After two bridges were built next to Sydney Airport each in five days, the long-promised duplication of a critical rail line to Port Botany has been completed, removing a major bottleneck in the city’s freight network.
Building the bridges over O’Riordan and Robey streets near the busy entrance to the airport’s domestic terminal in February and August last year during consecutive five-day shutdowns of the rail line illustrates the challenges facing construction workers on the $442 million project.
One of the new rail bridges, right, near the entrance to Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal.Credit: Janie Barrett
Two old rail bridges first had to be demolished before giant pre-cast girders and deck planks installed, and high-strength concrete poured in the around-the-clock operations for the construction of both spans over the five-day periods.
“It’s quite a challenging project to demolish a bridge and build a new one in five days,” Australian Rail Track Corporation projects executive Mike Zambelli said.
“A lot of work was precast on the side and then either lifted or pushed into position. It took years of planning to design how we were going to do it.”
Adding to the challenges, the work took place within several hundred metres of construction of the new $2.6 billion Sydney Gateway motorway to the airport.
“It’s a bit like the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” Zambelli said. “We’ve we’ve had to deal with them all. We’re working in a live railway corridor, and we’re working next to Sydney Gateway, which is a very large motorway project.”
Australian Rail Track Corporation CEO Wayne Johnson, left, Kinsgsford Smith MP Matt Thistlethwaite, and NSW Ports CEO Marika Calfas watch a freight train rumble along the new duplicated rail line.Credit: Janie Barrett
In some parts, flight paths meant that the use of cranes was limited, requiring approval from the airport before work could be carried out. Billboards, houses, hotels and other buildings neighbouring the site added to the challenges.
The two bridges – up to 45 metres long – are among four built for the 2.9-kilometre duplication of the rail line between Mascot and Port Botany. A large steel temporary platform was used to construct a 67-metre bridge over traffic on Southern Cross Drive, avoiding closure of the busy arterial route.
The federal government-funded rail project overshot its budget by $42 million, which was blamed on escalating costs for building materials and labour. The project also comprised a passing rail loop at Cabramatta on Sydney’s southern freight line to accommodate trains up to 1300 metres in length.
A train passes over the newly completed duplicated rail line near Sydney Airport’s domestic terminal.Credit: Janie Barrett
The long-promised duplication of the rail line is aimed at reducing the number of trucks carrying containers on roads to Port Botany. One freight train equates to about 54 trucks.
It will be crucial to reaching a long-stated target of increasing the share of containers to be shifted by train to and from Port Botany to 28 per cent. In December, the number of containers transported by rail was just 15.6 per cent.
Federal Kingsford Smith MP Matt Thistlethwaite said the target had been missed because the single rail line had meant that two freight trains could not get to the busy container port at once.
Thistlethwaite said trucks had been banked up halfway along Foreshore Drive during the morning and afternoon peaks as they waited to be loaded with containers at Port Botany.
“Now a lot of that freight will come out on rail. That’s going to greatly improve the efficiency of the port and reduce those bottlenecks that we’ve seen on local roads,” he said. “It’s a win for the local community, it’s a win for the efficiency of Port Botany, and it’s a win for the Australian economy.”