Rail transport in Australia

Rail transport in Australia is to a large extent state-based. The Australian rail network consists of a total of 33,819 km of track of three major gauges, of which 2,540 km is electrified.[citation needed]

The majority of the Australian railway network infrastructure is government-owned, either at the federal or state level, except for a small number of private railways. The majority of railway operators were once state government agencies, but with privatisation in the 1990s, private companies now operate the majority of trains in Australia.

The Australian Federal Government has involvement in the formation of national policies, and provides funding for national projects.