Akshaya Malaviya

Engineering Manager Major Projects

Hunter Valley ARTC

ARTC 31/07/2013 Heavy Haul Rail 2013 1

First train on the 3rd track in Area A.B

Maitland to Minimbah 3rd Track Project

31/07/2013 Heavy Haul Rail 2013 2 ARTC

HV Network Capacity Enhancement Program ◦ ARTC Business Overview ◦ Hunter Valley – Key Customer Expectations ◦ Demand and Capacity ◦ HV Strategy ◦ Projects Delivered ◦ Current Projects ◦ HV Infrastructure Plan ◦ Heavy Haul Guidelines

Broad Design Criteria ◦ Track & Civil ◦ Signalling ◦ ARTC/Industry initiatives

Maitland to Minimbah 3rd Track Project – Case Study ◦ About the project ◦ Design approach – Civil & Signalling ◦ ARTC cost reduction initiatives on the Project

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ARTC

Primarily supports general freight

transport

Primarily supports coal transport Our Business Network

ARTC is a federal Govt owned company leasing HV network from NSW Govt; owns or leases over 10,000 rkm of track.

ARTC does not operate trains - charges access fee from train operators for use of ARTC network 31/07/2013 Heavy Haul Rail 2013 4

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Key customer expectations

Minimise ARTC impact on Coal throughput

Ensure network capacity stays ahead of the demand

Divisional infrastructure supports and remains safe &

sustainable, cost effectively, under forecast tonnages

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Corridor Capacity Strategy

Corridor Infrastructure

Plan

The expectations from the network form the basis of the corridor strategies for infrastructure and projects

in the form of:

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Strategy identifies infrastructure upgrade projects designed to ensure capacity stays ahead of contractual demand

2013-2022 Strategy just released; it’s the seventh edition

Coal volumes increased by about 50% in the last five years

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The Corridor Capacity Strategy identifies projects to be

delivered to augment network capacity by way of:

Increasing train loads

•increase in size of train consists;

Increasing speeds at turnouts

•use of longer turnouts e.g. 1:18.5

Improving operational flexibility and headways

•new crossing loops with simultaneous entry facility; additional tracks

Reducing congestion

•holding & park up tracks

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ARTC

Additional Tracks

•Maitland to

Minimbah 3rd Track

($360m)

•Minimbah Bank 3rd

track ($145m)

•Nundah Bank 3rd

Track ($95m)

•Antiene to

Grasstree

Duplication ($40m)

•St Helliers to

Muswellbrook

Duplication ($30m)

Crossing Loops Ulan

•Mangoola,

Murrumbo,

Baerami, Wollar,

Bylong, Radio Hut,

Bengalla and

Wilpinjog Crossing

Loops (≈$15m+

each)

•Bylong Loop

Extension ($30m)

Crossing Loops

North

•Braefield, Willow

Tree, Togar,

Murulla, Ardglen,

Werris Creek,

Koolbury, Burilda,

Bells gate,

Parkville, Chilcotts

Creek, Pages River

and Watermark

Crossing Loops

(≈$15m+ each)

Other

•Sandgate

Separation ($80m)

•Maitland –

Branxton Bi-

Directional

Signalling ($45m)

•Ulan Line CTC

($15m)

•Maitland CBI

($12M)

•Drayton Junction

Renewal ($20m)

•Kooragang island

Bypass Re-

alignment ($2m)

Total investment

over a billion dollars

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Drayton Relief Hub ($33m)

Whittingham Relief Hub ($42m)

Kooragang Island Arrival Roads ($90m)

Kooragang Island Departure Roads ($32m)

Hexham Relief Roads ($163m)

Scone Reconfiguration ($8m)

Widden Creek Crossing Loop ($45m)

Gunnedah yard upgrade ($15m)

Train park up facilities (to be developed, $300m)

Prospective volume projects if required

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The Corridor Infrastructure Plan envisions the corridor

requirements to meet forecast coal tonnages, an

associated growth in asset base and increased daily

train movements.

The Plan also takes into account the mixed type of

traffic operated on the corridor.

The requirements for new infrastructure based on

the Infrastructure Plan have been incorporated in

what is referred to as Heavy Haul Infrastructure

Guidelines (formerly Hunter 200+).

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•Heavy Haul Guidelines form the basic design framework for the

Hunter Valley Major Projects.

Guidelines

in designs

•These guidelines are not intended to replace any ARTC standards

but to provide a link between the Heavy Haul requirements of the

network and the existing ARTC standards.

•The Guidelines requirements are over and above the standards.

Standards v

Guidelines

•Meet operational reliability targets;

•Meet infrastructure availability targets;

•Achieve prudent capital expenditure; and

•Ensure no unnecessary or overly complicated designs.

Objectives

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ARTC

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it

works. Steve Jobs

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Track

Item Adopted Comments

Design axle load and speed

(Ports to Ulan)

30 Tonne

60kph loaded

80kph empty

Design axle load and speed

(Gunnedah basin)

25 Tonne 80kph loaded

80kph empty

30T for new infrastructure

Min vertical clearance 5.150m With a design provision to lift

any structure to 7.1m

Min horizontal clearance 4.3m from track centreline

Track centres Min 4.5m Min 7.5m if infrastructure

located between the tracks

Track 60kg head hardened (HH) Mainline

Turnout Type SNX drives with 75kph turnout

speed, generally 1 in 18.5

1200R tangential

FNX with 50kph turnout

speed, generally 1 in 12 or 15

1200R tangential

Ports to Ulan (in bearer drives

preferred)

Gunnedah basin

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•In accordance with the standards

•Superelevation biased for coal traffic as much as

possible

Track Geometry

•200mm capping layer, CBR≥50

•500mm structural fill layer, CBR ≥30

•For subgrade CBR <3 add 500mm structural layer CBR ≥8

•For subgrade CBR >20 install 400mm capping only.

