The New Guinea Circum-Island railway, a railway line of over 4000 kilometers, excluding the part that had been constructed in Australian and German New Guinea, needs to have at least another 2000 kilometers built.
For the construction of this segment, Arthur's preference was that it be undertaken by domestic private railway companies in Australasia.
Even when Australia was still a colony, there were quite a few private railway companies in Australia, albeit on a relatively smaller scale.
After more than a decade of development, a number of medium-sized railway companies have emerged, but none are capable of taking on this railway project alone.
Ultimately, the 2000-kilometer railway was divided amongst over ten railway companies, with each company constructing no more than 200 kilometers of railway tracks.