2018

Engineering, Passenger Rail, Rail Supply, Rolling stock & Rail Vehicle Design

Parramatta Light Rail contracts awarded, 4km of wire-free rail

Winners have been named for contracts to build, and supply and operate rail systems for the first stage of Parramatta Light Rail, and the state says four kilometres of the project will be catenary free.

NSW transport minister Andrew Constance on Thursday announced the winners of a pair of major contracts for the project, which he said will have a total budget of $2.4 billion.

A joint venture of Downer and CPB Contractors has won the $840 million contract to build the light rail line.

A consortium of Transdev and CAF has won a $540 million deal to supply and operate the network and build the depot, light rail stops and power systems.

The State said the project will use 45-metre, fully accessible vehicles, capable of carrying up to 300 passengers each.

Constance said both contract winners had a demonstrated history of delivering successful light rail projects around Australia.

“We are excited to confirm the NSW Government is investing in not one but two experienced consortia to deliver us a world-class light rail,” the minister said.

“Between them, these teams have delivered the Newcastle, Canberra and Gold Coast Stage 2 light rail networks that have transformed these cities for the better.”

The State said Transport for NSW has signed agreements with the City of Parramatta, other government agencies and the major utility providers, clearly defining responsibilities and working arrangements during construction and operations.

The Government also announced on Thursday that roughly four kilometres of the twelve-kilometre route would be wire-free, with stretches between Westmead and Cumberland Hospital, and between Prince Alfred Square and Tramway Avenue.

CAF trams utilising an on-board power supply are part of another NSW Government-driven project, Newcastle Light Rail, which is entirely wire-free.

Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee thanked the community for engaging with the State throughout the three year planning and design process.

“In a few years, Parramatta Light Rail is going to get people out of their cars and transform the Greater Parramatta region with quick and easy transport,” Lee said.

Feedback from concerned local business owners led the State to proclaim earlier this year that construction along Eat Street would not begin until 2020. It also says a three-month ‘construction grace period’ will apply along Eat Street each summer.

The contracts announced this week also require construction teams to work around evenings and other busy times, and include commitments to employ local workers.

Targeted for first operations in 2023, stage one of Parramatta Light Rail will provide services every 7.5 minutes during peak periods.

The contracts announcement comes after remediation works began in October a the future site of the project’s stabling and maintenance facility at Camellia. Roadworks are also underway to prepare the Parramatta CBD and North Parramatta for the project.

Sydenham to Bankstown line. Photo: Planning NSW
 Below Rail Infrastructure, Engineering, Passenger Rail, Signalling & Communications

Sydenham-Bankstown metro conversion approved

Planning approval has been granted for the conversion of the existing rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown as part of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project.

Sydney Metro said on December 19 the conversion of the railway to a modern metro standard had received the tick of approval following extensive consultation with local communities and councils.

The Sydney Metro City & Southwest project is delivering a new underground train line between Chatswood and Sydenham via the Sydney CBD, but will utilise the existing corridor from Sydenham to Bankstown.

With planning approval now in place, the State said work will get underway to convert the line early next year.

The John Holland/Laing O’Rourke joint venture currently upgrading infrastructure at Sydenham station was recently appointed to undertake early works along the line, where work will soon begin to prepare, upgrade and make all 11 stations fully accessible.

Future work will include upgrades to tracks, stations and signals, with the contract to design the upgraded stations currently out to tender, the State said.

Recent work at Sydenham station to install a rail crossover will mean existing Sydney Trains services will not be impacted by the closure and conversion process, the State says.

But the Rail, Tram and Bus Union has criticised the project, arguing that by converting the railway and incorporating it into the new Sydney Metro line, the State is effectively privatising the rails between Sydenham and Bankstown.

“This is just another example of this Liberal Government putting their own privatisation ideologies ahead of commuter interests,” RTBU state secretary Alex Claassens said.

“The construction of the metro line is just a permit for overdevelopment in an area that is already suffering from congestion, and the metro won’t help that at all.

“If commuters think it’s gridlocked now, it’s only going to become worse when this heavy rail is removed and privatised. Tax payer money would’ve been far better spent by upgrading and extending our current rail network, not ripping it up.”

The union says the decision to make Sydney Metro trains driverless puts the safety of commuters “at serious risk”.

The State says the project will see an air-conditioned train arrive every four minutes at all stations along the line during peak, and an ultimate capacity of a metro train every two minutes in each direction under the Sydney CBD.

Sydney Metro said the Bankstown Line creates a significant bottleneck as it merges with other railway lines close to the Sydney CBD, including the Airport and South Line and the Inner West and Leppington Line.

