ARTC begins double-stack upgrade to East-West line

<p>The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has begun track upgrades which will allow trains to double-stack containers along the East-West rail artery connecting New South Wales and Western Australia.</p> <p>The $4.8m program involves upgrades to six sites between Adelaide and the intermodal town of Parkes, 350 km west of Sydney. </p> <p>The ARTC has begun work on replacing the 35-year-old Dowd’s Hill tunnel, about 250 km north of Adelaide, which is expected to cost $3m.</p> <p>Five other sites, all between the NSW-South Australian border and Parkes, will be upgraded to allow a 6.5 metre clearance, enough for double-stacked wagons.</p> <p>ARTC chief executive David Marchant said there was sufficient demand to upgrade the line, which already handled 80% of land freight between the east coast and Western Australia.</p> <p>&#8220Rail competitiveness will be improved by allowing the carriage of double stack containers and other high loads from Parkes to Perth, through increased corridor and train capacity and better use of wagons and train paths,&#8221 Mr Marchant said.</p> <p>&#8220We understand that operators are keenly interested in taking up the opportunity for double stacking as soon as the capacity is provided.&#8221</p> <p>The other sites, all requiring the lowering of track, are the Barrier Highway overpass at Cockburn near the NSW-SA border, two sites in Broken Hill, and upgrades of two sites near Condobolin, 100 km west of Parkes. </p> <br />