The Botany Rail Duplication project seeks to extend the 2.9 km single track section leading to the Port of Botany in Australia and include a second track to make freight transport more efficient.
The NSW Freight and Ports Plan 2018-2023 predicts that the amount of container cargo handled by Port Botany will increase significantly, from 14.4 million tonnes in 2016 to 25.5 million tonnes in 2036, representing a 77% increase.
Sarens’ participation in the project was the removal of two segments of the old bridge weighing more than 250 tons each, using several SPMTs, and was able to complete the operations in less than 4 hours, outside the critical timeframe.
The Botany Rail Duplication project aims to expand the 2.9 km single-track section leading to the Port of Botany in Australia by including a second track to make freight transport more efficient. With this expansion, trains running on the Botany line of the Metropolitan Freight Network will be able to carry the equivalent of 54 trucks, which will encourage the transfer of freight from road to rail, thereby reducing traffic and improving access to global export markets through Port Botany.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has been selected to work on the project, removing two old bridge segments, the east segment weighing 258 tons and the west segment weighing 284 tons. This operation, in which $400 million had already been invested, was carried out with the aim of making space for the new bridge on O'Riordan Street, Sydney, Australia, improving freight supply chains throughout New South Wales and helping to relieve congestion on local roads.
The Botany Rail Duplication is also intended to complement future improvements taking place in and around the airport and port. In this way, it seeks to improve the connection, operation and maximum capacity required to cope with the anticipated growth in containerized freight, while also increasing the operational efficiency, flexibility and reliability of rail services between the Port of Botany and the metropolitan intermodal freight terminals.
During the course of the operations, Sarens was able to identify several major challenges. On one hand, there was the steel Bill Board next to and over the sides of the bridges which couldn’t be moved and the 4-hour lead time to remove them and drive approximately 1 km along the public roads next to Sydney Airport to the designated storage yard. Then there was the weight of the bridges, each weighing more than 250 tons, and the surrounding structures, which made it impossible to deploy a crane, so SPMTs had to be chosen.
Sarens was finally able to remove the bridge thanks to the joint action of the operators, lowering it with the stroke of the SPMT which, in the case of the west span, required the effort of an additional stroke and the deployment of a CS250 climbing system on top of the SPMTs. Once both bridges were dismantled, the SPMTs transported them onto a yard approximately 1 km away, where Sarens operators used a gantry system to lift the bridge sections from the SPMTs onto the concrete blocks, a process that took less than 4 hours outside the critical timeframe.
The NSW Freight and Ports Plan 2018-2023 predicts that the amount of container cargo handled by Port Botany will increase significantly, from 14.4 million tonnes in 2016 to 25.5 million tonnes in 2036, representing a 77% increase. Consequently, efficient access to and from Port Botany is critical to Sydney's economic growth and prosperity, therefore, the Botany rail doubling is expected to increase freight movement on the Botany line from the current average of around 20 trains per day to around 45 trains per day by 2030.
Michiel de Bodt, Technical Solutions Sales Manager, adds, "The proximity of the project site to Sydney Domestic and International Airport added to our challenge. We had to adhere to strict OLS restrictions and most of the work was carried out during night shifts. It was certainly a difficult project, but with close collaboration from all parties, our team completed it successfully, on time and on budget".
Sarens has extensive international experience in transporting heavy materials over long distances, as well as lifting and installing components for the construction of intricate structures. Notable projects to which Sarens has contributed include the transportation of essential modules for the extension of the new Marjan oil field platform in Saudi Arabia, the extension of the roof of the Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian, Spain, and the renovation work at the Roland Garros stadium in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/