The Blue Mountains rail line will reopen to passengers on January 21 following a major freight train derailment in December.
Buses have replaced trains between Springwood and Katoomba since December 14 following the derailment at Linden.
But NSW regional transport minister Sam Farraway announced today that services would resume on January 21, "weather permitting".
"This is great news and a big thank you to all the crews and our freight industry who worked together to get this line fixed after a major derailment last year," he said.
Bathurst MP Paul Toole said crews have been working hard to repair the damaged section of track between Lawson and Linden.
"Maintenance crews continue working around the clock right through the holiday period to get the job done," he posted on Facebook. "They have already laid almost 10 kilometres to support the new track, installed more than 15,000 new sleepers, laid more than 11,000 tonnes of ballast and replaced or repaired 39 pieces of signalling equipment.
"This work has been carried out in extremely difficult terrain and has required detailed planning and specialist engineering expertise to get the crews and replacement material on site to carry out the repair work safely."
Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle expressed concerns about the adequacy of the bus replacement service before Christmas, posting photos of long queues at Springwood.
"The government should be doing everything it can to provide accessible, reliable and adequate rail replacement bus services while the Blue Mountains line is out of action," she said. "Clearly, there is more that could be being done."
'Devastating blow'
Before Christmas, Blue Mountains Tourism president Jason Cronshaw described the closure of the rail line as "another devastating blow" to the tourism industry "just when the industry was looking forward to a busy Christmas and summer holiday tourism trade".
NSW Upper House Liberal MP Shayne Mallard said he would push for a state government promotion of the Blue Mountains when the rail line reopens.
"Once restored in the new year, we should see tourist numbers continue to grow to pre-pandemic levels," he told the Gazette in December. "I'll certainly raise additional promotion for the Blue Mountains with the Minister for Tourism."
For customers that need to travel on the network allow plenty of extra time and plan ahead using the transport apps or visit www.transportnsw.info/regional for updates.
What was removed:
- 18 kilometres of damaged rail removed
- 15 kilometres sleepers removed
- About 92 pieces of signalling equipment was damaged and requires repairs or replacement
What has been replaced:
- Approximately 9.8 kilometres of railroad subgrade layer has been installed (base layer/ foundation layer to support the railway track and enable new sleeper and rail installation
- 15,000 new sleepers have been installed
- 11.7 kilometres of new rail has been installed and clipped into position through the hot summer weather, requiring adjustment as the unfinished track buckles and moves due to heat
- More than 11,000 tonnes of ballast has been laid
- 2.2 kilometres of initial tamping has commenced to pack the ballast under the sleeper to produce a stabilise sleeper and rail bed
- 39 pieces of signalling equipment has been replaced or repaired.