Work has begun on the railway line on Canola Way after a train was derailed

On March 8, a Southern Shorthaul Railroad (SSR) locomotive and 16 carriages were derailed after colliding with a truck on Canola Way, between Marrar and Old Junee.

On Wednesday, Southern Shorthaul Railroad was finally granted permission to begin the clean-up after more than a week.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said weather delays were to blame for the hold-up.

Southern Shorthaul Railroad owner/director Jason Ferguson said crews began working on site yesterday afternoon, using a crane to remove the carriages.

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"It will take about eight days for us to clear the train from the track," he said.

Mr Ferguson said the incident has cost his company about $16 million in repairs.

Once the track is cleared, UGL Regional Linx, the operator and maintainer of the Country Regional Network on behalf of Transport for NSW, will complete a full track inspection and commence remediation works.

"It is currently anticipated that the line will reopen around the end of March," the Transport for NSW spokesperson said.

In the meantime, a local business has been copping the brunt of it, losing thousands of dollars by the day.

Croker Grain trade manager Lyndon Benecke said the business relies on the railway daily to receive and distribute containers to and from Melbourne.

Whilst the business is able to still service its customers, the incident has meant there has been no work for staff, a massive loss in revenue and no space at the facility.

"If it goes on any further we have some serious issues. Not only do we lose production but we will have to start paying penalties," Mr Benecke said.

"We also move the barley, grain or wheat into containers and farmers come in for that but we've had to stop."

Staff have been encouraged to take annual leave while Mr Benecke seeks out work.

"We're doing jobs we normally wouldn't be doing to keep them employed, we don't want to lose the quality staff we have but its costing us money every day to keep them on," he said.

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