The recently-completed $1.66 million upgrade of the Rail Triangle in Dubbo, NSW, has automated the operation of switches for rail and road traffic, saving time at the busy junction.
Deputy premier and member for Dubbo Troy Grant said earlier this month the upgrade was critical to improving access for trains travelling to the north, south and west of the state that use the busy central junction point.
“The recently completed upgrade will deliver improved travel times and increase efficiency for all trains that travel in and around Dubbo,” Grant said.
“Prior to the upgrade, switches for rail and road traffic at the Triangle needed to be manually operated. Now, the Triangle has new automatic switches, which will save trains up to 15 minutes travel time.
“Some of the key routes to benefit include between Parkes and Cobar, northern NSW and Coonamble, and southern NSW and Orange.
“This is a great win for country NSW, allowing freight to arrive at destinations on time more regularly, meeting deadlines for domestic and export customers.”
Minister for roads, maritime and freight Duncan Gay said the upgrade will also deliver benefits to surrounding roads, which previously experienced heavy traffic build up due to train delays.
“By cutting travel times at the Triangle we also deliver flow on benefits to other critical road corridors, including Wheelers Lane and Cobbora Road with reduced delays at level crossings,” he said.
“Wheelers Lane in particular experiences 20,000 vehicle movements per day, making it one of the main roads into the city of Dubbo.”
The state will invest a further $865,000 for further upgrades at Wheelers Lane, including the installation of high intensity LED lights, bells, reflective boom gates and pedestrian facilities such as automated swing gates to boost safety, Gay explained.
As for the $1.66 million Triangle upgrade, the NSW Government contributed $1.36 million and Australian Rail Track Corporation contributed $300,000.