. In that time
EBITDAI has more than trebled, growing
from nearly $140 million in FY 2009-10 to
over $434 million for FY2014-15.
We have become an increasingly
customer-focused organisation. We
recognise that we can do more and we
are committed to that outcome.
Helping our customers do more, faster
is our goal. We do that by improving
the quality of the track, providing more
passing lanes, more modern signalling
and heavier rail. The progress that has
been made with the Advanced Train
Management System is just one example
of that approach in action. The work
being done to support the development
of Inland Rail is yet another.
We also play a whole-of-industry role in
promoting the value of rail to Australian
business and the economy. This helps
ensure its value is recognised within the
Australian transport sector. To that end,
last year ARTC launched its new brand
and corporate values. Our vision to Make
Rail the Mode of Choice in the National
Logistics Chain will help expand the
market for our customers and underpin
our ongoing success.
None of this would be possible without
the commitment of our staff. We are
committed to meeting head-on the
intrinsic safety risks that exist in the
sector through our policy of No Harm.
It is a core value, one that is embedded
in the company’s culture. We are proud
of the progress that we are making
in improving safety. But we are not
complacent. We can and will do more.
I would also like to thank and
congratulate management for their
commitment, professionalism and
endeavour. Under the leadership of John
Fullerton, much has been achieved. But
we know that even more is possible.
CHAIRMAN’S
OVERVIEW
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