Perth Airport train line

[colinw]

Perth Now -> Finally - Perth Airport train line plans revealed

GOVERNMENT plans for a rail line connecting commuters and travellers to and from Perth Airport have been released.

A "preferred route" has been revealed today by the State Government which would see the rail line run down the middle of the Tonkin Highway east of the Bayswater train station, tunnel under the major road and the airport's runways towards a proposed "consolidated" international and domestic airport terminal.

Transport Minister Troy Buswell said options eastwards from the airport, linking the suburbs of Forrestfield and High Wycombe to and from the airport, were also being planned for.

"Cabinet has approved the reservation of the surface route on land under control of the State and has endorsed ongoing discussions between the Public Transport Authority and stakeholders to ensure the route is protected," Mr Buswell said.

"Perth Airport will continue to experience substantial passenger growth and it is critical transport infrastructure is planned to ensure adequate services are in place to cater for the projected demand."

Mr Buswell said the government was keen to "understand the project's full scope and cost" in the coming months to determine where it sits in relation to other infrastructure projects.

[SteelPan]

Perth Airport link to be sunk underground 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-05/perth-airport-rail-link-to-be-sunk-underground/5650550

[wandering_fred]

Hopefully we will see the (underground) connection to the Midland line in my lifetime.  One can also hope the design will include an easy option for continuing to a connection on the Armadale line (and eventually some form of ring line)

In the meanwhile, what happened to the meetings to discuss the start of bus service from the CBD to the international terminals?

Happy wandering

Fred

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> Perth Airport rail link to start in 2016 and be finished by 2020, says WA Premier Colin Barnett

[SurfRail]

Put it in context though, it's 8km of tunnels.  $2bn is reasonable for that much these days.

[ozbob]

Crikey Urbanist --> Should a rail line to Perth Airport really be the priority?

[ozbob]

The West Australian --> Overseas firms eye airport rail tenders

[#Metro]

The rail link is expected to attract 14,500 passenger boardings a day by 2031. However, as reported in _The Weekend West _, it will carry the fewest passengers per taxpayer dollar expended on transport infrastructure.

Is that all? Toronto buses, running on ordinary streets can carry around 40 000+ boardings per day. You'd need FAR more pax to justify rail to Perth Airport IMHO. Is it going to charge market fares or subsidised fares? This works out to be around 4 million per year on the line, but the definition is vague and it is unclear whether patronage at stations that already exist on the line, on the way to the airport are included in this figure. I am guessing that they are, which would be a mistake since we are only interested in the additional patronage over and above the base case scenario or alternatives, not the total.

4 million pax per year, is about what BUZ 199 or Route 66 bus would carry. There is already a bus (Bus Route 40, all stops) that takes 35 minutes, turning that into a rapid service would reduce the time taken and give comparable times to that of a train without costing $2.2 BN. So much money would be left over that you could boost the frequency on that massively, really work it until late at night, saturation coverage all over the weekend etc as well, special, long vehicles too.

Forrestfield is also poor geography. As there is a mountainous geographical barrier, the catchment area is very limited and future development highly unlikely. Heavy infrastructure costs have risen to mind blowing levels and its is really coming to a situation where there most projects are going to be priced out of existence. Road and Rail. High prices are a signal saying 'cut back and use what you have already more intensively'.

Perth could do with cleaning up its train stopping patterns, it looks a bit like Brisbane before two stage timetable reforms undertaken by QR. There aren't that many stations on its lines compared to other places in Australia, so there is a case to operate it more like an all stops service on many, if not all Perth lines.

Much better case could be made for modest Fremantle line extension, and perhaps a second rail connection (light or heavy) broadly along the Alexander Drive alignment.

Ultimately, I think the cheapest and most impactful improvement to PT in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane will be (a) more intensively used rail network (i.e. less emphasis on extension), and bus reform. Perth could do a lot with Superbuses or BUZ program along fast arterials. It has excellent geography and road layout for this to happen.

Any laws impeding any superbus imports should also be looked at with view to unemcumbered importation of superbus vehicles from Europe etc.

[#Metro]

The politician that puts good public relations ahead of good policy will ultimately get neither.
The politician that puts good policy ahead of good public relations will ultimately get a great measure of both.


So many of the projects I am seeing just don't make sense on the most basic level. Yes, they're sexy, but the cost is so massive that they are pushed out and out and out to the never-never, maybe year 2300 before construction happens on it.

