After nine months of regulatory tussles, Aurizon chief executive Andrew Harding will finally be in Adelaide on Monday following the closure of the company’s $2.35 billion acquisition of freight haulage group One Rail.

For Mr Harding, it is the biggest and most significant acquisition since joining the rail group more than five years ago. It’s also a deal that he says will be “transformational” for Aurizon, as it diversifies away from coal.