Inland Rail sites gear up for an intense phase of construction activities

ARTC, Australian Rail Track Corporation, Inland Rail, mcconnell dowell,

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Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and McConnell Dowell begin major works on the Melbourne-Sydney rail line for Inland Rail.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and construction partner McConnell Dowell will work non-stop during a 60-hour closure of the Melbourne-Sydney rail line from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 September.

Work will include cutting the existing rail track and station platform, digging out the underpass, adding drainage and installing 30 pre-cast concrete sections to form the underpass passageway.

After the underpass has been installed, it will be covered to be completed next year, and the platform and rail track will be reinstated.

The permanent precast concrete sections have been manufactured by Humes in Echuca and the temporary precast sections supplied by Modcast in North Wangaratta.

Rail line possessions allow ARTC significant access to the rail corridor to complete a wide range of maintenance and Inland Rail works at multiple locations between Sydney and Melbourne that cannot be completed between train services.

“The 60-hour track possession is important for the construction team to complete a large volume of work in a short time,” says ARTC Victoria and South Australian General Manager Projects Ed Walker.

“During the September possession we’ll also see significant construction work at Inland Rail sites in Glenrowan and Barnawartha North. Beams spanning the rail corridor will be installed at Glenrowan, and thousands of tonnes of soil will be removed at Barnawartha North to lower the track under the Murray Valley Highway bridge,” says ARTC Victoria and South Australian General Manager Projects Ed Walker.

In Victoria, Inland Rail works will be undertaken at 12 sites, including Wangaratta, to enable double-stacked freight trains to pass safely and ensure everyday products can be delivered faster and more reliably around Australia.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and contractor McConnell Dowell will also lower the track by up to 2.5 metres before laying 800 metres of new rail, 800 new concrete sleepers and 2000 tonnes of stone ballast.

The soil removed will be used on site to construct levee banks and the remaining donated to the Wodonga TAFE driver training complex to reshape their 4WD training course. Vegetation mulch from the site has already been removed and donated to the Wodonga Saleyards.

“The 60-hour track possession is important for the construction team to complete a large volume of work in a short time,” says ARTC Victoria and South Australian General Manager Projects Ed Walker.

“During the September possession we’ll also see significant construction work at Inland Rail sites in Glenrowan and Wangaratta. Beams spanning the rail corridor will be installed at Glenrowan, and the new pedestrian underpass at Wangaratta will be constructed and covered over to be completed later,” says ARTC Victoria and South Australian General Manager Projects Ed Walker.

“We’re excited to be reaching a critical stage of the Inland Rail project at Barnawartha North,” says McConnell Dowell Rail Project Superintendent Dan Bonnitcha.

“The majority of the works to construct the track lower will happen in September and this paves the way for double-stacked freight trains in Victoria,” says McConnell Dowell Rail Project Superintendent Dan Bonnitcha.

Inland Rail is a nation building project that will transform how goods are moved around Australia. In Victoria, works will be undertaken at 12 sites, including Barnawartha North, to enable double-stacked freight trains to pass safely and ensure everyday products can be delivered faster and more reliably around Australia.

The Barnawartha North project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Source: Inland Rail Copyright 2023

Source: Inland Rail Copyright 2023

Image Source: Inland Rail Copyright 2023

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