Ann: Aurizon secures major national freight contract, page-62

The so far only weekly Perth to Melbourne AZJ intermodal train that arrived at Victoria Dock early on Saturday 3 June 2023 was built up to 87 wagons/platforms (some wagons on these trains can be so-called '5-packs' - five permanently coupled container flats together), a rise from what's mostly been the typical 83.

I've not seen a video so can't say how many were loaded with containers (and remember, eastbound there's typically far less container freight than westbound across the Nullarbor, as Melbourne and to a lesser extent Sydney supply many of Perth supermarkets' ranged items), but usually, rail operators don't just attach extra wagons for the fun of it.

I lack visibility on when further east-west AZJ-operated for Team Global Express intermodal weekly departures commence. As some will recall, the plan is to have five eventually, although some will commence from Sydney not Melbourne. Similarly, I'm unaware when AZJ will commence Melbourne-Brisbane and return intermodal trains, except that hopefully all will be running up and down by 2025 if not before.

AZJ will need to schedule driver training on the north-south route. AFAIK, that hasn't commenced.

I'm guessing because they are a far longer distance, the Perth freights are a higher priority than Melbourne to Brisbane. The cost disparity between rail and road is a lot more across the Nullarbor. A fellow in logistics suggested a few months ago a typical price for a container (he didn't say whether 6.1 metre or 12.2 metre) from Sydney to Perth was around $18,000 by road or $6,000 by rail. Backloading rates from Perth to the Oz east coast are normally cheaper on the basis it's better to obtain some revenue than to have to send a container back empty.

It's been pleasing that thus far - touch wood - there don't appear to have been any major disruptions to the initial AZJ Melbourne-Perth and return intermodal trains, though westbound I'm unsure if they've always run on time as thus far, the Australian Rail Track Corporation hasn't published a timetable available for public viewing.