Interail
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| Industry | Railway operator |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990 |
| Defunct | 30 June 2011 |
| Headquarters | Casino |
| Parent | QR National |
| Website | www.interail.com.au |
Interail was an Australian rail freight operator owned by QR National. In June 2011 it ceased trading as a separate brand, and became part of QR National.
Northern Rivers Railroad was established in 1990 with the intention of running tourist trains on the Casino to Murwillumbah line in northern New South Wales. Four 421 class locomotives were purchased in 1990 and along with some former and State Rail Authority carriages were restored to operational condition at Junee Locomotive Depot before moving to Casino in October 1996.
On 22 September 1997, Northern Rivers Railroad commenced operating cement and flyash trains from Grafton to Casino and Murwillumbah under sub-contract to FreightCorp. A 49 class locomotive was hired from FreightCorp for a few months in 1998.
In May 1999, a tourist service started operating the Ritz Rail tourist train between Murwillumbah and Lismore. It also ran to other destinations including Brisbane. In 1999, two 422 class locomotives were purchased from FreightCorp. In 2000 Northern Rivers Railroad operated some infrastructure trains in the Hunter Valley.
In March 2002, Northern Rivers Railroad was purchased by Queensland Rail and rebranded Interail, fulfilling a long held ambition of to expand beyond its state borders. The tourist train was not included.
The first contract won by Interail was hauling infrastructure trains on the North Coast line of New South Wales for Rail Infrastructure Corporation. It was followed by a coal haulage contract from Duralie Colliery to Stratford Mine from March 2003, then haulage of containers between Casino and Brisbane from May 2003. Another coal contract in the Hunter Valley was won in late 2003 for the haulage of coal from Newstan Colliery, Fassifern to Vales Point Power Station.
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Wikipedia