- Maintenance works occurring between Newcastle in NSW and Acacia Ridge in QLD
- Track closedown from Saturday 23 August to Monday 25 August
- Essential track maintenance will maintain high safety and reliability standards
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will carry out essential maintenance and improvement works on the Hunter Valley and North Coast rail corridors this weekend to maintain safety and reliability.
Works will take place between:
- Newcastle and Maitland in New South Wales from 3am Saturday 23 August to 1am Monday 25 August.
- Telarah in New South Wales and Acacia Ridge in Queensland from 5am Saturday 23 August to 7:30pm Monday 25 August.
The shutdown is part of ARTC's annual maintenance program and is a significant investment in the network.
More than 900 maintenance activities will be completed on the Hunter Valley and North Coast lines, including re-railing, ballast cleaning, track reconditioning, turnout renewals, bridge construction, track and signalling maintenance and vegetation control, which will keep the network running safely and efficiently.
ARTC crews will minimise the impact of the work wherever possible, including positioning light towers to shine away from residences, watering down work areas and limiting the number of machines operating at any one time.
Coaches and buses will replace NSW TrainLink services during the trackwork period and customers are encouraged to visit Transportnsw.info or call 13 22 32 for assistance in planning their journey.
Information on road closures or diversions and alternative routes can be found at livetraffic.com.
ARTC is reminding motorists and pedestrians to remain vigilant for altered traffic conditions near the rail corridor, pay attention to signage and to obey all road rules at level crossings, with rail machinery active on rail lines.
Clinton Crump, Group Executive Operations, ARTC said:
"The rail network requires regular maintenance to ensure that it continues to play a pivotal role in supporting vital links to the region's economic supply chain.
"The program of works is designed to minimise disruption to passenger and freight services and ARTC would like to thank the Hunter Valley and North Coast communities for their patience while these critical, long-term improvements take place.
"These maintenance works on these rail lines have been aligned as part of a coordinated effort to minimise disruption to customer and passenger services while essential maintenance is undertaken."
