A major outback rail line has been closed after heavy rain and flash flooding in South Australia’s north washed away significant sections of track, the network’s manager says.
Downpours have also triggered road closures, with more than a dozen people becoming stranded Sunday morning when the water level rose rapidly in an outback creek.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) said it was forced to close the East West rail line because of “track washaways of up to 100 metres in some locations” between McLeay and Bookaloo, north-west of Port Augusta.
The line, also known as the Trans-Australian Railway, is a major freight route that connects Perth with Adelaide and the eastern states, and is also used by the Indian-Pacific.
The ARTC said the line was expected to be out of action for at least a week.
“ARTC crews are currently inspecting the network between Crystal Brook and Broken Hill as well as Port Augusta to Whyalla to determine the full extent of the damage,” the corporation said in a statement.
“While the damage assessments are underway, a return to service timeframe has not yet been confirmed.
“Based on current conditions, restoration is expected to take longer than seven days.”
ARTC said further forecast deluges later this week could cause more damage, including to the Broken Hill section of track.
“In preparation for recovery works, ARTC has mobilised crews and pre-positioned materials and equipment along the corridor to support rebuilding of the track,” it said.
The wet weather has been caused by a tropical low, with the bureau earlier reporting that Port Augusta received 48 millimetres in just six hours.
“That’s the most rainfall they’ve seen on a single day in the last four years,”
the bureau’s Daniel Sherwin-Simpson said.
The SES said the heavy rain in the region had caused road closures north of Port Augusta, and around Hawker and Quorn in the Flinders Ranges.
