Red Bend Rail Siding open for business

Farmers in the Central West of NSW will benefit from faster and safer grain transport with the opening of a new $6.2 million rail siding upgrade at Red Bend (PDF, 96.3 KB).

Located just south of Forbes, the siding upgrade allows larger trains to exit the main line to load and unload tonnes of vital grains such as wheat, barley and canola.

The recently completed project has delivered an extra 400 metres to the siding, allowing a 48-wagon train to be loaded in two 24-wagon sections without encroaching on the main line.

Previously, the shorter siding length could only accommodate a 20-wagon train, adding substantial time to the process.

It’s estimated the Red Bend upgrade will divert 26,000 tonnes of grain annually from trucks to trains, which would remove an estimated 660 truck movements from Central West roads, contributing to safer journeys for everyone.

The Red Bend rail improvement project was supported by a $5.14 million investment from GrainCorp, $970,000 from the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Rail Program and an in-kind contribution of $90,000 from the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).