Sydney, Melbourne rail line blocked until next week |
The main rail line between Melbourne and Sydney is expected to remain closed all weekend after a massive derailment in northern Victoria.
Repairs have begun on more than 800 metres of damaged track, following Thursday nights derailment of a freight train, eight kilometres north of Benalla in Victoria.
Twelve of the rear wagons on the 800 metre train were derailed, with nine wagons falling on their side.
Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) spokesman Brad Emery said the organisation was coordinating the replacement of the track and timber sleepers.
Crews will work 24 hours a day over the weekend in split shifts to repair the damage.
Mr Emery said it may be Monday before the line can be safely reopened.
The clean-up is being hampered by the weather, with heavy hail on Friday afternoon making it difficult to clear the wagons off the tracks.
The repair job will be "reasonably costly", but an exact figure is unknown at this stage.
Freight trains, which run between Melbourne and Sydney seven days a week, are likely to be most affected.
Mr Emery said there was a "possible pathway"for freight to head from Melbourne to Adelaide, and then to Sydney via Broken Hill.
"That will up to individual companies to make decisions on whether they wish to take that pathway,"he said.
Mr Emery said heavy vehicles would be needed to lift the derailed wagons.
"Howe'ver, the location of the derailment and the surrounding terrain are posing some difficulty for recovery efforts."
The standard gauge track has twisted and, along with some of the derailed wagons, is blocking the broad gauge passenger track.
A V/Line spokesman said buses would operate between Benalla and Albury in place of passenger trains while their section of the track remained blocked.
V/Line passenger trains run on the broad gauge section of track, while freight trains and the Melbourne-to-Sydney passenger trains run on the standard gauge track.
Six trains a day run between Melbourne and Albury, carrying up to 400 passengers a trip, the spokesman said.
Four trains a day run between Melbourne and Sydney on a service run by CountryLink.
Trains on that line will terminate at Albury and coaches will be used on the rest of the trip.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has concluded an initial investigation into the incident, but it is likely to be several weeks before a report is finalised.
The trains two drivers, the only people on it, were unhurt.
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