Cane rail network under repair
Burdekin crews help fix flood-damaged lines
THE HERBERT RIVER EXPRESS - Tuesday, March 31, 2009
CSR Sugar employees are racing the clock to restore the flood damaged cane rail network in time for the start of the 2009 crushing season.
Working from daylight to dusk, seven days a week, 54 staff from CSR's Herbert and Burdekin mills have been straightening kilometres of cane track and spreading thousands of tonnes
of ballast since the floodwaters receded.
With a number of bridge crossings also damaged during the floods, the repair bill is expected to run into the millions of dollars.
CSR Sugar Herbert Region cane supply and transport manager Peter Mondora said while the Burdekin team was playing a vital role in helping to restore the network, the Herbert teams would be responsible for the bulk of the repair work.
"Our Herbert employees are used to this kind of work and are leading the repair effort," he said.
"They've been working very hard and doing a great job.
"The Herbert crews are on a roster which ensures work continues seven days a week, so we've made excellent progress in a relatively short period of time."
One of the seven teams working throughtout the district, Mr Mondora said the Burdekin team, which has been restoring network in one of the worst affected areas for the last three weeks, is expected to remain in the Herbert until Easter.
He said the crew from the Invicta Mill's cane supply and transport department came well equipped with a locomotive, ballast spreaders and a Plasser, which lifts the track to pack
ballast underneath.
"We're grateful to have an experienced team of wokers helping us from the Burdekin,
Mr Mondora said.
"We really couldn't have got the work done in time without their specialist track equipment."
Mr Mondora said about 11,000 tonnes of ballast would be used to repair about 30 to 40km of the Herbert regions 500km rail network.
"There was quite a bit of damage in the Stone River area," he said.
"The rest is scattered throughout the district.
"The repair work mostly involves replaing ballast which was washed away in the floods and realigning the railway tracks."
Mr Mondora said CSR would also undertake flood mitigation work in some areas, installing several new culverts to reduce the impact of future flood events.
He said CSR Sugar aimed to have all repairs to the main line finalised by the start of June, with further flood improvement work to continue throughout the crushing season and into next year.
"We've been flat out since the rain stopped and the repairs are on schedule at this stage," he said.
"We've been lucky with the weather, to date, and are confident the work will be completed in time for the start to this year's crushing."
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