Round-up of the week
Big progress has been made this week towards getting the line to Okehampton ready for regular passenger services to begin by the end of 2021.
5km of new track has been installed just this week as we reach the midpoint of a four-week drive to replace old track. The video above shows the scale of the project, with the “sleeper train” arriving to connect to the New Track Construction machine.
Other highlights and behind-the-scenes footage from the week include:
The New Track Construction machine (NTC) laying sleepers:
The NTC pulling track onto sleepers. If you look closely you can see that the machine moves the sleepers so they are aligned correctly:
Completed new track:
Introducing the “Mule”, a road rail vehicle by TXM Plant. It can be converted to have five seats or can have an open back to carry materials along the railway. It’s a multi functional work vehicle. This video shows how it gets off the rail at an access point:
Here is Penstone level crossing, a pedestrian level crossing which has been improved to allow better visibility for crossing users:
