The AustralAsia Railway completes the final link in Australia's rail network. The project includes:

• Construction of a new 1420km stretch of standard gauge line between Alice Springs and Darwin;
• The lease and maintenance of the existing 830km line between Tarcoola (north of Adelaide) and Alice Springs;
• Integration of the completed railway line with Darwin's East Arm Port, which includes a railway embankment and intermodal container terminal; and
• Operation of the completed transcontinental railway line from Tarcoola through to Darwin for 50 years.

The project is being managed as a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer Back (BOOT) scheme, with lease arrangements covering 50 years' operation before the railway is handed back to the Northern Territory and South Australian Governments. This is part of a trend towards the transfer of commercial risk for major infrastructure projects to the private sector.

The Asia Pacific Transport company, a consortium of partners with vast experience in transport and related industries, won the commercial tender to design, construct and operate the railway under the BOOT scheme. ADrail is the company's design and construction contractor and FreightLink, it's operating arm.

Connected to the Port of Darwin, the AustralAsia Railway creates a new transport system linking the Southeast of Australia with the fast-growing economies of Asia and cementing Darwin's position as Australia's Asian Gateway.