Evans Road Level Crossing Removal, Melbourne, Australia
Aurecon provides engineering services for the detailed design and construction of the level crossing removal of Evans Road in South-East Melbourne.
Change your location to view content tailored for you.
Aurecon, with its Alliance partners, were chosen by the Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) to design and construct the Level Crossing Removal Project: Caulfield to Dandenong.
Melbourne’s busiest rail lines, Cranbourne and Pakenham, use the level crossings that cross some of the most heavily congested roads in the region. Boom barriers at the crossings were down for up to 82 minutes in total during peak travel times. By removing the level crossings and creating an elevated rail line, community and commuter safety has improved around the crossings themselves, but also enhanced the liveability of communities and reduced travel times for road users.
Traffic flow has also improved, and congestion has reduced on surrounding roads. The Alliance’s design significantly improved community connectivity and returned unused space to the community as green spaces and parkland.
Aurecon delivered the Caulfield to Dandenong package as part of an Alliance with CPB Contractors, Lendlease, WSP, LXRA and Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM). Aurecon was the Principal Engineer Designer, with WSP, across all disciplines:
The project included the redevelopment of five railway stations; Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Clayton and Noble Park. Murrumbeena station achieved a 5-Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council Australia for its sustainable approach to design.
Additionally, the project removed nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs and provided signalling and power system upgrades between Flinders Street Station and Pakenham Station, to enhance rail network capacity and reliability.
This built on Aurecon’s involvement in the Victorian Government’s commitment to remove 75 level crossings around the state.
Aurecon has worked closely with VicRoads, the Level Crossing Removal Project, local councils and Alliance and construction partners to manage State Government approvals to facilitate the removal of level crossings, and delivery of new stations and public open space at 19 of the 39 sites to date.
This included the planning and delivery of removals at Furlong, Main, Blackburn and Heatherdale Roads as well as the multi-award winning Caulfield to Dandenong, plus the delivery at Evans Road and Cardinia. Aurecon has also provided the planning of Burke and North Roads as well as Bayswater (Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road).
Aurecon is currently completing the delivery of Fitzgerald and Robinsons Roads. Navigating the complex planning approvals, and delivering solutions that improve connectivity, is critical for the timely delivery of the Victorian Government’s commitment to increase public safety, facilitate micro-economic efficiencies via improved traffic flow, increase connectivity and revitalise communities.
Aurecon’s digital team ensured that all project teams worked collaboratively with live models that contained the most up-to-date project information. The digital team also made sure that everything from modelled finished surface levels to modelled drainage, equipment and pits was easily accessible and exportable.
The Alliance implemented three digital approaches to design and test solutions, identify risks and plan better for construction:
To ensure that train drivers had clear sighting on the viaduct section of the rail line, Metro Trains Melbourne wanted to simulate exactly what the drivers would see on any given day. Aurecon’s VizRT platform was chosen for its ability to perform real-time and interactive signal sighting visualisations. VizRT had previously been used on signal sighting projects in Queensland with great success.
The Alliance took VizRT and augmented it to be used as a realtime, analytical tool to design signal sighting layouts, and resolve any sighting problems prior to the start of construction. From the base VizRT platform, the signal sighting tool was rapidly prototyped, built and tested for Metro Trains Melbourne and the design team.
The fully interactive and dynamic model meant rail engineers and stakeholders could drive the train back and forth inside the model. Signals, trackside furniture and infrastructure could also be moved and added to make sure that signal sighting would not be an issue for train drivers. Driver height and position was altered with real-time lighting and weather conditions and viewed in virtual reality for truly immersive experiences.
The contractors on the Caulfield to Dandenong Project were seeking new ways to better understand and plan for the transportation and construction of prefabricated elements. By modelling spatial, time and cost dimensions of the design solutions, the Alliance was able to accurately detect clashes, consider the construction planning of the project, and incorporate costings.
Individual models of disciplines such as architectural, structural, bridges, electrical and mechanical service models were incorporated into a single platform to appreciate the full design. This approach enabled the project team to review each model and produce a 3D visualisation to identify and address clashes between services and infrastructure before construction commenced.
The platform was vital for preparing the contractors to achieve necessary construction works during short rail shut down times, and progressing construction alongside live rail lines.
Use of a virtual construction sequencing tool was critical to the success of the first major rail occupation, where contractors finished the works within a confined corridor and beside operating trains. The construction tool allowed contractors to virtually build the project in an on-site office, review their methodologies, and provide changes as required. This wouldn’t be achieved using a traditional Gantt Chart.
The construction modelling also allowed the Alliance, client and contractors to review and communicate changes in real time, enhancing collaboration between teams throughout the design phase, and prior to site activity.
The cost loaded, data rich models produced for the project were used in conjunction with a cost estimating program, to simulate and manage the costs of each component of the project. This assisted the estimators to successfully manage the overall project cost.
One example was when this process was used to compare the fabrication and construction cost of reducing the main station canopy size and increasing the smaller station canopy. Rather than estimating the cost (quantity * rates), we had the ability for near instant cost capture of design changes.
With the possibility of more than 25 000 drawings to be prepared for the Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project, the use of a virtual collaboration tool made it possible to digitally review and approve shop models between the Alliance design teams, and the steel fabricators.
The Alliance design team’s 3D visualisation was leveraged by the steel fabricator, who produced the fabrication model. Alliance Designers inserted comments and tracked changes directly into the fabrication model, prior to the stamped formal check from the Alliance design team. This sped up the review process compared to traditional shop drawing review processes where each drawing is printed for every review stage and passed from one discipline to another for checking.
It also utilised a built-in workflow, so drawings were virtually allocated to designers swiftly. Designers logged into the digital collaboration platform and saw their task and could see which disciplines had already reviewed the drawing, and what previous changes had been made.
The integration of these digital tools on this project provides an exemplar model of how we can engineer, design and plan large-scale infrastructure projects going forward to provide the best outcomes for our communities.
The project successfully challenged the status quo and created a united front to apply a variety of innovative solutions and experiences including:
The implementation and integration of digital tools were used to great effect on this large-scale complex project. As digital tools continue to evolve, they can help drive a brighter future for infrastructure design and construction.
The Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal Project has won numerous industry awards for its exemplar reimagining of the relationship between large rail infrastructure and public amenity.
The project has won the following awards:
Aurecon provides engineering services for the detailed design and construction of the level crossing removal of Evans Road in South-East Melbourne.
Aurecon and Alliance partners help VicRoads remove dangerous level crossing across Melbourne's railways to improve safety in Australian communities.
Cardinia Road benefits from Aurecon’s multidisciplinary expertise as a new road over rail grade separation bridge was delivered months ahead of schedule.
