- Maintenance and improvement works will close the Sydney to Melbourne line for 60 hours
- Works are part of a program to maintain high safety standards and improve reliability
- Passengers advised to plan their journeys with line closures from 11pm Friday 13 September to 6pm Monday 16 September
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will carry out essential maintenance and improvement works on the main railway line next weekend between Sydney and Melbourne, and Cootamundra to Parkes to maintain safety and reliability.
During the works, the railway line will be closed as follows:
- Between Enfield and Moss Vale in NSW from 11 pm on Friday 13 September to 5am Monday 16 September.
- Between Moss Vale in NSW and McIntyre in Victoria and between Cootamundra and Parkes in NSW from 6am Saturday 14 September to 6pm Monday 16 September.
The shutdown is part of ARTC's annual maintenance program and is a significant investment in the network.
Various maintenance activities will be completed, including replacement of 10km of rail, resleepering, structures repairs and track reconditioning works, which will keep the network running safely and efficiently.
During the closedown, ARTC will commence track reconstruction works at Werai in the Southern Highlands, NSW as part of the $54.1 million Southern Highlands Overtaking project.
Major construction activities will also be undertaken as part of the Inland Rail project, including lifting the Green Street bridge structure into place in Wangaratta, installing anti-throw screens on the new bridge in Glenrowan and other track work along the North East rail line.
ARTC crews will minimise the impact of the work wherever possible, including positioning light towers to shine away from residences, watering down work areas and limiting the number of machines operating at any one time.
Coaches and buses will replace NSW TrainLink services, including the Sydney to Melbourne XPT and V/Line Albury Line trains during this time. For up to date journey information, customers are encouraged to visit Transportnsw.info or vline.com.au for assistance in planning their journey.
Information on road closures or diversions and alternative routes can be found at livetraffic.com and VicTraffic.
ARTC is reminding motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant for altered traffic conditions near the rail corridor, pay attention to signage and to obey all road rules at level crossings, with rail machinery and freight train movements still occurring on the adjacent rail lines.
Clinton Crump, Group Executive Operations, ARTC said:
"Regular maintenance and upgrades to the Sydney to Melbourne railway line builds the reliability of this nationally important infrastructure and delivers smoother and safer rides for rail passengers.
"ARTC has worked with rail operators to minimise disruption to passenger services and the freight industry between our largest cities and through to Parkes.
"ARTC would like to thank the communities along the alignment for their patience while these critical, long-term improvements take place. I would also like to acknowledge the many hard-working rail workers who will be undertaking these works."
