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Australian Rail Track Corporation advised today that freight rail services through flood affected northern New South Wales would resume this afternoon while XPT passenger services would resume tomorrow.
ARTC Chief Executive David Marchant said the floods had caused considerable damage to the rail lines, especially around Kyogle.
“We had washaways and track movement in several locations as well as a large amount of debris over the line,” Mr Marchant said.
“But a tremendous effort by our work crews resulted in the main Sydney-Brisbane line being operational about a day ahead of when we expected.
“They did a great job, especially when it’s considered they couldn’t get near the track until the flood waters dropped and we could get the personnel and equipment on site.
“Like all the flood relief workers, our crews worked around the clock to get services back to normal.
“The first freight trains will run late this afternoon and through the night while the XPT will be back tomorrow,” he said.
Mr Marchant said early estimates of the repair costs are over $2 million.
Contact:
David Marchant 0419 733 201
Brian Dale 0418 204 198