If you want good PT, you need to love buses as well as trains and also simplicity and connections. No two ways about it!

[#Metro]

http://www.ttc.ca/Routes/192/RouteDescription.jsp?tabName=map

Express bus, takes pax straight into the rail network.



There is a project to connect...
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/projectsandprograms/upexpress/upexpress.aspx

Look at the cost:

The total budget for the Union Pearson Express is $456 million (in 2010 dollars). This investment includes $355 million in construction infrastructure and contingency costs, and approximately $100 million for service development and business and operations planning.

Back in Perth, no-one is doing proper CBA because, goodness me, they might see something that they might not like.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/perth-airport-rail-link-to-start-in-2016-and-be-finished-by-2020-says-wa-premier-colin-barnett/story-fnhocxo3-1227015536706

But when addressing Parliament today, Mr Nalder revealed the new figures had never been officially costed by Treasury.

"We've analysed it, but those things haven't been put to Treasury at this point, they were put to Treasury at the last election," he said.

He said the Government then factored in an "escalation effect" to come to a figure of $2.2 billion, rather than take it back to Treasury.

Ergo, it will be higher than this

[950]

The rail link is expected to attract 14,500 passenger boardings a day by 2031. However, as reported in _The Weekend West _, it will carry the fewest passengers per taxpayer dollar expended on transport infrastructure.

Is that all? Toronto buses, running on ordinary streets can carry around 40 000+ boardings per day. You'd need FAR more pax to justify rail to Perth Airport IMHO. Is it going to charge market fares or subsidised fares? This works out to be around 4 million per year on the line, but the definition is vague and it is unclear whether patronage at stations that already exist on the line, on the way to the airport are included in this figure. I am guessing that they are, which would be a mistake since we are only interested in the additional patronage over and above the base case scenario or alternatives, not the total.

It's boardings at the new stations only, not boardings at existing stations alighting at the new ones. And charging subsidised fares is the plan.

4 million pax per year, is about what BUZ 199 or Route 66 bus would carry. There is already a bus (Bus Route 40, all stops) that takes 35 minutes, turning that into a rapid service would reduce the time taken and give comparable times to that of a train without costing $2.2 BN. So much money would be left over that you could boost the frequency on that massively, really work it until late at night, saturation coverage all over the weekend etc as well, special, long vehicles too.

Really should be focussing on the planned 930 rather than the 40, as that half of the airport should be closing (eventually...) Basically, provide the funds to double the frequency of that.

Personally, I'd say the margins on the local electorates gives a big hint as to why the train is happening...

Perth could do with cleaning up its train stopping patterns, it looks a bit like Brisbane before two stage timetable reforms undertaken by QR. There aren't that many stations on its lines compared to other places in Australia, so there is a case to operate it more like an all stops service on many, if not all Perth lines.

This partially I disagree with especially in the short term on the old lines. The biggest problem Perth has during the peaks at the moment is rollingstock, so any moves to cut express running will probably just make that worse with not much patronage gain as there will be less capacity available to soak up any increase (more stops, slower vehicles, longer round trip times...) That said if we can chop some of the remaining more useless stations it could work - Loch/Grant/Victoria Street or their neighbours, Success Hill, consolidate the two Guildfords would be my priorities here.

Ultimately, I think the cheapest and most impactful improvement to PT in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane will be (a) more intensively used rail network (i.e. less emphasis on extension), and bus reform. Perth could do a lot with Superbuses or BUZ program along fast arterials. It has excellent geography and road layout for this to happen.

Actually this sounds like my namesake bus line...

(Though this is only using the same rigids and artics as the rest of the fleet, at least for now.)

[ozbob]

Welcome 950!

[ozbob]

The Guardian --> Perth airport $2bn rail link gets go ahead from environmental regulator

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Federal approval for Perth Airport line

[#Metro]

While it will be funded entirely by the state government, the Forrestfield-Airport Link rail project has achieved an important milestone, with approval granted by the Federal Government last week

Perth also self-funded the doubling of the Perth rail network in 2007, including twin bored tunnels under the Perth CBD. QLD??

[verbatim9]

Its going to be a great asset for Perth's public transport system

[verbatim9]

While it will be funded entirely by the state government, the Forrestfield-Airport Link rail project has achieved an important milestone, with approval granted by the Federal Government last week

Perth also self-funded the doubling of the Perth rail network in 2007, including twin bored tunnels under the Perth CBD. QLD??

