The mobile maintenance and major projects teams of Arc Infrastructure – the manager of Western Australia’s freight network – are working together to deliver the Esperance Branch Line (EBL) Stage 3 maintenance program.
It forms part of a rolling five-year plan, which commenced in 2021 and will continue through to 2026, with a view to improving the overall track quality and increasing approved train speeds.
The 2023 scope of works will see 25 kilometres of rail replacement (on both the north and south bound lines), 15 kilometres of ballast renewal, and laying of 16,000 new concrete sleepers.
The team has been working near Kalgoorlie on the Hampton to Hannan’s section of the line, and recently completed works on a key one-kilometre section of track.
Head of Maintenance Delivery Garry Bird said the works are carefully coordinated with the Network Operations team, who advise when there are suitable windows to complete works and minimise disruption to customers.
“We can’t always do large sections of track in between train tasks, so capitalising on the time available during the fortnightly 12-hour shutdown is essential to completing this extensive works program,” Mr Bird said.
To complete the rail replacement, sections of track are cut and moved off the corridor alignment.
New geo fabric is laid to protect the formation of the track. The fabric acts as a filter layer between the ballast and formation, particularly protecting against damage from rain. Rail, sleepers and ballast are then placed on top of the fabric.
The Downer track machine has been contracted for the whole of 2023 to assist with the tamping and regulating works.
Once the replacement has been finalised at Esperance, the teams complete a geometric inspection to assess the speed requirements prior to handing back to Network Operations for Arc customers.
The EBL maintenance works will continue until the end of the year, while the team begins developing the 2024 program and scope.
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