Work is now under way to replace more than 1,800 damaged sleepers and more than 180 metres of damaged rail.
Last week an incident involving a freight and passenger train between Chiltern and Barnawartha in south of Wodonga, Victoria caused all services on the line to be suspended until further notice.
A northbound freight train derailed, and a passenger train travelling south on the adjacent track struck a wagon of the derailed freight train.
A spokesperson from the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) provided an update on the investigation following the incident that occurred on Wednesday, January 29.
“The ARTC is continuing to work with rail safety regulators and operators on the recovery effort,” the spokesperson said.
After safety regulators completed their initial assessments the day after the incident, the recovery operation started involving around 60 workers.
“Work so far has focused on recovering wagons, components, and containers from the track and moving the V/Line train and majority of freight containers,” the spokesperson said.
“While repairs are underway, timing for the line to reopen is not yet confirmed.
“With temperatures reaching more than 44 degrees in the recovery site area, hot works are being extremely carefully managed and crews provided additional rest breaks and hydration measures.
“ARTC will provide further updates to media and our customers as soon as they become available.”