I remember Albo and Gillard really pushed for modernisation of the Perth network and believed helped fund it.

[ozbob]

Forrestfield-Airport Link

>> http://www.forrestfieldairportlink.wa.gov.au/Home/tabid/981/Default.aspx

About the Project

Forrestfield-Airport Link is a new train line that will connect Forrestfield to the city, opening up Perth's eastern suburbs to the rail network for the first time — and giving Perth Airport users a travel option five minutes faster than by car.

The rail link will connect with the existing Midland line near Bayswater Station and will run to Forrestfield through underground tunnels, to ensure minimal impact on the existing land and road network. The $2billion State Government-funded Forrestfield-Airport Link is the transport solution to improve connections to and from Perth Airport, the eastern suburbs and regional centres.

[ozbob]

Railway Gazette --> Contractor selected for Perth airport rail link

AUSTRALIA: The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia has selected a joint venture of Salini Impregilo and NRW as preferred bidder for the main works of the A$2bn Forrestfield-Airport Link in Perth.

Two other bidders were shortlisted: the Forrestfield Connect joint venture of Acciona Infrastructure, BAM International and Ferrovial Agroman; and the JHL joint venture of John Holland and Leighton Contractors. The contract is expected to be signed by May.

The airport link is envisaged as a design-build project fully funded by the state, rather than a PPP, as it is seen as an extension of the city's 1 067 mm gauge suburban network and will therefore use existing rolling stock.

In 2014 Golder Associates was awarded a A$5·7m contract to undertake geotechnical studies, and the following year the Western Australia parliament passed the Railway (Forrestfield-Airport Link) Bill 2015, authorising work to begin.

The 8·5 km line will leave the Midland Line east of Bayswater and enter twin bore tunnels, sinking to a depth of 26 m under the Swan River, before reaching the new consolidated international and domestic terminals. After 8 km the line would surface at Dundas Road, terminating at a new multimodal interchange at Forrestfield. Three new stations are to be built at Belmont (Airport West), Consolidated Airport and Forrestfield.

Due to open in 2020, the line is expected to generate an additional 20 000 passenger-journeys per day by 2021.

[ozbob]

Forrestfield-Airport TBM arrives - https://t.co/HcLZPU5dyZ pic.twitter.com/42gOzSY7dH

— Rail Express (@RailExpressNews) May 21, 2017

[ozbob]

Airport Central Station: a major priority of our #METRONET world class public transport vision. Underground station works have now begun. pic.twitter.com/k36Lx8ioyg

— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) May 28, 2017

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/MarkMcGowanMP/status/876306027737530368

[ozbob]

Perth Now --> Forrestfield Airport Link: Belmont rail hub sets pace in Perth's eastern suburbs

THIS is the first look at a new train station which it is hoped will kick-start a major regeneration in Perth's eastern suburbs.

Belmont Station, to be built underground at Brearley Avenue in Redcliffe, is the first stop on the WA Government's $2 billion Forrestfield Airport Link.

The station, to open in late 2020, neighbours Perth Airport's domestic terminals and a planned 110-store direct factory outlets shopping centre.

It's also central to City of Belmont plans for medium and high-density housing, businesses and public space. In the longer term, the area is expected to attract 7800 new residents and 5000 workers.

A development application for the station, which includes a busway and 500-bay carpark, was recently lodged with the local government by Public Transport Authority.

Some elements of the project are still under consideration by the McGowan Government, including whether to rename it "Redcliffe" and how to transport airport travellers from the domestic terminals to the station. Qantas' non-stop Perth-London flight starts next year and will operate from the domestic terminals, which are located 1km west of the new train station.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said Qantas had planned to move all services to the consolidated international terminal by 2020, but that now won't happen until 2025.

She said the previous Liberal government, which started the airport link project, had not designed the Belmont Station to connect to an operating airport. It means from 2020, Qantas passengers who have flown 17 hours from London to Perth will have to walk 1km or hop on a shuttle bus to ride on the $2 billion airport line. The alternative would be to drive or catch a cab.

Ms Saffioti said the Metronet team was looking at the connection, "as it would seem a bit of waste to have an international terminal there and not have access to a station".

"When it was designed it was not connecting to an airport, because the airport wasn't going to exist," Ms Saffioti said.

