The works are taking place on the coal lines between Kooragang and Maitland as well as the main lines from Muswellbrook to Ulan, Narrabri and Maitland.

From Tuesday, February 11, to Friday, February 14, approximately 1200 workers will conduct more than 120 jobs including:

ARTC will also welcome the new 120-stone Loram grinder to the Hunter Valley, which will improve rail grinding performance.

Group executive Hunter Valley Wayne Johnson assured residents and the community the ARTC was focused on delivering a safe maintenance shutdown.

"As days of extreme heat can have an impact on the track, such as causing signal faults, circuit breaks or track buckling due to intense heat conditions, we need to carry out this work to ensure the track remains safe, particularly in recent extreme weather conditions," he said.

"We continue to also carry out spot maintenance as required, to ensure the safety and reliability of the track and limit 'hot works' on these days, such as welding or rail grinding to reduce risk."

Mr Johnson said the work required a total shutdown so it could be carried out as safely as possible.

"Similar to other recent maintenance programs, a scheduled shutdown is required to allow us to access the track for maintenance and upgrades that cannot be done safely when trains are running," he explained.

"The work will generally start at 6.30am on Tuesday (February 11) and is expected to be completed about 6.30am on Friday (February 14).

"We thank our customers, commuters and motorists across the network for their patience while we carry out this important planned maintenance program.

"We also remind residents to remain vigilant as there may be more vehicle movements in and out of work sites in residential areas around the work sites."

Alternative bus services will be provided for impacted customers, and details and schedules can be found at the Transport for NSW website.

The next major maintenance shutdown is scheduled from April 1 to 3.