Freight Rail, Passenger Rail, Safety, Standards & Regulation

Controlled blast clears NSW’s impromptu suspension bridge

Tocal washaway - Photo NSW SES

WATCH: ARTC contractors have cleared a section of rail on the damaged North Coast network with a controlled explosion, which was filmed and shared by Tocal College.

Last week’s extreme weather and flooding in northern and central NSW left many sections of track on the North Coast rail network damaged, with ballast washed away in several locations, and entire sections of land washed away in some places.

One such instance of a land washaway occurred in Tocal, creating an impromptu suspension bridge, with photos of the location, as well as other damaged sections of track, shared by NSW SES on Facebook on Wednesday.

To replace the suspended 70m section of track (shown in the first photo) at Quarry Creek, Tocal, the ARTC has had to remove the track itself, using an explosive cutting method.

Local agricultural and conservation education site Tocal College sits adjacent to the site of the controlled blast, and was able to capture it from several angles.

The video suggests the ARTC hired Precision Drill and Blast,  a Mittagong-based contractor, for the explosive cutting work.

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