The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has safely restored the Broken Hill line and reopened the Sydney to Perth rail corridor to freight services, following severe flooding that temporarily disrupted operations.
More than 28 trains are scheduled to travel the line in the next five days taking vital freight to and from Western Australia on the nationally significant supply chain link.
The corridor was closed after severe flooding caused washaways at seven locations on the Broken Hill line and caused structural damage to the Thackaringa Bridge.
Specialist engineers and crews worked around the clock completing 5,300 maintenance hours over the last two weeks to safely repair the bridge and the track. Works were completed ten days ahead of the repair timeline initially forecast.
During the closure, freight was diverted onto the Melbourne to Perth rail line which re-established a vital east-west freight connection between the eastern states and Western Australia.
Alternative freight pathways via Melbourne and Adelaide provided headroom to support redirected freight volumes, helping to maintain the movement of essential goods across the national supply chain.
Clinton Crump, Group Executive Operations, ARTC, said:
"ARTC recognises the hard work of its contracting partners, which included CAT5rail, Exact Contracting, HCH and Hatch, who were able to undertake the complex works safely and in a timely fashion.
"Strong collaboration between ARTC and freight operators kept national supply chains moving while prioritising the safety of our people, our contractors, customers, and the integrity of the network."
