Arc Infrastructure’s Major Project and Mobile Maintenance Team (MMT) continue to complete complex track renewal works through the Lake Cowan causeway near Norseman.
These renewals are part of a rolling program of upgrades along the Esperance Branch Line.
The team are currently completing 4.5km of ballast renewal and the replacement of 7,000 concrete sleepers. These will be undertaken during two rounds of work in Q1 and then Q3 2026.
This work builds on the success of a similar program completed at the end of 2025 which included 2,900 new concrete sleepers, new rail, and new ballast on 1.3km of track on the causeway.
The original works completed in 2025 took place in a highly constrained location, intersecting with two Heritage Places, a water pipeline, fibre optic cables, powerlines and high-pressure gas pipeline.
These complexities meant the project delivery team had to consider a number of additional factors for planning and delivery. As with all projects, the team was required to seek approval from nearby service owners, which in this instance included Water Corp, Worley, and Western Power when working with the physical constraints of the adjacent services. There was also an additional requirement to obtain formal approval for the works from the Registrar of Aboriginal Sites.
Given the constraints, while the regular engineering methodology for delivering the upgrades did not change, additional controls were required to ensure no interactions with the nearby services or heritage impacts. To manage the risks, the teams flagged these services in their pre-start and task risk assessments on a daily basis.
Additional safety measures were added to make sure the services in the vicinity were not damaged. Safety Signs were installed to make sure the teams on the ground and in the plant were aware of the locations for all services. Spotters were present throughout the works, who were in constant radio communication with plant operators to mitigate potential risks.
Head of Major Projects Sudip Saha said the works teams controls meant the upgrades were successfully completed without incident.
“When working in such a constrained site, proper safety controls are the key to getting the job done, and ensuring everyone goes home safely,” Sudip said.
Both the 2025 and 2026 programs of work have impacted Aboriginal Heritage sites and required consultation with the Ngadju Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (NNTAC), along with Regulation 7 and 10 consent from the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
Aboriginal heritage monitors have been engaged at specific stages of the works in accordance with approval conditions.
The 2026 program also required consent from the NNTAC Board to establish a laydown area on Crown Land within the Ngadju Native Title determination area.
Arc thanks NNTAC for its ongoing engagement in supporting essential maintenance while ensuring heritage values are appropriately managed.
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