Albury line to close for Inland Rail construction surge
The Albury railway line will close for 60 hours this weekend (14-16 September) for essential Inland Rail construction work.
September 6, 2024
Together with construction partners McConnell Dowell and John Holland, Inland Rail will conduct an extensive program of rail and construction work from Wallan to Wangaratta.
The Inland Rail track possession works include:
- lifting in place the Green Street bridge superstructure, Wangaratta
- site investigations and survey work, Benalla
- bridge deck replacements and widening works to enable tracks to be slewed horizontally to cater for double stack freight trains, Seymour-Mangalore
- site investigations including bridge inspections and geotechnical testing at Broadford and the Hume Freeway sites at Tallarook and Seymour
- slewing tracks horizontally to cater for double stacked trains at Wallan and Seymour
- installation of new signal gantries at Kilmore East and Tallarook.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will also conduct essential track maintenance and improvement activities along the length of the line including rail replacement, track reconditioning works, and vegetation management.
Coaches will replace trains for the entire journey between Southern Cross and Albury during the works period and passengers are advised to check the V/Line website for more information. Trains on the Seymour and Shepparton lines will continue running during these works.
Inland Rail is a nation building project that will transform how goods are moved around Australia, first connecting Beveridge to Parkes, NSW, by 2027 before later connecting from Narromine, New South Wales, to Kagaru, Queensland. In Victoria, work is taking place to enable double-stacked freight trains to pass safely and ensure everyday products can be delivered faster and more reliably around Australia.
Ed Walker, Inland Rail Delivery Director Beveridge to Albury said:
“Track possessions are critically important for the completion of the Inland Rail project. They allow our team to access the rail corridor safely and complete essential work without trains operating.
“A lot of planning takes place, so we can complete a large volume of work in a short period of time and keep the disruption of the rail line to a minimum.
“Wangaratta will be the focus of the track possession with the new Green St bridge structure lifted into place and work continuing at the railway station.
“Site investigations will also take place at sites due for construction next year, including Benalla, Broadford, and the Hume Freeway at Tallarook and Seymour.
“We apologise for the disruptions and thank local communities for their patience and understanding as we carry out the work on this major nation building project.“
Image caption: Wangaratta station the focus of Inland Rail track possession work.
