Middle sections of Alice-Darwin line to be meet

<p>The two tracks being built for the AustralAsia Railway on the Alice Springs-Darwin line will be joined on Wednesday next week (December 13) &#8211 well ahead of the original schedule.</p> <p>This will complete the 625-km middle section of the route.</p> <p>To celebrate the symbolism of joining the tracks between Tennant Creek and Katherine, Northern Territory chief minister Clare Martin and South Australia’s acting premier Kevin Foley will be on hand to help ignite the final thermit weld.</p> <p>The ceremony will take place at the Buchanan Highway Adrail camp, near Dunmarra in the Northern Territory.</p> <p>The AustralAsian Railway Corporation says the whole project to build the 1,420-km north-south railway is ahead of schedule and already more than 50% complete.</p> <p>Construction has now begun heading north on the 320-km section from Katherine towards Darwin and on the 475-km section from Tennant Creek south towards Alice Springs.</p> <p>It is anticipated the first freight train will run between Adelaide and Darwin in early 2004. </p> <br />