<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> The ongoing Northern Sydney Freight Corridor (NSFC) program made major progress last week when planning approval was granted for the Epping to Thornleigh Third Track Project, the biggest of the four projects within the $1.1 billion program. </span> <p>The approval allows for construction to begin on 6km of track between Epping and Thornleigh, in Sydney’s north-west.</p><p>It also allows for the construction of a new rail bridge over Sydney’s M2 motorway, and an upgrade to the train stations at Cheltenham and Pennant Hills. Modifications will also be made at Beecroft Station.</p><p>The Epping to Thornleigh project is the biggest of the four NSFC projects. The other three are the North Strathfield Rail Underpass, the Gosford Passing Loops and the Hexham Passing Loop projects.</p><p>The North Strathfield Rail Underpass project entails the construction of a rail underpass in North Strathfield, platform upgrades and a new aerial concourse at Concord West Station.</p><p>The new passing loops at Gosford and Hexham are also aimed at aiding in the relief of congestion on rail around Sydney – commonly regarded as the nation’s biggest rail bottleneck.</p><p>The same issue is being addressed through the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s Southern Sydney Freight Line Project, an ongoing initiative to address various causes of the Sydney bottleneck at the southern end of the corridor.</p><p>As for the Epping to Thornleigh project, the new, third track is intended to separate slower moving freight trains from CityRail passenger services along the steep incline north of Epping, removing a major bottleneck on the Interstate Rail Freight Network through Sydney, the NSW government which is heading up the project says.</p><p>Deputy prime minister and minister for transport and infrastructure, Anthony Albanese, and NSW state minister for roads and ports, Duncan Gay, announced that construction will begin next month with the Leighton Abigroup Consortium awarded the contract to design and build the project.</p><p>“The project will help improve the reliability of passenger services, as well as reliability and transit times across the Interstate Rail Network, which is vital if we are to get more freight off our roads and onto the back of trains,” Albanese said.</p><p>Minister Gay said major construction of the Epping to Thornleigh Third Track Project is subject to a number of conditions including guidelines for managing operational noise.</p><p>“Planning approval for the Epping to Thornleigh Third Track Project follows public exhibition of an Environmental Impact Statement late last year, extensive consultation and preparation of a report responding to the 950 community and stakeholder submissions received,” he said.</p>
