The Pt Augusta - Tarcoola and so on section of the vital Trans...

The Pt Augusta - Tarcoola and so on section of the vital Trans Australia Railway that's been closed from 21 January 2022 due to flooding is reopening tomorrow, Monday 14 February.

Pacific National train number 1PM5 (1 = day of week, Sunday; P = Perth, M = Melbourne and 5 = the specific train designation) has departed Kewdale in Perth and is east of Northam, so as at 2115 AEDT it was about 140 kilometres east of Perth by rail.

In the opposite direction- westbound - train 1MP2 has just departed the Dynon, Melbourne rail yard so is on its way to Perth.

One would hope in about five to seven days, Perth supermarkets and department stores plus many other wholesalers or retailers will be better stocked, thanks in part to more LAU railable containers arriving in the West.

The reopening of the line west of Port Augusta, South Australia also allows trains to again move up and down the branch line to Alice Springs and Darwin.

While the flood was a major one - Australian Rail Track Corporation claimed it was a '200 to 300 year event' - it showed the fragility of Australia's transcontinental supply chains, as the Stuart Highway (the north/south route between Adelaide, Alice Springs and Darwin) was also cut for quite a few days at Glendambo, South Australia, forcing trucks to make a 3000 kilometre detour via Mt Isa, Queensland to reach the Top End.