By moving Bankstown Line services to the new standalone metro system, Sydney Metro says it will remove the bottleneck and provide more capacity on the existing network across Sydney.

Sydney Metro City & Southwest is targeted to open in 2024.

Grain. Photo: Shutterstock
 Freight Rail

GrainCorp board downplays takeover bid, wants more certain offer

GrainCorp has opened its books to Long-Term Asset Partners (LTAP) and told the takeover bidder to put together a better and more certain offer.

LTAP made waves earlier this month when it offered to buy 100 per cent of the ASX-listed grain handler via an all-cash deal worth $2.38 billion, or $10.42 per share.

To fund the move, LTAP, chaired Tony Shepherd and deputy chaired by former Aurizon boss Lance Hockridge, has secured a $3.2 billion acquisition facility from Goldman Sachs, and $400 million from Westbourne Capital.

But GrainCorp, speaking to the market for the first time since the bid was received on December 3, said this week LTAP still needs to prove it can table a more certain proposal.

“The LTAP proposal at this stage is not sufficiently certain or in a form which would allow the board to make a recommendation to shareholders,” GrainCorp chairman Graham Bradley wrote on December 19.

“At this stage, there is no certainty that our engagement with LTAP will result in a binding proposal for GrainCorp, what the terms of any such proposal would be, or whether it would be recommended by the GrainCorp Board.”

Bradley said GrainCorp is providing LTAP due diligence under the terms of confidentiality, to provide it the opportunity to make a renewed offer.

But he reiterated GrainCorp’s initial response to the bid, saying it would be taken as just one of several potential strategic initiatives on the table as part of GrainCorp’s ongoing review of its portfolio of assets.

“The review is considering a wide range of potential value creation strategies, including options for maximising the value of our malting, bulk liquid storage and our grains storage and logistics assets,” Bradley wrote.

“GrainCorp has a portfolio of high-quality assets and businesses and our review has highlighted that these are clearly of interest in Australia and abroad.

“It is the board’s intention to give detailed consideration to the full range of opportunities open to us, so we can advise shareholders on the best way forward.”

Bradley said the GrainCorp board would share the results of its full review on February 20, 2019.

 Freight Rail, Passenger Rail

Eddington appointed chair of IPA

Sir Rod Eddington will be the next chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, after it was announced Adrian Kloeden will retire from the board of the policy and research body.

Kloeden will retire on May 2, 2019, at which point Eddington will become chair. Eddington will join the IPA’s advisory board immediately.

“It’s been a privilege to serve the membership of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, and I can think of no better person to guide the organisation, and the sector, than Sir Rod,” Kloeden said.

“Sir Rod is a long-standing friend of the sector, and I feel great confidence that he is taking over the chairmanship – particularly at a time when our industry is undergoing unprecedented growth and tremendous change to the way we plan, fund and deliver infrastructure.”

IPA chief executive Adrian Dwyer thanked Kloeden for his work as chair.

“Adrian Kloeden was instrumental to the establishment of this organisation and to its growth as an objective and evidence-based think tank, and I look forward to building on that legacy with Sir Rod,” Dwyer said.

Eddington is currently chairman of J.P. Morgan’s Asia Pacific Advisory Council, and non-executive chairman of food and beverage group Lion.

He was the chairman of Infrastructure Australia, the Federal Government’s independent infrastructure advisor, between 2008 and 2014. In 2008, he advised the Victorian Government on East-West connection options for Melbourne, and earlier this year it was announced he was advising the South Australian Government on the establishment of Infrastructure SA.

Eddington had a long career in aviation, including as the CEO of Cathay Pacific, executive chairman of Ansett, and CEO of British Airways.

He currently serves as a member of the APEC Business Advisory Council and as president of the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee. He also sits as a non-executive director on the boards of 21st Century Fox, China Light & Power Holdings, and John Swire and Sons.

“I’m honoured to be appointed as the new chair of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and for the opportunity to lead Australia’s most respected infrastructure policy organisation,” Eddington said.

“Adrian Kloeden leaves the organisation in excellent shape and I thank him for his tireless contribution not just to the evolution of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, but also for his dedication to the sector.”

Airport. Photo: Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development
 Engineering, Passenger Rail

Western Sydney City Deal plan puts rail front and centre

The Australian and NSW governments have committed to deliver the first stage of the North South Rail Link from St Marys to the future Western Sydney Airport as part of the implementation plan for the Western Sydney City Deal, released this week.

The first of 32 commitments listed in the document is to deliver rail for the future Western Parklands City, to be centred around the ‘aerotropolis’ which will be developed around Western Sydney Airport.

A key component of that commitment is to open the rail line in time for the airport’s targeted opening date, which is 2026.

