When did the Australian rail freight operator, whose main commodities included Aluminium oxide, become part of QR National?
Aluminium oxide Aluminium oxide (British English) or aluminum oxide (American English) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula Al O . It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium(III) oxide. It is commonly called alumina, and may also be called aloxide, aloxite, or alundum depending on particular forms or applications. It occurs naturally in its crystalline polymorphic phase α-AlO as the mineral corundum, varieties of which form the precious gemstones ruby and sapphire. AlO is significant in its use to produce aluminium metal, as an abrasive owing to its hardness, and as a refractory material owing to its high melting point.
Coonamble railway line The Coonamble railway line is a railway line in New South Wales, Australia. The line branches from the Main West Line at Dubbo. It opened in 1903, and carried passenger traffic until the 1970s. 900/950 class railmotors were first introduced on the service between Dubbo and Coonamble. It continues to carry goods traffic, predominately grain. The disused historic Coonamble railway station is currently at risk of demolition due to vandalism and high maintenance costs. The line is owned by the Rail Infrastructure Corporation of New South Wales, however operations over the line are managed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) under a 60-year agreement. The northern section of the line features track that is in generally poor condition with derailments not uncommon.