AUSTRALIA: The CBH rail fleet has entered its biggest expansion yet, putting new locomotives into service as Western Australia seeks control of the tracks beneath them.

New CBH Group narrow-gauge locomotive in Western Australia
A new CBH Group narrow-gauge locomotive in Western Australia. Photo: CBH Group.

The program comprises 17 Wabtec CM20ACi narrow-gauge diesel-electric locomotives and 650 new grain wagons, all now delivered into Western Australia. Half of the Wabtec locomotives are already in operation, while seven standard-gauge locomotives from Progress Rail are expected to begin arriving in December 2026, according to CBH Group.

CBH has described the program as the largest rail fleet investment in the grower-owned cooperative’s history. Once complete, it will expand the owned fleet from the A$175 million purchase of 25 locomotives and 572 wagons in 2012 to 49 locomotives and 1,222 wagons, excluding leased assets.

“This milestone is about more than new locomotives and wagons. It shows CBH’s co-operative model in action: reinvesting grower value into the supply chain WA growers own and rely on,” said CBH Group CEO Ben Macnamara.

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Why the CBH rail fleet expansion matters

Western Australia’s grain volumes are placing growing pressure on the transport system. CBH chairman Simon Stead said growers had delivered 100 million tonnes into the cooperative’s network over the past five years — 30 million tonnes more than during the previous five-year period.

The new rolling stock forms part of CBH’s Path to 2033 Strategy, which targets monthly grain export capacity of 3 million tonnes by 2033. CBH has lifted its regular monthly outturn capacity from about 1.6 million to 2 million tonnes and achieved 2.5 million tonnes in January.

Reaching that target consistently will require more than additional locomotives. CBH says the trains must be supported by faster loading, longer sidings and sufficient capacity across the wider freight network.

Who controls the tracks beneath CBH’s trains

CBH owns the locomotives and wagons, while Aurizon provides grain haulage and fleet maintenance. The trains operate on infrastructure managed by Arc Infrastructure under the state’s existing long-term freight network lease.

This means CBH can invest directly in rolling stock but does not control track capacity, access conditions or the timing of wider infrastructure investment. The fleet launch came as the Cook Government continues separate negotiations with Arc Infrastructure aimed at returning the network to public control.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti reaffirmed at the launch that the work is continuing. However, the government has not announced a transfer agreement and says any final decision must be economically and financially responsible.

What happens next for the CBH rail fleet

The immediate milestone will be the commissioning and entry into service of the remaining Wabtec locomotives. CBH has not published a detailed timetable, leaving the pace of deployment as one of the program’s main outstanding questions.

The seven Progress Rail standard-gauge locomotives are expected to begin arriving in December 2026. The broader test will be whether the new fleet, loading improvements and additional track capacity can turn January’s 2.5 million-tonne result into repeatable performance approaching 3 million tonnes per month.

Attention will also turn to whether Western Australia’s negotiations with Arc Infrastructure produce an agreement and how any change in network control could affect access pricing, infrastructure investment and the amount of grain transported by rail.

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