In the immediate future the NSW Government will protect suitable corridors for the project, and both governments are tipping in $50 million for a business case, which will be finished by the end of 2019.

While the initial plan is to build the ‘first stage’ of the full North South Rail Link – connecting the new airport with the existing Sydney Trains network at St Marys, to the North – the business case will include investigation of integrated transport and delivery options for a full North South Rail Link from Schofields to Macarthur, and a South West Rail Link to connect Leppington to the new airport.

Cities, urban infrastructure and population minister Alan Tudge said the City Deal implementation plan would ensure residents “get the liveable, productive and sustainable city they deserve”.

“We’re working across governments, industries and communities to bring Western Sydney Parkland to life.”

 Engineering, Passenger Rail, Safety, Standards & Regulation

Leak, sinkhole delay Perth Airport rail link

The opening of Perth’s Forrestfield-Airport Link will be delayed roughly a year after a leak damaged one of the project’s tunnels and created a sinkhole in September.

16 concrete rings shifted, 26 metres of tunnel was damaged, and a sinkhole formed alongside Dundas Road near Perth Airport, after a leak developed in a tunnel-to-tunnel cross passage on September 22.

Construction defects in the grout block or failure of the join between the tunnel lining and grout have been identified as potential causes for the leak.

Tunnelling through the grout block, and vibration from excavation of the cross passage, are factors which may also have contributed, the State Government has said.

Cement grouting has sealed the leaks and voids created by ring movement, and the damaged section of tunnel has been stabilised with solid temporary supports.

The state said options for a permanent repair include fixing damage from inside the tunnel, or rebuilding the impacted section of tunnel by removing the old rings and casting the new tunnel lining in-situ – either from the surface down, or from within the tunnel.

Fixing the issue and moving forward will add almost a year to the project’s timeline, the state said on Tuesday, with the Forrestfield-Airport Link now expected to open in the second half of 2021.

But transport and planning minister Rita Saffioti said the project – which is insured – is still on track to come in under budget.

“Our primary focus is safety and quality, and that is why today we have set a revised timeframe for the project,” Saffioti said.

“While the delay is unfortunate, this project is being built to last 120 years.

“I believe the time added to the construction schedule is a small price to pay to ensure we safely deliver this asset which will serve the people of WA for generations.”

The state said future cross passages will be built with new measures aimed at reducing the risk of a similar event occurring. The next cross passage construction will take place in January.

Since the incident the number of safety compliance officers has been increased from two to five, while a superintendent of tunnel operations has been appointed to provide greater oversight and focus on safety.

Once it opens, the Forrestfield-Airport Link will connect Perth Airport to the city’s urban rail network, via a rail spur from the Midland line at Bayswater.

 Engineering, Passenger Rail

Buses to replace Melbourne trains for Metro Tunnel construction blitz

The Andrews Government is preparing drivers and public transport customers for a busy summer stretch, with plans for a “construction blitz” in January as part of the Metro Tunnel project.

Buses and V/Line coaches will replace trains between Flinders Street and Westall stations on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, and between Flinders Street and Moorabbin on the Frankston line, between January 2 and 13, 2019.

Buses will also replace trains for part of the journey between Warrigal Road and Camberwell Road during this timeframe.

Overnight and weekend works are also planned on the Belgrave/Lilydale, Glen Waverley, Alamein, Sandringham, Sunbury, Werribee and Williamstown lines.

From January 12 to 27, buses will replace trains on Bendigo, Swan Hill and Echuca services for maintenance and essential works between Sunbury and Swan Hill.

State transport and infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan said passengers travelling to and from the city on affected lines during these summer works should allow an extra 45 to 75 minutes for their journey.

Allan said further power and signalling upgrades will take place on more than 80 kilometres of track in 2019.

“We’re not wasting a day building the Metro Tunnel, upgrading track and signalling, and delivering vital maintenance to get Victorians home safer and sooner,” she said.

“We ask drivers and passengers to plan ahead while we build the road and rail upgrades Victoria needs.”

 Freight Rail, Workforce, Certification & Training

Cormann, McCormack back Indigenous employment targets for Inland Rail

An Inland Rail Indigenous Participation Plan (IRIPP) is aimed at ensuring local communities share in employment opportunities granted by the construction and operation of the major project.

Transport and infrastructure minister Michael McCormack recently said the IRIPP had already led to practical workforce targets being implemented, with a goal of 50 per cent local and 10 per cent Aboriginal employment for the Parkes to Narromine section of the project.

“Inland Rail will deliver 16,000 direct and indirect jobs – not just through construction, but also those that flow on from construction – and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are an essential part of this prime outcome,” McCormack said.

The IRIPP is driven by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and backed by the Federal Government.

