Arc Infrastructure has completed an extensive works program on a section of the Eastern Goldfields Railway (EGR) in the Avon Valley, which involved the replacement of three turnouts at Moondyne, a particularly challenging section of the network.
Arc teams replaced three dual-gauge turnouts at the west end of the Moondyne crossing loop at the beginning of October, which was the culmination of months of planning and preparation.
The removal of the old turnouts and installation of three new dual-gauge concrete turnouts was completed during an 86-hour shutdown, during which several other works were completed at various locations across the Arc network.
The Moondyne west turnout project included track, civil and signalling works, which were delivered internally by Arc’s Major Projects, Works Delivery and Engineering teams, with support from various other teams within the business. The completion of the project included 800 metres of rail, 400 concrete sleepers, 3000 tonnes of ballast, and approximately 130 welds completed.
Head of Major Projects Sudip Saha said the location of the works within the constrained Avon Valley meant additional considerations had to be made when planning for the project.
“The Moondyne west end point on the network has steep cuttings and embankments and the access is very limited, so this meant preparation work around the site started some four months before, to ensure there were adequate laydown areas for the delivery of the turnouts and other materials,” Saha said.
“Due to the constrained nature of the location, we had to adapt our methodology for installing the turnouts. Due to the restricted access to the worksite location and limited space on site, a combination of the Kirow panel lifter, crane and front-end loaders was used to install the turnouts and associated track.
“Given this change in methodology, our team conducted trials of the Kirow machine at our Kenwick Rail Freight Facility in May of this year, which was an excellent learning opportunity, months prior to the actual work at Moondyne.”
The turnouts in this section of the EGR were installed in the late 1960s, when the current EGR was constructed. Over the past 50 years, various components of the turnouts had been repaired but had reached a point of needing to be entirely replaced.
The Moondyne west end turnout replacement project was the first phase of a scope of works in the Avon Valley region over the next five years, with the east end of the Moondyne crossing loop scheduled to be replaced towards the end of 2025.
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