MTM – Better Stations 3.0 – Lalor and Thornbury Station Electrical Upgrades

On behalf of the Department of Transport (DoT) as part of the Better Stations Tranche 3, Global Rail Australia were awarded and engaged to complete amenity upgrades at two metropolitan key locations – Lalor Station and Thornbury Station.

The works on behalf of key client MTM, cover Electrical amenity upgrades including CCTV, Public Address System Speakers, Customer Help Points and Hearing Loops.

The project aims to improve the passenger amenities, safety features, and accessibility to improve peoples experience when travelling on the network. Upgrades to stations help provide diverse journeys that are safe and inclusive, inspiring confidence in users and provide a critical connection to social and economic opportunities.

The implementation of the design aims to achieve:
(a) Functional improvement of existing metropolitan railway stations;
(b) Improved accessibility;
(c) Enhanced customer experience at key locations on the network;

Global Rail Australia has successfully delivered this electrical project on budget, with no safety concerns, by investing their time and expertise.

Electrical works covering the supply and installation of Public Address Speakers, CCTV and the reinstatement of Hearing Loops at both Lalor and Thornbury Station were fully commissioned on time in March 2024.

MTM – Better Stations 3.0 – Lalor and Thornbury Station Civils Upgrades

On behalf of the Department of Transport (DoT), as part of the Better Stations Amenity Upgrades Project, Global Rail Australia has completed civils installation works at Lalor and Thornbury Stations.

At Lalor Station the civils works included a double sided platform canopy construction, construction of a DDA shelter, a CCTV pole installation, and a FLS cabinet installation. All major civil works including underground cable trench construction, footings for poles, FLS cabinet, canopy and the DDA shelter were completed during a 10-day absolute occupation in January 2024.

Thornbury Station’s civils works included construction of a DDA shelter, a bike parkiteer and an FLS cabinet installation.
Global Rail Australia has commissioned this project on time and to budget, by investing their time and expertise, with no safety concerns.

The project aims to improve the customer experience at stations on the metropolitan network through improvements to amentites, safety features and accessibility.

As part of a turnkey offering, Global Rail Australia’s Electrical Division has also completed electrical works at both stations to provide new CCTV, lighting and Public Address Speakers. The Hearing Loop was additionally reinstated at the station entrances.

Murrumbeena Heritage Building Refurbishment

Global Rail Australia Pty Limited has completed a fully managed $500,000 refurbishment of three attached buildings in Neerim Road Murrumbeena for key client VicTrack. Each building was previously a single storey shop and following a section of internal wall being removed between two of the buildings, Global Rail Australia has successfully created a large single commercial unit. The works were completed on a fast track basis with a contract program of works of just four months

The existing heritage buildings consist of solid masonry external and internal walls, sheet metal mono-slope roofs, and a combination of timber and concrete floors. The shop fronts being almost entirely glazed up to the underside of the front canopy which cantilevers across the entire footpath and extends across the three shops plus a walkway and two adjacent shops. The canopy has a sheet metal mono-slope roof and a pressed metal ceiling cladding. There are solid masonry parapets above all walls except the rear wall.

UBC66A

The objective of the project was to install new concrete headwall sections of a culvert on the railway line named UBC66A, including excavation, over pumping, backfilling and forming a small section of reinforced concrete.

Global Rail Services was appointed Main Contractor and PSCS for these works. The works were completed under full night time track possessions and one weekend shutdown of the rail line.  

Vegetation and trees around the site and lay down areas were removed prior to works commencing.  The existing sheet piles were removed and excavations carried out for installation of the headwall and in-situ culvert connection.  

Pumps were put in place for rerouting the water handled by UBC66A, diverting the flow across the railway line to the east side of the culvert.  The pumps ran 24/7 to accommodate the flow of water.  Pipes were placed under the track during night works.  

Brooklyn substation civil works

Global Rail Australia’s internal division – GRA Networks – and their Power Infrastructure team, has been successfully delivering a complex civil, structural, and building contract to support a vital new substation project for valued client Zinfra, who build, operate, and maintain energy infrastructure assets in Australia, and are one of a number of valued clients of Global Rail Australia, whereby our teams support their projects through a comprehensive range of engineering, project management, construction, operation and maintenance delivery services.

The project commenced in April 2023, in order to supply customer – energy asset owner and operator, Jemena Electricity Networks – with a new substation in Brooklyn. The new substation is located at 598 Geelong Rd, Brooklyn, VIC 3012 and will be staged with the initial load supply expected to be supplied by August 2023, with project commissioning due in September 2023.