“The transformational Inland Rail project is about more than just building a 1,700-kilometre rail line,” McCormack added, “it is about opening up new and exciting social and economic opportunities for inland Australia.”

Finance minister Mathias Cormann said clear and accountable employment targets would ensure the benefits of Inland Rail were felt by local economies and communities.

“Local employment and Indigenous employment are critical to maximising the local benefits of the Inland Rail and ensuring regional communities are front and centre of this developing success story,” the senator said.

“[Inland Rail] will deliver economic opportunities for the regions by moving food and fibre between Melbourne and Brisbane in larger volumes on double-stacked trains and more cost-efficiently. This means more money in the pockets of local farmers and communities, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who will also re-invest that money back into inland Australia.”

Indigenous affairs minister Nigel Scullion said the program reflected the critical priority the Australian Government was making of enhancing employment opportunities for Indigenous adults.

Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion said the IRIPP was exactly the type of initiative to assist the Australian Government’s goal of encouraging and delivering more jobs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

“This IPP is about creating opportunities for Aboriginal people – whether through training, employment, or procurement services – to participate in the transformational Inland Rail infrastructure project,” Scullion said.

“Every person employed or trained through the Inland Rail will develop new skills and expertise which will enhance their future, long-term employment opportunities and strengthen the capacity of their local communities.”

Tram stopped at Southport South on the Gold Coast Light Rail. Photo: Creative Commons / David Ansen
 Engineering, Passenger Rail

G:link third stage business case poised for approval

Queensland’s independent infrastructure advisor is set to approve the third stage of light rail on the Gold Coast, a year after the second stage of G:link opened to the public.

Transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey said the recently-completed business case shows “the numbers stack up to move ahead” with the 6.7-kilometre extension to the Gold Coast Light Rail network.

Stage 3A of G:link would extend from the existing southern terminus at Broadbeach, to Burleigh Heads further down the coast.

The majority of the new railway would be built along the median strip of the Gold Coast Highway.

The Building Queensland board is set to formally consider the detailed business case for Stage 3A this week, after the report was recently completed by a joint Building Queensland/Department of Transport and Main Roads team.

But Bailey indicated the business case would stack up to the board’s approval process.

“I’m pleased to say we agree the numbers stack up to move ahead with the 6.7-kilometre Stage 3A alignment between Broadbeach South light rail station and Burleigh Heads,” he said.

“[The board’s] evaluation will ensure the construction cost, job numbers, economic benefits, operating efficiencies, community and environmental impacts of the project are understood.”

Subject to the board’s consideration, the findings and recommendations of the business case will be considered by the State Government in early 2019, Bailey said.

He also indicated the state would seek contributions from the Federal Government and local council towards the extension.

“There are still steps we need to take at the tail end of getting ready for Stage 3A,” he said. “Any decision around future Queensland Government funding for Stage 3A will depend on that evaluation and the ability to secure funding from both the Federal Government and City of Gold Coast.”

If funded, Bailey said construction on Stage 3A could start by 2020.

The business case news comes a year after the 7.3-kilometre Stage 2 of G:link was opened.

In the 12 months since December 17 – when Stage 2 was opened – more than 10.5 million trips have been taken on G:link, up from roughly 7.9 million trips in the 12 months before Stage 2 opened.

 Passenger Rail, Safety, Standards & Regulation

Disability compliance the focus of $18m pedestrian crossing program

An $18 million program to ensure Perth’s pedestrian level crossings comply with disability standards has begun, with 22 crossings to be upgraded over the next 12 months.

Pedestrian crossings on the Midland, Fremantle and Armadale lines will be targeted by the Public Transport Authority (PTA) in the first wave of upgrades, between December 2018 and December 2019.

Work will upgrade lighting, pathways, manoeuvring and passing areas, and install tactile paving at the 22 crossings, of which 17 are on the Armadale line, 3 are on the Fremantle line, and 2 are on the Midland line.

 


Graphic: PTA (click to enlarge)

 

Upgrades required across the remaining 78 pedestrian level crossings around the Transperth network will take place between 2019 and 2022, WA public transport minister Rita Saffioti said.

“Anything that makes our network safer and more accessible for Transperth passengers and local residents is a great thing,” she said.

“Last financial year we saw train patronage rise for the first time in three years so I am pleased to announce the upgrade to these pedestrian level crossings, which will improve access to train stations.”

The PTA’s pedestrian crossing upgrade program stands separate to the state’s Level Crossing Removal program, which is being directed by the Metronet team.

Metronet recently announced the first of Perth’s 31 vehicle level crossings to be removed, with four crossings along the Midland and Armadale lines targeted over the next four years.