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Overview

For detailed information about ARTC please visit their main web site at www.artc.com.au

The ARTC is presently undertaking a program of works to improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of rail freight services along the North-South Rail Corridor between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. A major bottleneck in the rail freight network currently exists in southern Sydney, where freight trains share existing rail lines with the Sydney metropolitan passenger services operated by RailCorp. During morning and afternoon peak periods, freight services are not permitted to run due to passenger priority. As a result, freight services cannot arrive or depart Sydney at the optimum times.

To alleviate this bottleneck, the ARTC has begun construction on the Southern Sydney Freight Line (SSFL), which will provide a dedicated freight line for a distance of 36 kilometres between Macarthur and Sefton in southern Sydney. The SSFL will provide a third track in the rail corridor specifically for freight services, allowing passenger and freight services to operate independently.