Work is beginning on drainage upgrades at three locations between Kalgoorlie and Zanthus in Western Australia, as the Australian Government and Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) seek to reduce flood-related interruptions to the east–west freight railway.
In a 16 October 2026 announcement, the government said crews would remove track and ageing culverts, install reinforced-concrete replacements and rebuild the railway before returning it to freight use.
The replacements are designed for a one-in-100-year flood event, incorporating projected climate effects through 2060. That is a design benchmark, not a guarantee that the railway cannot flood.
Keeping a national freight link open
The corridor links Western Australia with eastern-state freight networks. Flood-related interruptions can affect rail operators, freight customers and the availability and cost of goods far beyond the affected section.
ARTC says it has planned the works with freight operators around train movements to minimise disruption. The announcement does not give an exact possession timetable or quantify expected delays, so operators should use current ARTC and rail-service advice for operational planning.
According to the government, nine previously upgraded locations withstood flooding in 2026. Since 2024, new culvert banks have been installed at 27 sites between South Australia and Western Australia, addressing washaway risk at 35 existing locations.
Part of a larger investment programme
The three-site works form part of the $2.8 billion Network Investment Program being delivered by the Australian Government and ARTC. That figure describes the broader programme and is not a disclosed cost for the Kalgoorlie–Zanthus sites alone.
ARTC’s culvert-upgrade project page identifies a separate $140 million investment in drainage resilience across specified corridors and provides details of the wider package.
Primary sources: Federal infrastructure minister’s announcement, 16 October 2026; ARTC project overview.