Completion of a new rail electricity substation at Gosford will provide additional power and reduce the risk of disruption to trains on the Central Coast and Newcastle lines, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Scot MacDonald MLC, has announced.
“The new substation in Gosford, the largest of its kind on the Central Coast, will ensure reliability of service well into the future for the growing number of customers commuting to Sydney, and tourists visiting the Central Coast,” Mr MacDonald said.
“To further reduce any disruption on the line, a new sectioning hut in Wyoming has also been constructed, with state-of-the-art equipment, to allow sections of the track to be isolated, so that maintenance or emergency works can be carried out while minimising delays to the greater network,” he said.
“For the first time, this technology can be operated remotely, meaning work can begin quickly and efficiently.”
The new substation and sectioning hut have been completed ahead of the roll out of the New Intercity Fleet, set to roll on to the tracks in 2019.
As the old substation has reached the end of its life, it will now be demolished.
In the coming weeks, finishing works, including concreting, fencing and landscaping, will be completed.
The expected life span of the new substation is about 40 to 50 years.
The substation and sectioning hut are a combined $20 million investment as part of the Power Supply Upgrade Program for improvements to electrical infrastructure across the network to meet future power requirements of the rail network and trains.
Source:
Media release, Jan 30
Kit Hale, office of Scot MacDonald