Rail line at Port Botany to receive $75m Government Boost

Part of a $125m freight productivity boost from government will go towards the next stage of the Port Botany rail line upgrade. Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss, has advised the Australian Rail Track Corporation that $50m of the $125m sum will be going towards the Advanced Train Management System while the rest will be heading Port Botany’s way.

“Our $75m investment in getting stage three of the Port Botany upgrade underway will complement the completed stage one works and current stage two works due for completion this year,” he said. “Stage three will continue the upgrade of the Port Botany rail line on segments that have sub-standard track condition, such as poor ballast, replacing the last remaining timber sleepers with concrete, and replacing sections of worn or low-weight rail with higher grade steel to increase load capacity.”

The Federal Government hopes the project’s completion will take 300,000 trucks off Sydney’s roads each year. The project is also expected to increase the number of containers able to be transported along the line from 700,000 to 1m a year.