Port Botany Rail Line Duplication

Project Description

This project will duplicate the remaining 2.9 kilometre freight rail single track section of the Port Botany Rail Line (PBRL) between Mascot and Botany, and construct a 1.4 kilometre passing loop to allow trains to pass at Cabramatta. The project comprises:

• new bridge structures, spans, civil works and track duplication east from Robey Street, Mascot
• new rail bridge across Southern Cross Drive and duplicated track across the existing Botany Road bridge
• embankment works adjacent to Mill Pond and a new rail bridge across Mill Pond Creek
• duplication to Banksia Street, Botany, connecting with existing double track near Botany Rail Yard
• construction of a freight rail passing loop between Cabramatta and Warwick Farm

Benefits

Duplicating the remainder of the PBRL and constructing the Cabramatta loop will:

• improve rail connection efficiency, freight transit times, and service reliability to and from Port Botany
• alleviate constraints and increase the capacity of Sydney’s freight rail network, which supports the logistics and supply chain activities of existing intermodal terminals such as Enfield and Chullora
• encourage a shift in freight share from road to rail, to reduce the rate of growth in truck movements and associated traffic congestion in and around Sydney Airport and Port Botany
• provide capacity to meet the growth in the containerised freight task and future port-shuttle rail services between Port Botany and the new intermodal terminal under construction at Moorebank

Funding

The Australian Government is fully funding the $400 million project to be delivered by the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

Timetable

Preliminary site investigations and works will get underway in 2018-19 with the project scheduled for completion in 2023-24.