Below Rail Infrastructure, Engineering, Freight Rail

Brookfield completes 3-year Merredin upgrade

The completion of a turnout installation in the Merredin town site on June 1 marked the end of a three-year upgrade of rail infrastructure in the town, a major hub on the Eastern Goldfields Railway, WA network manager Brookfield Rail has said.

A $3 million upgrade program has been carried out along the track between the Mary and Barrack Street level crossings in Merredin. The work involved the installation of 3000 concrete sleepers, two new concrete turnouts and an upgrade of the Barrack Street crossing.

The final turnout installation, completed last week, involved over 30 Brookfield Rail employees and local contractors from Merredin, Northam and the Goldfields, working through a single 10-hour shutdown of the EGR, Brookfield said.

The EGR provides western WA with its only rail connection to the eastern side of Australia. It handles around 80% of all containerised freight passing between east and west, and provides regional bulk minerals and grain customers with access to port sites at Fremantle and Kwinana.

Brookfield says the Merredin upgrade program was designed to “future proof” EGR operations, with new structures designed to withstand harsh conditions, carry higher axle loads and cater for projected rail traffic requirements.

“This will ensure Brookfield Rail can continue to optimise operations and work with customers to improve the supply chain and maximise use of the railway,” the company said in a statement.