Narrabri to Penneys Road rail destressing works – out of hours
Throughout October 2022, our contractor Trans4m Rail will continue major track construction works within the existing rail corridor north of Narrabri and Penneys Road, Bellata.
Work being done
Rail destressing will be required out-of-hours (early mornings). Given rail destressing needs low temperatures, works will occur between 4.30am and 6pm Monday to Sunday. Works are permitted under the relevant authority approvals.
Works to be undertaken
- Rail destressing
- Installation of panels
- Backfilling
- Thermite welding.
What is rail destressing?
Destressing is the process of conditioning the steel rail so it can cope better with temperature extremes. The optimum, or stress free, temperature for steel rail is 38 Degrees Celsius (°C). When it gets too hot or too cold the rail becomes stressed. Too much heat causes the rail to expand, buckle and move out of alignment. When the rail gets too cold it contracts and this can cause it to snap.
Rail destressing must be performed when the rail’s temperature is at or below 38°C – so the work is very weather dependent. A small piece of rail is cut out of the middle of a section up to 2km long and the two lengths are pulled and stretched towards each other by a machine called a tensor. When they reach the target stretch point the two pieces are re-welded. The rail is now ready to withstand significant temperature variations.
What can I expect
- Hi-rail vehicles (rolling stock) undertaking rail works
- Construction machinery and equipment operating on site
- Delivery of materials and equipment to site
- Some of these works will be noisy and mitigation measures will be in place.
Machinery used
- Hi-rail vehicles including a hi-rail excavator (rolling stock), and
- trucks will be used within the construction impact zone.
How we’re managing impacts
- Traffic controls will be in place, where required, including VMS boards
- Water carts will be on site to wet down areas to assist in managing dust.
Contact
Phone: 1800 732 761
Email: inlandrailnsw@artc.com.au
Post: Inland Rail, GPO Box 14, Sydney NSW 2001