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- 2-5 February between Moss Vale and MacArthur
- Part of $40m package of improvements using Australian steel rail
- 100 per cent funded by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)
- Ongoing commitment to support passenger & freight customer performance
The Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC) next major work package as part of its $40 million re- railing investment along the Southern Highlands railway line takes place this weekend, Brian Green, General Manager Asset Management – Interstate, said today.
The re-railing work is 100 per cent funded by the ARTC and is part of a major program focused on supporting the reliability of train services between Goulburn and Macarthur (NSW).
This package of re-railing works is largely taking place around Maldon, Tennessee, Mittagong and Bowral as part of a broader maintenance shutdown taking place.
“Around $4m in work is being delivered this weekend and all up we are looking to install around 18 kilometres of new rail,” Mr Green said.
“The re-railing will be at six work sites using a number of contractor teams, with up to 300 largely locally employed people engaged in the work.”
The maintenance ‘shutdown’ involves the re-railing project as well as various track maintenance and improvement works right throughout the Southern Highlands railway corridor and will take place from 10pm Friday 2 February through to 2am Monday 5 February.
“We are very conscious of the concerns of our customers operating through the Southern Highlands and remain focused on working closely with them to improve train reliability,” Mr Green said.
“Pleasingly, we have seen positive results due to the re-railing and other work ARTC has already delivered between August and December, but there is more to do.”
The last work program in early December successfully delivered 17km of re-railing improvements. After the weekend work, around 49km of re-railing will have been completed as part of the project.
Maintenance works take place during a track ‘shutdown’ as it provides a safer and more efficient environment to deliver the work. This is because there are fewer trains running and a clear window for maintenance crews to deliver more work in a shorter period of time.
Night works are involved, with machinery and equipment in use at various locations during this period. Disruptions will include rail unloading on the Friday evening, re-railing through Saturday and inspections and proving the track over Sunday evening.
“We apologise for any inconvenience the work causes and thank the community for its patience while this essential maintenance work is delivered,” Mr Green said.
ENDS
Media Contact: Bas Bolyn, ARTC – 0477 340 658
Background: ARTC is replacing lengths of older rail with new Australian sourced steel rail. The older rail installed over 20 years ago can have defects arise which are best managed by replacing the rail itself. Regular physical and technological inspections are done to ensure the safety of the rail network, and the issue can also contribute to temporary speed restrictions which impacts train punctuality.