PROJECT OF THE MONTH AUGUST 2023 | The Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project (MMTP) comprises two railway tunnels, each spanning nine kilometers, establishing a connection between Kensington and South Yarra in Melbourne, Victoria.
This construction forms an integral section of the expansive rail connection extending from Sunshine to Dandenong. As part of this undertaking, several underground railway stations were constructed, among them Anzac (St Kilda Road), Town Hall (CBD South), State Library (CBD North), Parkville, and Arden.
The specific alignment of the MMTP beneath Melbourne's urban core presents a host of technical challenges, such as steep gradients, complex curves, and the close proximity to sensitive surface receivers. The lack of straightforward access for delivering track components and inserting large volumes of concrete further complicates the project. These considerations led to the selection of the Porr Slab Track System (internationally known as STA – Slab Track Austria), which is capable of meeting the particular requirements regarding ground-borne noise and vibrations and maintaining precise track geometry tolerances.
The physical realization of the construction was managed by the Cross Yarra Partnership (CYP), which also commissioned Vossloh and Porr. These two companies were entrusted with the design of the slab track and floating slab track (FST), as well as the production of the slab track panels and the supply of rail fastenings. In this construction network, VCE was responsible for Porr's design tasks.
VCE's responsibilities included the system design of the slab track panels, tailored to meet both standard and high vibration attenuation requirements. For very high attenuation, a floating slab track was deployed, which was also accounted for in VCE’s planning. In a novel approach, pre-cast elements of the FST were conjoined into longer sections via a post-tensioning process, thus bypassing the time-intensive in-situ approach. Precise placement of the slab track panels and the pre-cast FST components for transitions and curves, considering cable crossings and drainage shafts, was also part of their responsibilities.
LOCATION
Melbourne, Australien
CLIENT
Porr Bau GmbH
SERVICES
Detailed design of slab track, design of mass-spring system (floating slab track)
