Rail group Aurizon has capped off another huge week of mergers and acquisitions with a $2.35 billion cash acquisition of freight rail group One Rail Australia that will help to haul more of the commodities used in a low carbon world, such as manganese and rare earths.

“This actually puts us into a situation where we’re freighting the commodities that are talked about and play a part of the future in a low zero emissions-type environment,” Aurizon chief executive Andrew Harding said.