Inland Rail has completed all scheduled works during a 60-hour track possession on the Beveridge to Albury section of the project, including the demolition of the Hamilton St bridge at Broadford.
Together with construction partner John Holland, work was carried out at Wandong, Broadford, Hume Fwy — Tallarook, and Benalla.
The demolition of the Hamilton St bridge is an important milestone for the project, making way for double-stacked trains to run from Melbourne to Brisbane.
The track was also lowered under the bridge to increase the clearance.
Retaining wall posts were installed at Short St, Broadford to support the future track lower and redundant poles along with overhead wires were removed at Wandong.
The Beveridge to Albury tranche two possession involved:
- 600 engineers, tradespeople, rail specialists and contractors
- 11,350 tonnes of spoil excavated
- 1170m of drainage installed alongside track
The Broadford works included 55 piles and posts being installed and 225 tonnes of concrete poured.
Inland Rail acting delivery director Beveridge to Albury Scott Anderson said the B2A possession was an outstanding success.
“The team did a great job removing the bridge and lowering the tracks at Hamilton St, Broadford,” he said.
“We get very few track possessions a year, so they are critically important for the completion of the project.
“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.”
John Holland Rail and Transport managing director Steve Butcher said it was great to see the progress that was being made on this important project for the region.
“During the possession, the team delivered complex works, including the demolition of the bridge and lowering of the track in Broadford, and track works alongside pre-cast installations for the new underpass in Benalla,” he said.
“All of this was done within a short possession timeframe and small work footprint.
“The strong collaboration between our civil and rail teams, combined with the detailed planning for the possession, were critical to the success.
“This allowed us to hand back the line on time to keep disruptions to a minimum.”