The N&I division is responsible for the management and maintenance of the urban passenger rail network; the planning, design and delivery of PTA’s capital works program; the delivery of PTA’s information technology; the management of the non-railway issues associated with the corridor land on which the freight network is located; and the lease of the freight corridor. It also ensures the requirements of the Railway (Access) Act 1998 are met by external operators on the urban network.
New developments
Following a restructure of N&I’s Property and Planning branch in late 2007, a new branch – Rail Infrastructure Planning – was formed. This branch is responsible for the coordination and preparation of strategic transport planning policies and for major improvements and extensions to the rail network (urban and freight), as well as land rationalisation, heritage approvals and planning for extensions and improvements to the freight network.
Capital works program
Kelmscott Station
A $12.8 million major upgrade of Kelmscott Station train/bus interchange View image began in September 2007, linking in with the Kelmscott Town Centre re-development. The project is due for completion in September 2008.
Victoria Park Station
Work began (August 2007) on the construction of a new Victoria Park Station, View image 230m south of the existing station. The cost of the new station was $9.2 million, and included an island platform, a lift between the footbridge and platform, access ramps and stairs. The entire project, which includes realignment of track, signalling, and the demolition of the old station is $12.1 million and is due for completion in August 2008.
Joondalup Line car park extension project
With a total budget of $18 million for the addition of more than 1000 car bays, Stage 1 work began this year with car parks being extended at Edgewater and Greenwood. The total program, which includes three further stages, will be completed in 2010.
Roe Street Bus Bridge
The new bus bridge, which will provide a grade-separated direct bus route between Fitzgerald Street and Wellington Street Bus Station, is being implemented as part of the Perth Arena Project. The budget is $15.7 million with completion scheduled for the third quarter of 2009.
SmartRider ticketing project
The SmartRider ticketing project View image covering all Transperth services was completed with the commissioning of the new stations on the Mandurah Line. Overall cost of the project was $33.3 million.
Transperth TVM project
The TVM project View image replaces the old cash ticket machines on the Transperth network. The cost of the project is $15.4 million and it is due for completion in August 2008.
Rockingham City Centre Transit System
The $16.3 million project complements the new Mandurah Line by providing a dedicated bus transit way View image to cater for train patrons between Rockingham Station and the Rockingham City Centre. The project was completed in December 2007.
Bus priority projects
- Centenary Avenue bus lane, View image Wilson – the PTA contributed $213,750 to the City of Canning for these works, which were completed in January 2008.
- Alexander Drive / Illawarra Crescent intersection works – the PTA provided $453,000 to the City of Swan to undertake the work, which was completed in June 2008.
Bus Shelter Grant Scheme
The State Government’s Bus Shelter Grants Scheme (managed by the PTA), provides funding to local councils on a 50/50 basis to buy, build or upgrade bus shelters. In 2007/08, 30 grants totalling $573,008 were approved, covering 82 bus shelters.
Claisebrook Depot
Construction was completed on the new $5.9 million Claisebrook Depot office. View image Stage 2 of the project (Stage 1 was completed in April 2005) addressed sub-standard accommodation issues for mechanical, electrical and civil operational staff at Claisebrook Depot.
Kwinana Maintenance Depot
A new maintenance depot for infrastructure staff was constructed at Kwinana to ensure an effective and quick response to any infrastructure faults on the new Mandurah Line. The depot was built at a cost of $680,000, and was completed in December 2007.
Welshpool Maintenance Depot
Earthworks started for a new maintenance depot at Welshpool. The new depot will replace the storage yard at Guildford and is due for completion in the first half of 2008/09. The cost of the project is $670,000.
Joondalup Line crash barrier upgrade
The upgrading of certain sections of the crash barriers between the railway line and the Mitchell Freeway began with the first of three stages costing $3.9 million. Work will progress over the next two years.
Upgrade of turnouts at Showgrounds Station
Five new 1-in-10 60kg swing-nose crossing turnouts were installed at Showgrounds Station over an Easter weekend shutdown, at a cost of $1.4 million. The new turnouts will improve reliability and reduce noise.
Trackwork resleepering
$1.1 million was spent on replacing deteriorated wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers on a section of the Fremantle to Robb Jetty Line, while the two tracks past Seaforth Station on the Armadale Line were also rehabilitated and concrete sleepered.
Kewdale Freight Complex redevelopment
To meet increased interstate container traffic demand (projected to increase at 10 per cent per annum), the Kewdale Freight Terminal is being redeveloped. The first part of the redevelopment, Terminal 1, is based on a 50-year lease of 67.8ha to Asciano Services Pty Ltd. Asciano will redevelop the lease area, while the PTA has capital funding of $14.5 million to provide power, water and sewerage services to the lease as well as the creation of drainage basins, new entry roads, and demolition works. Clearing works were carried out in January 2007, demolition started in May 2008, and planning, design and survey works were continuing at year’s end.
Level crossing cameras
This project is an important initiative in reducing the risk of collisions at level crossings with the installation of CCTV cameras at crossings. Two crossings on the Armadale Line (Welshpool Road, Welshpool and Kelvin Road, Maddington) had cameras installed at a total cost of $635,000. Caution notes were issued from 1 May 2008, and infringement notices from 1 June 2008 for offences captured by the cameras.
Train Control Centre
Implementation of the new Train Control System, View image which commenced in 2005, was completed with the commissioning of the Mandurah Line component. The project, which cost $13.6 million, completely upgraded the PTA’s signalling system and provided the PTA with the latest train control system technology.
Creating and managing the future network
N&I have a service level agreement with TTO, which details their responsibility for the provision and maintenance of the infrastructure required by TTO to operate services reliably, efficiently and safely.
The key drivers in maintaining both the new and existing infrastructure are in providing a system which is attractive to our passengers, safe, reliable and also cost-effective. N&I’s performance is measured against a range of key performance indicators.
The NMR project has provided systems incorporating leading-edge technology, which greatly benefits the overall PTA network with increased efficiency and safety which, in turn, provides improved service reliability to passengers. The project has provided the impetus to ensure the existing rail network was upgraded in a number of areas to link in with the new technology implemented by the project.
The NMR Project has also brought about a change in maintenance management practices. The Leighton Kumagai Joint Venture Package F contract, which included the delivery of the two CBD underground stations, includes a 10-year maintenance contract for complex critical systems such as fire control, ventilation, tunnel control and tunnel structure. This model will be monitored and evaluated for future use.