Up to 120 trucks will be taken off the road when 1.8km freight trains start running
By Ruza Zivkusic | March 22, 2011
Up to 120 trucks will be taken off the roads between Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth when the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) starts running 1.8km freight trains.
The 1.2km long trains already making their way through Adelaide Hills and suburbs on their way to Melbourne and Perth will soon be replaced by larger models when lines built for steam trains are completed, ARTC spokesman Brian Dale says.
Four out of the seven loops have been completed between Adelaide and Wolseley, with two to be completed and one in Ambleside yet to be approved.
“We hope to have this done and dusted by the first half of the next year which will increase capacity on the Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth network,” Dale says.
Dale says the same number of trains will be able to handle more freight, improving the overall efficiency of the freight task by reducing the reliance on road transport.
South Australia’s Development Assessment Commission (DAC) is considering a proposal to build the $20 million crossing loop at Ambleside after supporting the plan at a hearing last month.