Coates supports Sydney Metro with essential equipment hire

A massive project to run trains under Sydney Harbour requires the right fleet of hire equipment to get it built

The project

Sydney Metro is Australia's biggest public transport project. The new railway line will deliver 31 metro stations and more than 66 kilometres of new metro rail, revolutionising the way Australia's biggest city travels. Sydney Metro City & Southwest is budgeted at between $11.5 and $12.5 billion and forecast to be finished by 2024.

The City and Southwest component of the project extends the new metro network from the end of Sydney Metro Northwest at Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour, through the CBD, and west to Bankstown.

The contractors John Holland, CPB and Ghella (JHCPBG) have been contracted by Sydney Metro to complete the major tunnel and station excavation works. JHCPBG will design and construct the twin 15.5 kilometre rail tunnels between Chatswood and Sydenham, and excavate six new stations.

The challenge

Sydney Metro City & Southwest is a large project spread over many sites; from Chatswood on the North Shore to Sydenham in the inner-west and beyond to Bankstown. There are six tunnelling work sites located at Marrickville, Chatswood, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place and Pitt Street, with two additional station sites at Crows Nest and Waterloo.

The project will create around 3,500 jobs and is being delivered to tight deadlines. The entire project is located in Australia's largest and most traffic-intensive city.

Jeremy Glasgow, JHCPBG's Construction Manager, says the joint venture partners started work in June 2017 and are expected to complete their $2.81 billion project to excavate and line the tunnels and stations, by 2021.

"The size and scope of the project means the workforce is dispersed across the city, using a lot of distributed equipment," says Jeremy.

The solution

Coates is supplying an extensive amount of equipment, from basic construction equipment - such as generators, compressors, elevated work platforms and temporary site accommodation - to more bespoke gear such as excavators, pumps and propping required for underground works. Much of the work has to take place at night, necessitating a fleet of lighting towers.

"A lot of the work is at height, so we're also using a large fleet of scissor lifts, boom lifts and specially-ordered track booms that reach 45 feet and carry three people in the basket rather than the standard two," says Jeremy.

Grant Voysey, Business Development Manager at Coates, says Coates is the main supplier of hire equipment because of the depth and modernity of its fleet, customer service, as well as equipment servicing, safety and cost-controls.

"This is a major contract for us and was a year in the planning with the project partners. We have a Major Project Manager on-site and the client also uses Coates Connect to track all their hires and usage, allowing them to shift equipment to where it's most needed and ensuring no wastage. 

"All our equipment goes through safety and maintenance checks and gets the full documentation before it gets a 'ready for hire' white tag. That's a major trust-factor for clients. We have two full-time mechanics on the metro project ensuring that any equipment downtime is minimal," Grant says.

The impact

For JHCPBG, Coates' commitment to service and safety are crucial. 

"Many members of our team have strong, longstanding relationships with Coates. If there's a problem, we know we can phone Coates to resolve it immediately," Jeremy says. 

"At tier one construction companies, we have requirements for ensuring equipment is checked and the appropriate documentation is in place. Coates has all that covered."

Jeremy adds that while Coates is a large organisation, it remains agile and responsive.

"Coates goes above and beyond to ensure that we have the equipment on site when we need it. They have a strong culture of putting their customers first," he says.

Coates supports major infrastructure projects across Australia. Contact us to discuss your requirements