Level Crossing Removal Project changing the way Victorians live, work and travel

Utilising the latest ground engineering technology, our experienced team has worked with LXRP, offering complete solutions for ground-related infrastructure to significantly reduce lifecycle costs and improve the performance of designed structures.

This has included:

• Site investigations
• Geotechnical design
• Hydrogeology
• Contaminated land
• Pavement engineering
• Tender and delivery phase support.

The bridges and structures team currently provides the following services to LXRP:

• Input to business case studies
• Concept / reference design and documentation of:
  • Bridges
  • Earth retaining and underground structures
  • Station buildings and platforms; and
  • Miscellaneous structures (OLE, signalling and drainage)
• Bridge and structures condition inspection
• Bridge and structures rating and assessment
• Modification and strengthening of existing bridges and structures
• Specialist advice for tender assessment.

Recognising that design solutions for each level crossing site can be a catalyst for positive urban renewal to reinvigorate and reconnect communities, our focus remains not only on reaching a functional solution that satisfies the project brief, but also creating places for people that are adaptable and encourage positive change.

Our urban design team is involved throughout the development process, working collaboratively with the transport planning, road, structural, civil and rail teams to deliver coordinated solutions that are site responsive and locally relevant. Throughout the process, our team also provides technical support to the stakeholder and communications team, conveying relevant details to the community and key stakeholders, while also providing a feedback loop in the design process.

Stakeholder and community engagement plays an integral role to the success of LXRP’s program, implemented from project establishment and planning, through to various design and development stages, as well as construction and delivery. This includes strategic planning, urban design, geotechnical and survey works, community engagement and support at community information sessions, door knocking and stakeholder liaising.

We support LXRP’s tailored engagement and communication strategies and programs and work closely with teams to deliver stakeholder and community engagement activities that keep communities informed.

As part of the TA, the team has worked closely with LXRP and has been involved in all elements of the project lifecycle including the following:

• Business case development
• Concept optioneering
• Reference design development
• Delivery phase – tender and design review and construction phase services.

The transport engineering and planning team provides services to LXRP that are essential to achieving many of the benefits of the program, including:

• More reliable and efficient transport networks to improve productivity
• Better connected, liveable and thriving communities
• Safer communities.

To help achieve these benefits, the team has been assembled with a depth of capability that allows us to consider transport issues at both a strategic (city or regional transport network) and local (street, intersection) level, depending on project requirements.

A range of services have been conducted since the inception of the project, including:

• Strategic transport modelling
• Patronage demand forecasting
• Microsimulation traffic modelling
• Transport impact assessments
• Access and mobility studies
• Pedestrian and cyclist movement studies
• Parking studies
• Road safety audits
• Traffic and pedestrian data collection and analysis.

 

The TA’s environment and planning team has the capability and capacity to support LXRP projects from the optioneering phase right through to the construction phase of level crossing removals, track duplication, new rail line construction and associated works. We’ve provided services in the areas of environmental approvals, planning, ecology, heritage, and acoustics.

The TA’s sustainability team works closely with LXRP to continuously improve sustainability outcomes for its projects and the industry. At the three-year point of the program, the TA’s sustainability team supported the assessment of LXRP’s sustainability program and the development of LXRP’s first sustainability strategic plan. The TA is also supporting the implementation of the strategic plan, helping LXRP drive change within its program of works, setting an example for the major infrastructure sector.

The TA facilitates multi-disciplinary workshops with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure the uptake of climate adaptation measures in planning, design and delivery. 

Through the use of Navisworks, we are able to view the total project (if modelled in 3D). This can then be used for stakeholder presentations or for clash detection, depending on the level of detail applied to the models and the status of the project.

While the traditional outputs of GIS are still a central part when delivering complex engineering solutions, a lot of the applications and benefits are delivered outside a typical map product.

The systems and technologies now provide a lot more in-depth analysis and problem solving than ever before. The GIS platform now serves as a dissemination point for large complex datasets, visualisations and interoperability between the various technical disciplines. 

The capability of the rail team covers the full spectrum of operational railway requirements and offers LXRP significant depth in the design, construction, testing and commissioning, handover, operations and maintenance of railways.

This multidisciplinary delivery team is built up from several engineering disciplines, each with a nominated technical discipline lead. The discipline technical lead manages the specific LXRP project requirements, leads dedicated engineering resources and undertakes interdisciplinary design reviews. This includes:

• Systems engineering and safety assurance
• Signalling
• Overhead line equipment
• Traction power
• Building services
• Fire and life safety
• Rail operations
• Rolling stock.

The HSE team has responsibility for providing advice and support to all JV staff and contractors on health, safety and environmental aspects of the TA’s operations, both in the field and in office workplaces. The TA promotes a zero-harm culture, with the HSE team having a primary focus on reducing the potential for harm.

The TA’s HSE team plays a pivotal role in educating joint venture partners in understanding their obligations as Principal Contractors under the Health & Safety Act. The team also assists LXRP in applying the legislation to ensure appropriate due diligence is undertaken, particularly given the project’s short time frames.

The TA’s digital engineering team utilises 3D software to create intelligent digital models so that designs can be viewed in a real-world context. This visualisation capability is a powerful way to rapidly present options or convey key elements of projects and assets to a wide range of stakeholders, which speeds up decision making. It also enables project partners to prepare costings and improves data flow.

Digital engineering functionality has also been applied to optimise project management processes, including using GIS to establish rules for greater document control security, and visual collaboration software, which tracks project issues, assigns tasks and updates models.