Australian Transport Network
| Company type | Partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Tranz Rail, Wisconsin Central |
| Fate | Ownership transferred to Pacific National in February 2004 |
Area served | Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria |
Key people | Mark Rosner (Tasrail overseer) |
| Products | Freight rail services |
Australian Transport Network (ATN) was an Australian freight rail operator that commenced services in November 1997. The company operated narrow gauge rail services within Tasmania and standard gauge operations across New South Wales and Victoria. Established as a partnership, Tranz Rail held a 67% stake while Wisconsin Central, a partial owner of Tranz Rail, owned the remaining 33%. In February 2004, ownership of ATN transferred to Pacific National.
AN Tasrail
In August 1997, ATN secured the contract to operate Australian National's Tasrail network in Tasmania, officially taking control on 1 November 1997. The following year, Tasrail expanded its operations by purchasing the Emu Bay Railway from Pasminco.
Mark Rosner was appointed by Wisconsin Central president Ed Burkhardt to oversee Tasrail. Under his leadership, a simplified Operating Rule Book replaced previously intricate procedures. To better serve customers, single car roadside freight services were reintroduced, reflecting US short line railway practices. On major trunk routes north of Hobart, radio-based moving block train spacing replaced the traditional fixed block train order system.
ATN inherited a locomotive fleet comprising Alco and English Electric units from Australian National, as well as diesel-hydraulic locomotives from Emu Bay Railway. Consistent with Wisconsin Central’s preference for Electro-Motive Diesel engines, 15 refurbished DQ class locomotives—originally 1960s-era 1460 and 1502 models rebuilt at Hutt Workshops—were transferred from Tranz Rail during 1998 and 1999, accompanied by locomotive DC4588. Additionally, two rebuilt Westrail D class locomotives arrived from Tranz Rail in August 2001.
In June 1998, following the rollout of a new train radio communication system, all 31 locomotives in the fleet underwent renumbering.
ATN Access
ATN Access was created to pursue freight contracts on the Australian mainland. In 1999, it secured an agreement with the Australian Wheat Board to transport 300,000 tonnes of grain annually from the Riverina and Dimboola regions to ports at Port Kembla and Appleton Dock, commencing service in June 2000.
To support these operations, ATN Access acquired seven L class locomotives (numbers 251, 253, 254, 265, 270, 271, and 276) from Westrail in July 1999; four of these were refurbished by the National Railway Equipment Company, located in Whyalla. In June 2000, three additional locomotives from the 830 class (units 833, 838, and 845) were purchased from Australian Southern Railroad. These units were frequently supplemented with leased locomotives obtained through agreements with both Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia and Great Northern Rail Services. Furthermore, ATN Access imported a fleet of 44 newly manufactured grain wagons produced at the Qiqihar Railway Workshops in Northern China.