A MONUMENTAL moment has arrived as The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has approved a 60-hour track possession for Inland Rail to deliver a major milestone on the way to enabling double-stacked freight trains to travel between Melbourne and Brisbane.
Inland Rail will demolish the Hamilton Street bridge in Broadford on the weekend.
The rail corridor will be closed from 6am Saturday, September 13 to 6pm Monday, September, 15 as Inland Rail and construction partner John Holland complete construction and pre-construction activities at several sites across the project.
The Hamilton Street bridge will be demolished, and a 300-metre section of track below will be lowered to allow sufficient clearance for double-stacked freight trains.
Vehicle access across the Hamilton Street bridge will be closed for 48 hours while the demolition takes place.
While the replacement bridge is being built, traffic will use the new adjacent shared user path bridge as a temporary road across the rail corridor.
Further up the line, the transformation of the Benalla station precinct will continue with sheet piling, earthworks and preparation for the construction of the new pedestrian underpass. Round-the-clock works will take place in Benalla from September 11 to September 22.
While back in Mitchell Shire, Inland Rails site establishment works will continue at Short Street, Broadford, Hume Freeway, Tallarook, and the Wandong site in preparation for major works to commence shortly.
ARTC will also undertake a range of maintenance and upgrade work to improve network resilience and reliability.
Inland Rail Acting Delivery Director Beveridge to Albury Scott Anderson shared these comments in a press release last Friday.
“The demolition of the Hamilton Street bridge is another important milestone for the project,” he said.
“Track possessions are critically important for the completion of the Inland Rail project, allowing 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 and keep the disruption of the rail line to a minimum.
“We apologise for the disruptions and thank local communities for their patience and understanding as we carry out the work.”
