Australian National's logo, used in the 1980s and 1990s

The Australian National Railways Commission (ANRC) was established by the Whitlam Government in 1975 following a promise made before the Federal election in December 1972. Gough Whitlam said that if his party was elected to government he would invite the States to hand over their railway systems to the Commonwealth, his dream was to have one railway system for the Australian nation. On 1 July 1975 he made good that promise by establishing the Commission which acquired the assets and operations of the Commonwealth Railways. As a result of the offer to the States the governments of South Australia and Tasmania, both of which were of the same party as the national government and whose railway systems were deeply in debt, accepted. During the next two years discussions between those two States and the Federal Government resulted in a number of staffing and operating agreements being made that resulted in the whole of the Tasmanian Government Railways and the freight business and non-urban railways of South Australia being transferred to the Commonwealth and operated by the Commission. The date of the hand over was 1 March 1978. The metropolitan Adelaide railway lines remained with the State Transport Authority, now TransAdelaide). Overnight the Commission went from an organisation controlling just over 2000 kilometres of track with a total staff of 4000 employees to the operator of one-fifth of the trackage of Australia's rail network. It now controlled 7890 kilometres of rail track being 2395 kilometres of broad gauge (1600 mm), 2812 kilometres of standard gauge (1435 mm) and 2683 kilometres of narrow gauge (1035 mm) track. The total number of employees numbered just over 12000. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916), known as Gough Whitlam (, pronounced Goff), is an Australian former politician and 21st Prime Minister of Australia. ... The Commonwealth Railways were estabished in 1912, as part of a government department, currently called the Department of Transport and Regional Services, by the Government of Australia to construct the Trans-Australian Railway and the proposed Port Augusta to Darwin railway. ... The Tasmanian Government Railways were absorbed into the Australian National Railways Commission, established by the Whitlam Government in 1975, along with the former Commonwealth Railways, the the non-urban railways of South Australia. ... Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  1,558,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ... TransAdelaide is a public transport company which previously operated the majority of the suburban bus network in Adelaide, Australia and currently operates the suburban train and tram network. ...

ANRC was also known as Australian National Railways (ANR) in its early years and was later rebranded as Australian National (AN).

AN's interstate rail infrastructure, freight operations and rolling stock were transferred to the National Rail Corporation (NR) in 1992. In 2001, NR's freight operations and rolling stock were combined with the New South Wales Government-owned FreightCorp and sold to Toll Holdings and Patrick Corporation as Pacific National. NR's rail track, except for the Tarcoola-Alice Springs Line, was transferred to the Federal Government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation in 1997. The Australian Government, New South Wales and Victoria established the National Rail Corporation (NR) in 1992. ... NSW redirects here. ... Toll Holdings is Australias largest transport company, with units or divisions in trucking, rail, sea and air transport. ... Patrick Corporation Ltd (ASX code: PRK) is an Australian publicly listed logistics conglomerate. ... NR Locomotive Pacific National is one of Australias largest private rail freight businesses. ... Broadmeadow railway yard and ARTC Central Traffic Control The Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and control the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia. ...

TasRail, its Tasmanian operations and infrastructure, was sold to Australian Transport Network Limited, which was taken over by Pacific National in 2004. Its South Australian branch lines were sold to the Australian Railroad Group. Its passenger operations were taken over by Great Southern Railway. TasRail, formerly a subsidiary of the Australian Government owned Australian National Railways (ANR), operates the Tasmanian rail system which links all major ports and cities of Tasmania. ... Slogan or Nickname: Island of Inspiration; The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Motto(s): Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product... The former Tasmanian Government Railways lines, which had been incorporated into Australian National as TasRail, were sold to the Australian Transport Network Limited, a partnership of Tranz Rail and Wisconsin Central Railway, when the Australian National Railways Commission was broken up in November 1997. ... South Australia was the first colony in Australia to build a railway line. ... Australian Railroad Group (ARG) is one of Australias largest private rail operators, operating across almost 10,000 kilometres of track and began operating in Western Australia on December 17, 2000 following its purchase of the Westrail freight business. ... Great Southern Railway (GSR), owned by Serco Asia Pacific, is a tourism business and rail transport operator in Australia. ...