This morning 'due to rising water at various locations', the...

This morning 'due to rising water at various locations', the Australian Rail Track Corporation has taken upon itself to close the main Melbourne - Sydney line between Picton (85.2 rail kilometres south of Sydney) and Berrima (143.2km, near Moss Vale).

This means that Melbourne - Brisbane and reverse intermodals that carry LAU containers will be unable to operate (unless they took an extremely long deviation via Horsham Vic, Adelaide SA and Broken Hill NSW then through the Blue Mountains, or perhaps via Narromine, Parkes, Dubbo and Ulan to Muswellbroook and then the Maitland NSW outskirts at Telerah - unlikely).

Why initially ARTC did not merely implement train speed restrictions is unknown.

As an organisation it has become completely risk adverse to a degree often not seen overseas.

The tracks will be inspected at some stage but it's an unknown as to how long this main line between our two major cities will be partly closed.

Given the closure of the Moss Vale - Robertson - Unanderra crosscountry mountainous rail line for 'four to six months' according again to ARTC yesterday, this relatively minor deviation is not available for freight or passenger trains.