| Abstract: | Abstract: The article first sketches the sorry state of Queensland Railways before export coal haulage when road and air transport were undermining its traditional monopoly on freight and passenger services. It then documents the Railways' growing reliance, since the mid 1960s, on revenue and profits from transporting export coal. The negotiating process for setting freight rates and the increasing entrepreneurial approach adopted by the state are examined in some detail, particularly for the early Thiess and Utah agreements. Rough estimates of the Railways' profit from carrying coal are made from the Railways' published accounts and from Utah's figures. These figures are intended to suggest the order of magnitude of the sums involved rather than to be accurate estimates. |
