The first concrete sleepers have arrived along the Maroona–Portland rail line in Victoria, marking a major milestone in the $166 million upgrade of the key freight rail route.
Workers on the Replacement of Sleepers (Maroona to Portland) project will replace ageing timber sleepers with around 250,000 new concrete sleepers along the 173-kilometre rail line in western Victoria.
The new concrete sleepers will support heavier freight trains, faster travel times, and more reliable services, according to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
Vossloh, Australia’s largest precast manufacturer of concrete railway sleepers, is making the sleepers at its Wagga Wagga facility in NSW. German company Vossloh acquired Austrak in 2018, a manufacturer of pre-stressed concrete sleepers founded in 1980.
Pacific National is transporting the concrete sleepers to site along the Maroona-Portland line in 40 dedicated sleeper trains. Deliveries will continue along the rail line into 2027, ahead of the main construction work starting later next year, ARTC stated.
“ARTC has spent many months planning the project, preparing sites and completing early works so sleeper deliveries can begin safely,” the corporation said.
“[The upgrade] … will complement the Murray Basin Rail Project by improving the freight route linking western and north-western Victoria with the Port, while also supporting freight from south-western Victoria and south-east Australia.”
The project is being delivered through the ARTC’s Network Investment Program with the Australian Government.
Image: The first concrete sleepers from Vossloh arrive on the Maroona-Portland rail line to replace ageing timbers. Credit: ARTC.
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