Aurizon has secured a $1.8 billion contract with Team Global Express to shift containerised goods around Australia as the rail haulage company diversifies away from coal, but questions remain about the 11-year deal’s impact on profit margins.

Aurizon believes the agreement will help it meet its goal of doubling earnings from its bulk haulage business over the next decade following its $2.35 billion acquisition of One Rail. The company’s chief executive, Andrew Harding, described the deal as Aurizon’s “biggest non-coal revenue contract ever”.