- Hunter Valley rail shutdown 10-13 March
- 72 hours of intensive maintenance activity
- Over a thousand workers along the rail corridor
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The Hunter Valley coal chain will be a hive of activity next week as around $20 million worth of rail maintenance tasks are undertaken and major projects are finalised.
Executive General Manager – Hunter Valley, Jonathan Vandervoort, said the rail shutdowns are an important part of the coal chain calendar, allowing vital maintenance and upgrade tasks to take place in an environment with fewer running trains.
“Alongside rail maintenance, the shutdown also allows our partners in the coal chain, from pit-to-port, to undertake important maintenance tasks,” Mr Vandervoort said.
The shutdown starts at 6am Tuesday 10 March and runs until 6am Friday 13 March.
Over a thousand ARTC staff and contractors will be at dozens of work sites across the Hunter Valley rail corridor from the Port to Narrabri and from Muswellbrook to Ulan.
“We would like to thank our customers and the community for their patience while this important work is undertaken,” Mr Vandervoort said.
“These shutdowns are planned more than a year in advance to allow customers to manage their throughput and production schedules and to ensure integration across the intricately managed Hunter coal chain.
“We would especially like to ask motorists to take care near the rail corridor, as there will be more trucks on the road than usual, entering and exiting work sites.
“We recognise there is some disruption when important works like this take place,” Mr Vandervoort said. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of the community as these works are vital to keeping the network reliable and safe.”
The next major maintenance shutdown will be between 19 and 22 May. For impacts on passenger rail operations, please visit www.nswtrainlink.info .
ENDS
Media Contact: Bas Bolyn, ARTC, 0477 340 658