GSMR Project Civils Enabling Works

The objective of the GSM-R project is to install telecoms towers and monopoles with associated civils and services works to facilitate the transition of train communications to a modern digital radio network.  The overall project is divided into packages of individual sites ranging from 4 sites to 18 sites on the Irish Rail network nationwide.  Sites include greenfield sites, Irish Rail properties, sites adjacent to the rail line, railway bridges and level crossings.  To date, Global Rail Services have completed over 100 sites

Global Rail Services takes on the role of main contractor and PSCS for the project.  The works are carried out adjacent to the live railway and public areas such as public roads, train stations and carparks.  A number of sites are greenfield sites requiring liaison with landowners and residents.  Global Rail Services also liaise closely with Irish Rail for works taking place beside the live railway which require day and night time possessions and isolations.

All temporary works are designed and implemented by Global Rail Services.  These include construction of temporary access roads and piling platforms, craneage/lift plans, protection of existing services within the vicinity of the worksites and stabilisation of embankments and deep excavations.  Global Rail Services are responsible for reinstatement of all access areas on completion.

Feltham Resignalling GRIP 5-8 Phases 3 & 4 Rail Systems Package

Global Rail Construction Limited (GRCL) has completed a multi-disciplinary GRIP 5-8 rail systems sub-contract encompassing Civil and Structural Engineering including temporary works, E&P and Signalling installation works, covering Phases 3 and 4 of the Feltham Resignalling Project. This project was on behalf of Principal Contractor (PC) Atkins Global for Network Rail’s (NR) Southern region. GRCL is the UK arm of the worldwide Global Infrastructure Group and is a leading provider of design and build services to clients in the rail and transportation sector.

Global Rail Construction Limited’s successful design, installation and handover of this contract supports the culmination and commissioning of these newly signalled areas in August 2023.

The full scope of the main contract has covered the re-control from the existing Feltham Area Signalling Centre (ASC) NX Panel system to the Basingstoke Rail Operations Centre (ROC) on a Resonate IECC Scalable system, and a signalling interlocking re-lock from the existing Staines and Windsor Route Relay Interlockings (RRI) to an appropriate configuration of Computer Based Interlockings (CBI) within the Atkins ElectroLogIXS system. 

All existing lineside signalling infrastructure has been replaced with new equipment including all cabling, Location Case suites, AWS and TPWS, and existing AC track circuit train detection replaced by the Frauscher Advanced Counter (FAdC) Axle Counter system. 7No controlled Level Crossings have been renewed to interface with the new ElectroLogIXS lineside equipment with replacement of the booms, barrier machines, road traffic lights (RTLs), and changing from incandescent bulbs to white light LEDs. 

Gormanston & Dalkey Footbridge Works

Global Rail Services Ltd was appointed Main Contractor and PSCS by Irish Rail (IE) for this multi-disciplinary rail project.  The works included the installation of two precast concrete (PCC) lifts, associated precast concrete stairs and footbridges at Gormanston & Dalkey stations. The bridge structures were encapsulated on both sides and on the roof.  All enabling, utilities and services works were carried out by Global Rail Services and their approved specialist subcontractors. 

This project was completed as part of Irish Rail’s Accessibility Programme.  The objective of the programme is to improve accessibility across the Irish Rail network in line with the priorities set out in the Accessibility Project Feasibility Report 2014, and the prioritised Track Crossing Report as completed in 2019 following consultation with the National Transport Authority (NTA), the Accessibility User Group and internal stakeholders.

Civils & Electrical Works, Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnell

Casement Aerodrome is a military airbase in southwest Dublin.  It is the headquarters and sole airfield of the Irish Defence Forces Air Corp.  Global Rail Services Ltd (GRSL) were commissioned to install new outdoor radiation measurement equipment within the confines of the airfield on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Global Rail Services Ltd were appointed Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS) for the works.  Works involved the construction of two concrete plinths complete with a galvanised ESB approved mini pillar on each.  Trenching and ducting works, including 6 access junctions, were carried out through a field adjacent to the airfield runway and on a concrete footpath adjacent to the transmitter hut building, to allow for cable entry to the building.  On completion, the grass area was re-graded and re-seeded.  The concrete footpath was reinstated to match existing.  

 

Fluid Filled Cables Assessment Project – Site Investigation

ESB Networks commissioned ESB Engineering & Major Projects (EMP) to undertake an environmental screening assessment of the fluid filled cables network to identify and assess leaks. Following the completion of the assessment, in agreement with the EPA and relevant authorities, a decision was made to begin intrusive assessments at agreed locations in order for an Environmental Consultant to complete the assessment.  Global Rail Services Ltd (GRSL) were appointed as main contractor and PSCS for the project for the 23No sites identified – encompassing both slit and 90° L trench excavations – at locations and sensitive receptors in agreement with the Environmental Consultant.  

Project activities included the safe exposure and logging of all services, ground conditions and make up therein.  No outages were available for the cables during the works, so all cables were treated as live.  Global Rail Services were responsible for the temporary works required to support the trench excavations.  Water samples were taken by the Environmental Consultant, which were recovered from rivers and canals close to each leak location.