"And now Qantas, not only is it not moving, but it's taking on an international component in that area because of the expansion to facilitate the direct (Perth-London) flight.

"We may need to look at shuttle services between the station and the Qantas airport because that wasn't something that was factored in (by the previous government)."

In January, Brearley Avenue was closed between First Street and Dunreath Drive to make way for the station, despite the protests of some locals.

Bella Scharfenstein, a member of a residents' action group, said the closure had created "rat runs" on suburban streets. She questioned whether the station would prompt tipped property developer land-buys.

A decision on closing Brearley Ave, from Great Eastern Highway to First St, in September will be made by Ms Saffioti.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/891784699156340737

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Second TBM gets underway at
Forrestfield

A second tunnel boring machine (TBM) has begun its work on Perth's $1.86 billion Metronet Forrestfield-Airport Link project.

This is the second of two TBMs that have been specifically designed for the Forrestfield-Airport Link by German company Herrenknecht, with components manufactured around the world and assembled and tested in China before arriving in Western Australia.

The first TBM, nicknamed "Grace", was launched in July for its two-year journey underground to Bayswater, where the new line will spur off the Midland Line. Moving at a rate of approximately 20 metres per day, the machine has now has now travelled around 620 metres into the earth.

Now the second TBM, nicknamed "Sandy", has begun tunnelling at Forrestfield, having been launched from the 12-metre-deep dive structure at the site of the future Forrestfield Station on Tuesday.

The two 600-tonne, 130-metre-long TBMs will tunnel 8 kilometres under Perth Airport and the Swan River, linking new stations at Forrestfield, Airport Central and Belmont.

"From now on, as the construction of the three train stations on the Forrestfield-Airport Link ticks on above ground, underneath the surface Grace and Sandy will be boring and reinforcing the foundation of the tunnels which trains will run through in only three years' time," state transport minister Rita Saffioti said.

"It's yet another landmark on this exciting, job-creating, suburb-transforming Metronet project."

Diaphragm walls that will house the station box structure have now been constructed at the Airport Central site, and soil within the walls is beginning to be excavated. At Belmont, diaphragm wall construction is almost complete.

TBM Grace is expected to break into the station box at Airport Central Station in early 2018, followed by TBM Sandy not long after. The two machines will finish their tunnelling journey in Bayswater in April (Grace) and June (Sandy) 2019.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/938936091725389824

[red dragin]

So there will end up being a Redcliffe station in Australia, just not on the Redcliffe Pensinsula Line 

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/965268020695150592

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/866418482799271936\

^^Great to see the project at advanced stages. I wonder if Qld will get those after Perth has finished with them for Criss River Rail or will another set of boring machines will be ordered from overseas?

[BrizCommuter]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/866418482799271936\

^^Great to see the project at advanced stages. I wonder if Qld will get those after Perth has finished with them for Criss River Rail or will another set of boring machines will be ordered from overseas?

Unless ground conditions and tunnel sizes are similar I would expect CRR to get new TBMs.

[Lungfish]

https://twitter.com/Rita_Saffioti/status/994103892437680128

Pleasing to see construction progressing.

[ozbob]

Midland Reporter --> Forrestfield-Perth Airport rail link tunnel boring machines reach airport

TWO tunnel boring machines for the Forrestfield-Perth Airport rail link have reached the airport – about a quarter of the way into their 8km journey to Bayswater.

Sandy broke through the arrival box at the future Airport Central station yesterday after sister machine Grace arrived on May 8.

The machines, which started tunnelling at Forrestfield late last year and were briefly halted in late March because of "minor ground disturbance", are at track level of the future station, 17m below ground.

Future passengers will enter the station at ground level near the Terminal 1 control tower and go down to a train platform similar to Perth Underground.

Premier Mark McGowan visited the site this morning to mark the arrival of the boring machines as "an exciting milestone for the Metronet project".

He congratulated the station construction workers, who prepared the station's 2200sq m concrete walls, and the machine operators.

"The scale of these machines are incredible, they are taller than a two-storey house, and the footage of them boring into the box structure is equally impressive," he said.

"This job-creating, city-transforming project is just one element of our record rail investment for Metronet."

Both machines will now be serviced for a month before Grace continues to Redcliffe station, with Sandy following about two weeks later.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the Forrestfield-Airport Link was the biggest WA rail project in more than a decade.

"It will dramatically change the way eastern Foothills residents travel, how their communities develop, and how the rest of Perth journeys to Perth Airport," she said.

