THE North-East railway line will be shutdown for three days from early next Saturday for "essential early works" on the $235 million upgrade of the trouble-plagued route between Albury and Melbourne.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
About 300 workers will be despatched to 10 sites from 6am Saturday to 6pm Monday with both the Australian Rail Track Corporation and V/Line urging those planning to use the service to be aware of the line closure to trains.
The focus of the works will be installing two new crossovers at Longwood and Violet Town, track upgrades and regular maintenance works which follow back-to-back months of major delays.
"These works are critical for improving track conditions on the North-East line, which will enable new VLocity trains to run between Melbourne and Albury in 2021," V/Line regional manager Gary Dean said.
IN OTHER NEWS
Meanwhile, more than 400 delegates who will attend next year's inland rail conference in Albury-Wodonga will take in visits to major industrial hubs on the border.
The two-day conference in August is being organised by the Australian Logistics Council and the Australasian Railway Association.
Delegates will be taken on tours of the Nexus and Logic industrial hubs.
Albury mayor Kevin Mack said securing the conference was a major coup for the border cities which were a key location on the Inland Rail route under construction by the federal government.
"This is obviously fantastic news for the local economy," he said.
"But in the bigger picture, it's also a golden opportunity for Albury and Wodonga to work together to make the most of the huge potential that the rail route will offer.
"With direct access to freeway and air links, competitive land prices and our close proximity to 75 per cent of Australia's population, Albury-Wodonga is a perfect place to invest and that will only improve with the arrival of the Inland Rail project."
The conference is expect to provide a $335,000 economic stimulus.
Wodonga mayor Anna Speedie said the conference would showcase the region's tourism, business and investment opportunities to delegates.
"Together Albury-Wodonga is the 19th largest city in Australia and a strong, growing regional centre," she said.
"We know we live in a great part of the world and the chance to share it with a key sector that potentially will want to invest, work and even live here is one that offers significant benefit for our community.
"This opportunity will allow our region to capitalise on the current economic climate and highlight why Albury-Wodonga should be a top consideration as an area in which to invest."