Ann: Full year results presentation, page-24

I didn't listen to the analysts' briefing but Nick Evans of the excellent 'The Australian' should have this in the paper tomorrow:

"...As part of its deal for One Rail, Aurizon had agreed to divest its east coast operations to win agreement for the acquisition from competition regulators.

Mr Harding said on Monday Aurizon was still yet to decide whether it would sell or spin out the operations, with about 10 potential buyers looking over the company’s books. Non-binding bids for the business are due in September, Aurizon told analysts.

Despite delivering a solid performance through the year, Mr Harding said the company faces lingering challenges from skills shortages, particularly in finding drivers – despite an intensive effort across the industry, including from major miners such as BHP, to train more drivers for bulk rail.

The Aurizon boss said the company had not seen any significant loss of drivers due to poaching from West Australian iron ore miners after the interstate borders opened, but said the growth in rail haulage across the country meant there was still a shortfall of train drivers. “At this moment in time, our training schools are full across the country running particularly hard. The borders opening didn’t really change the demand for drivers,” he said.

The company’s grain haulage business in WA had struggled to find drivers amid stiff competition from iron ore miners, and after farmers had a record harvest last year and expects another bumper 20 million tonne crop this year.

“The pressure on grain haulage in Western Australia from a driver shortage was more extreme late last year, and it‘s less, less difficult now, so we’ve seen that improve over time,” Mr Harding said after announcing the results.

“But generally as a sector train driver availability would be probably the biggest issue and it‘s as bad as it’s ever been, if not worse at this moment in time..."

(One could think of worse 'problems' to have than a lack of staff). In time, perhaps within a year, that should be solved or at least not as big a 'problem'.