Freight transport energy reduction project (Revoked)

Freight transport energy reduction project (Revoked) was a transport emissions reduction project registered by Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd (GWA) in October 2018. Unlike land-based carbon projects tied to a single property, this project operated across GWA's extensive rail freight network in South Australia, the Northern Territory, and New South Wales. The project was revoked in August 2022, shortly after the company's Australian assets were acquired by Aurizon and rebranded from One Rail Australia.

The project operated under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Land and Sea Transport) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits activities that reduce the emissions intensity of transport operations, essentially lowering the amount of greenhouse gases produced per unit of cargo moved (e.g., per tonne-kilometre). For a rail operator, typical activities include upgrading locomotive engines to more fuel-efficient models, installing driver advice systems to optimize fuel use, or improving aerodynamic efficiency. The input data confirms this project focused on "modifying existing vehicles" and "changing operational practices."

Because the project spanned a continental network, it traversed a vast range of environmental conditions rather than a single climatic zone. The network included the arid, red-earth landscapes of the Tarcoola-to-Darwin line in the Northern Territory, characterized by extremely low rainfall and sandy soils, as well as the temperate, higher-rainfall coal corridors of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. The project issued zero Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) prior to its revocation, which coincided with the broader corporate restructuring and sale of the proponent's assets to Aurizon.