Forrestfield Link

Coates Hire proves it has the highest-quality shoring expertise and equipment as it services a $1.86 billion rail project in Perth.

The $1.86 billion Forrestfield-Airport Link in Perth will deliver a new rail service to the eastern suburbs of the city, add three new stations and link the city to the airport by rail.

It will include a 7.3 kilometre tunnel which means it requires a fleet of generators, scissor lifts, cherry pickers and lighting towers, as well as an industry-best shoring solution.

In April 2016 the Public Transport Authority awarded the design, construct and maintenance contract to Salini Impregilo – NRW Joint Venture which is using two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) to excavate the dual tunnels. The 600-tonne machines are 130 metres long and excavate below the surface while simultaneously lining the seven metre-diameter tunnels with concrete.

Douglas Norton, Coates Hire Engineer - Temporary Works

The construction of the three new train stations will occur on the surface while the TBMs work underground. The rail line is due for completion in 2020.

Coates Hire secured a preferred-supplier agreement with the SI-NRW joint venture, which includes scissor lifts, cherry pickers, generators, site accommodation, lighting and amenities for the workers. Along with general construction equipment and site facilities, Coates Hire also designed and supplied hydraulic-strut shoring systems for the Dundas Road ‘dive’ structure - the point at which the TBMs go underground.

Coates Hire Engineer - Temporary Works, Douglas Norton, says Coates Hire did not supply all of the lighting, however the project required a lot of temporary equipment. “The project became the biggest user of site accommodation and lighting in Perth in early 2017 and saw the deployment of the longest and biggest hydraulic struts installed in Perth to date.”

He says the hydraulic struts were chosen at the dive structure because the Salini Impregilo staff were accustomed to this style of shoring. The Coates Hire design-case holds up to 3,840kN of force in a group of three struts, and the equipment could also be re-configured and re-purposed for use at different locations in the dive structures without the need for costly modifications.

“Our engagement with the local bid team in late 2015 meant the execution team was aware of the hydraulic strut systems we use,” says Norton. “Our Project Management and Strategic Accounts team identified an opportunity on the drawings to use a hydraulic strut.”

Norton says Coates Hire has the depth of assets and expertise of staff to be able to service major projects to a high degree of quality and reliability. “We have a dedicated Major Projects Manager, a dedicated Strategic Accounts Business Development Manager, and two dedicated Customer Contact Centre operators to service this project,” says Norton.