The $1.86 billion rail link is jointly funded by the State ($1.37 billion) and Federal Government ($490 million).

[Lungfish]

I attended an information session yesterday on the tunnel boring machines being used for the construction of the Forrestfield Airport Link. It was an excellent presentation which provided a good appreciation for the tunnelling process. The presenter was one of the PTA engineers on the project and the presentation focused on the technical aspects of the project without any of the marketing / political spin. The presentation was complemented by a 4m long model of the tunnel boring machine.
More information sessions are planned as the project progresses.
This session was most informative and an excellent initiative of the PTA.

[Lungfish]

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-24/wa-airport-link-sinkhole-floods-tunnel/10298606


Construction of the line is on hold due to tunnel flooding.

[red dragin]

"Dad, I dug a hole"
"it's filling with water" 

Has happened before, hitting an undetected spring. One of the Gotthard Base Tunnel TBM's was stuck in a rock fall for months.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1056577050369118208

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> 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.

[wandering_fred]

Update on the line's progress....
https://www.railwaypro.com/wp/forrestfield-station-takes-shape/

Happy wandering
Fred

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Breakthrough on longest rail tunnel in WA

After two and a half years, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) called Grace has reached the end of its eight-kilometre tunneling journey in Perth.

TBM Grace has broken through at Bayswater dive station, part of the Metronet'S Forrestfield-Airport Link project in Western Australia.

Two tunnels will house the $1.86 billion project's rail lines and TBM Grace has now built the first tunnel from Forrestfield to Bayswater.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said this is a historic milestone for the state and a major engineering feat that hasn't been seen before in WA.

"Where once there was dirt, sand, rocks and tree roots, now sits the foundation for our new railway," McGowan said.

Through her journey it has tunnelled underneath Perth Airport, Redcliffe Station and the Swan River, before reaching her final destination at Bayswater.

Walls of the twin tunnel were installed by TBM Grace using half of the 54,000 locally fabricated concrete segments.

Grace is the first TMB and will be dismantled and craned out of the dive structure in preparation for the arrival of TBM Sandy, who is a safe distance behind Grace.

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the arrival of TBM Sandy in coming months will mark the completion of tunnelling.

"With the end of tunnelling in sight, work is continuing on important infrastructure components such as station construction and fit out and readying the tunnels for track laying," Saffioti said.

"The precision engineering it has taken for this machine to tunnel eight kilometres, through varying and sometimes challenging soil types, to break through in exactly the right spot is truly remarkable."

Tunnelling work is due to be completed in May.

Metronet is the biggest public transport project Perth has seen and trains are set to run on the new rail line in the second half of next year.

The rail link between eastern foothills, Perth Airport, and the CBD is expected to be a 20 minute trip.

[verbatim9]

Rail Express --> Breakthrough on longest rail tunnel in WA

After two and a half years, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) called Grace has reached the end of its eight-kilometre tunneling journey in Perth.

TBM Grace has broken through at Bayswater dive station, part of the Metronet'S Forrestfield-Airport Link project in Western Australia.

Two tunnels will house the $1.86 billion project's rail lines and TBM Grace has now built the first tunnel from Forrestfield to Bayswater.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said this is a historic milestone for the state and a major engineering feat that hasn't been seen before in WA.

"Where once there was dirt, sand, rocks and tree roots, now sits the foundation for our new railway," McGowan said.

Through her journey it has tunnelled underneath Perth Airport, Redcliffe Station and the Swan River, before reaching her final destination at Bayswater.

Walls of the twin tunnel were installed by TBM Grace using half of the 54,000 locally fabricated concrete segments.

Grace is the first TMB and will be dismantled and craned out of the dive structure in preparation for the arrival of TBM Sandy, who is a safe distance behind Grace.

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the arrival of TBM Sandy in coming months will mark the completion of tunnelling.

"With the end of tunnelling in sight, work is continuing on important infrastructure components such as station construction and fit out and readying the tunnels for track laying," Saffioti said.

"The precision engineering it has taken for this machine to tunnel eight kilometres, through varying and sometimes challenging soil types, to break through in exactly the right spot is truly remarkable."

Tunnelling work is due to be completed in May.

Metronet is the biggest public transport project Perth has seen and trains are set to run on the new rail line in the second half of next year.

The rail link between eastern foothills, Perth Airport, and the CBD is expected to be a 20 minute trip.