A new electrical substation will soon be up and running at Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, in an effort to improve train service reliability on the south east Queensland network before the opening of the Commonwealth Games.
The substation – which is to be commissioned this month – will divide Queensland Rail’s power supply in inner-city Brisbane between, on the one hand, Roma Street Station and Central Station, and Fortitude Valley Station and Bowen Hills Station, on the other.
State transport minister Mark Bailey said this setup will mean that, in the case of an unplanned power outage, at least one side on the city network would remain energised.
“Currently, if there is an unplanned power outage in the inner-city area, it affects all trains between Albion and Windsor in the north and South Brisbane and Milton in the south and west, effectively grinding the inner-city network to a halt while electricians work as quickly as possible to rectify the issue,” Bailey explained.
“This innovative project, due to be fully commissioned next week, will significantly boost the resilience and reliability of the inner-city network in times of a power disruption and ensure we can keep moving trains north or south of the city while the issue is rectified.”
Queensland Rail’s project manager Paul Rourke called the installation of the substation a “highly complex and technical operation”.
“There was just seven metres between the rail corridor fence line and the live electrical infrastructure, so the substation had to be carefully installed while maintaining safety clearances,” Rourke said.
“This operation involved two cranes and 20 personnel to lift the 23-tonne container into place, with the entire project involving around 100 Queensland Rail, Schneider Electric and other contractors to deliver the full scope.”
Overhead wiring is now being installed at the site, while, next week, the substation will be tested before it is eventually commissioned.