The resumption of rail freight services between Dubbo and the Port of Newcastle has moved closer with work starting on a replacement rail bridge over Beni Creek on Monday 16 February.

Completion is expected mid-year, but Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is yet to indicate when it will be operational.

Since the old wooden railway bridge near Dubbo was burnt down in a ferocious bushfire at the beginning of December, regional grain handlers have had to use alternate routes to the coast adding costs and delays for growers.

The old bridge was on the Dubbo to Merrygoen line, a vital part of a route to export massive quantities of grain from western receival sites like Coonamble and Gilgandra via Dubbo to export terminals at Newcastle.

A known freight 'pinch point' requiring slower speeds, the bridge was already marked for replacement with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) calling for tenders that closed in August last year.

The ARTC say the fire has facilitated the replacement process, minimising the time the line will be closed.

An ARTC spokesperson confirmed the work had begun and told the Western Plains App, "The new bridge will be a two-span concrete ballast top bridge, designed to increase load capacity and reliability, as well as reduce maintenance requirements. 

"Until the rail bridge is rebuilt the track between Dubbo and Elong Elong will remain closed, impacting freight services between Dubbo and Newcastle. 

"ARTC continues to work closely with individual operators and customers impacted by re-routing their services to allow them access to the Port of Newcastle. "

With hundreds of thousands of tonnes of local grain contracted to overseas buyers, rail users have been re-routing to Newcastle via Sydney. Alternate routes to Port Kembla, south of Wollongong, are also being utilised.

The bridge site cleaned up and ready for a modern construction that is expected to be six months away. [IMAGE: B COULTER FACEBOOK]

The country's largest rail freight company is among those impacted.

“Aurizon’s services in western NSW have been significantly affected by the loss of the Beni Creek Bridge," an Aurizon spokesperson says.

"The required detour adds substantial distance and complexity to our operations, resulting in higher costs and impacts for our customers.

"The current workaround is not sustainable over the long term.

"Restoring the direct rail connection at Beni Creek as quickly as possible is critical to ensuring freight remains on rail and that regional producers aren’t disadvantaged.

“The required detour adds substantial distance and complexity to our operations, resulting in higher costs and impacts for our customers."

Local road transport companies have reported a big uptick in the amount of grain now leaving local receival sites by truck.

Kim Jackson of JW Jackson & Sons Transport said the company are transporting 80 tonnes of freight daily, with half their drivers specifically dedicated to grain carting.

Mrs Jackson says there has been a big rise in canola transporting into the Carrington Terminal since December.

"I would surmise that [the canola influx] would have something to do with the bridge," she said.