AUSTRALIA: Australian Rail Track Corp has awarded two contracts for works to increase freight capacity on the Port Botany line in Sydney.
John Holland has been awarded a design and build contract for the Botany Rail Duplication project to double-track the remaining 2·9 km of single line track between Mascot and Botany, realign and renew existing tracks, install new crossovers and build four bridges.
Fulton Hogan will build the 1·65 km Cabramatta Loop to enable trains up to 1 300 m long to pass. This will include the realignment of 550 m of existing track, as well as the construction of two bridges and road reconfiguration works.
Mobilisation for the works will begin this year, ahead of major construction from Q1 2022.
ARTC CEO Mark Campbell said the A$400m capacity enhancement programme would help meet future freight demand at Port Botany, where traffic is predicted to increase by 77% by 2036.
‘Not only will this increase freight capacity, it will also encourage more freight movements to be made by rail — helping to shift freight away from road transport and reduce the rate of growth in truck movements and traffic congestion’, he said, adding that each train would take up to 54 lorries off Sydney’s roads.
