A GIANT $612 million interstate rail superhighway between Sydney and Melbourne will herald a new era for Wodonga.
The city, long scarred by the railway line through its central business district, is set to undergo a complete facelift.
- FAST FACTS
- The 5km rail bypass involves seven bridges totalling 1.1km across the Murray River floodplain.
- In all, 300,000 cubic metres of dirt has been moved.
- The crane used to lift beams on to bypass bridges has a capacity of 280 tonnes, the equivalent of 166 family cars.
- Eleven level crossings will be decommissioned at the end of the project.
- About 2500 cultural artefacts were excavated from the site.
Five kilometres of new track is slicing across the Murray River floodplain under the massive nation-building project.
The rail bypass will give Wodonga a new passenger station and remove 11 level crossings.
On a state-wide basis, the project will convert 200km of broad-gauge track to standard gauge between Albury and Melbourne.
Works on the Wodonga rail bypass started late last year, creating jobs for 150 local contractors.
The project is jointly funded by the Australian Rail Track Corporation, the Victorian and Federal governments.
Australian Rail Track Corporation spokesman Brian Dale said extended dry weather had allowed works to stay on schedule.
Brian said new track would be laid early next year and the passenger terminal was due to open late next year.
The works are part of the North East Rail Revitalisation project.
It includes $50 million to duplicate the standard gauge track at Wodonga.
Brian said the lion's share of the $612 million budget had been spent in the Border and North East regions.
"Up to 15 interstate freight trains and two XPT services have continued to run daily during the construction phase," he said.
"The aim is to increase rail's competitiveness with road transport.
"If we can get a better track, straighten out the curves and reduce the transit time between Sydney and Melbourne by several hours, rail will be a more attractive option.
"Each train will effectively remove 100 trucks off the roads."
Brian said the reliability of rail was increasing.
"We now work on a minimum 85 per cent reliability for scheduled departure and arrival times," he said.
"We aim to restore rail's position as a major transport mode.
"One tonne of goods can be carried on rail for up to 700km on just two litres of diesel."
Brian said the new track would cater for 1500m-long freight trains and fast XPT passenger services.
Although the Bandiana spur line closed last October, the main line through Wodonga will remain operational until the bypass is complete.
The new train station will feature a covered bus interchange, sustainable building design, public art and views of the floodplain.
Once the old rail line is removed, Wodonga council will embark on plans to redevelop the CBD.
