Completion of another major rail project

Friday, 29 January 2010

A landmark project has been completed today with the final sleepers being laid on a $105 million upgrade of the rail link between Melbourne and the South Australian border.

The final stage of the project saw the upgrade of the dual gauge track between Melbourne and Geelong with new track and concrete sleepers. This $6 million stage involved laying 26,500 sleepers over eight kilometres of track between Tottenham and Newport, and 10 kilometres of track between Gheringhap and North Geelong.

The overall project involved laying 401,000 standard gauge sleepers between Maroona and Serviceton, approximately 270 kilometres in length, and 22,750 dual gauge sleepers in the Melbourne metro and Geelong areas, approximately 18 kilometres in length.

In addition to these works there have been bridge strengthening works and new turnouts, as well as the upgrading of 80 level crossings.

The project was undertaken as part of a $1.2 billion equity injection into the Australian Rail Track Corporation by the Australian Government.

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