Formation/subgrade

•Cut and fill batters to be designed with a long term Factor of Safety ≥1.5.

•Drainage - generally designed for 50yr ARI, sometimes 100yr ARI

•For drainage blanket exiting into a cess - a min 20 year ARI freeboard

Earthworks and

drainage

•Generally in accordance with the standards for 350LA rail loading.

•Underbridges to have ballasted track decking system.

•Overbridges to be single span over the rail tracks including any access

roads.

Structures

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•For 3 or more tracks continuous both Up and Down sides

•For single or double track continuous on one side

•Where cuts or fills are <1.5m at grade access roads

•At turnouts min shoulder width 7.5m

Access Roads

•Grade separation for more than two tracks

•Any project impacted level crossing to be upgraded to the required standard.

•Active or passive protection based on ALCAM assessment

•Private roads crossings – risk assessments drive the requirement

Level crossings

•All signalling infrastructure is shown on the civil IFC (Issued For Construction)

drawings including GPS coordinates.

Signalling civil

design integration

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Crossing loops ◦ Are designed for 1,543m train length from Ports to Ulan and 1,329m train length in

Gunnedah basin.

◦ Allowances for signal sighting and loco recovery

◦ Total standing room (CP to CP) - min. 1,634m (Ports to Ulan) and 1,420m (Gunnedah basin).

◦ An additional 300m for “simultaneous entry facility”

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ARTC

The Mantras

Maintainability – Minimise exposure of

maintainers at track

Use low maintenance equipment such

as in-bearer point motors

Avoid signals on steep rising grades

Design for double green headways

Minimise GIJ’s, avoid them on curves

Heart transplant of relay interlockings

to facilitate current/future upgrades

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Item Adopted Comments

Interlocking New interlockings – CBI

type

Train detection Axle counters on points and

Jointless track circuits on

straight portions

Jointless track circuits used

to minimise GIJ’s

Signalling Four aspect colour light

signalling

Fourth aspect is a ‘pulsating

yellow’

Crossing loops Simultaneous entry facility

Headways Generally 8minute max. Ports to Muswellbrook

Train control CTC with an OCS system Phoenix Control System

Predictive features of

equipment

Via alarm management

systems

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ARTC

There are reviews underway to determine the benefits of various upgrades to the infrastructure

32.5TAL (Tonne Axle

Load) for Ports to Ulan

30TAL for Gunnedah

basin

All new infrastructure

to be designed for

30TAL

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•Radio communication links for vital &

non-vital

•Hybrid interlockings

Cost reduction

initiatives

• Higher axle loads, longer train consists

• Train park up strategy

• Relief roads

Operational

initiatives

• Network Control Optimisation

• Split point detection, Cooperative sweep

release for axle counters, Emergency power

operation of points

Technological

initiatives

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ARTC

Network control optimsation

•ARTC intends to investigate options for a decision support system

integrated into network control system

Split point detection

•Maintain signalling on the other track when one side of a crossover

is under maintenance

Emergency power operation of points

•In point failure situations, manual operation using push buttons

instead of crank handles

Cooperative sweep release

•Removes the requirement of sweep by trains reducing the reset

time significantly

These initiatives will help in improving

fluency of train operations leading to smoother throughput

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The Project

The Maitland to Minimbah Third Track comprised of approximately 22km new track, divided into

2 areas (A.B and C), 10km reconditioning of existing track, 1.5mil m3 earthworks, 6 bridges, 1

station upgrade and Interaction with F3 link project and 53 properties requiring acquisition.

The project excludes the 7km between Branxton and Greta stations and 1km from the Farley

end.

Included re-signalling of existing Up & Down Main from Branxton to Minimbah and significant

enabling works.

Completion Date: November 2012 ARTC

Project cost circa

$360m

Objective - Minimise maintenance impact and provide 8min headways to ports

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M2M section

ARTC

Area excluded from the

project scope

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Site visit by Prime Minister Julia Gillard,

Federal Member for Hunter Joel

Fitzgibbon MP and ARTC Executive GM Alec

MacKenzie, 19th July 2011

Official ‘Sod

Turning’ by Federal

Member for Hunter

Joel Fitzgibbon MP

and ARTC Executive

GM Tim Ryan, 27th

May 2011

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Area A, B

• Lochinvar station upgrade

• Drill and blast

• 700 000 m3 earthworks

• 15 month duration

• Commissioning November 2012

• 14km track

• Farley to Greta

• 3 bridges – Station Lane Overbridge. Lochinvar

• Allandale Rd underbridge, Allandale

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Area C

• Drill and blast

• 15 month duration

• Commissioning August 2012

• 8 km track

• Branxton to Minimbah

• 800 000 m3 earthworks

• 3 bridges

• Hermitage rd. Overbridge, Belford,

• Black Creek Underbridge

• Jump Up Creek Underbridge

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Track Centres ◦ Increased from 4.5m (required by standards) to

7.2m to address future maintenance requirements

◦ Increased further to 7.5m for signalling

◦ Gantry option found to be less cost effective.

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• Level crossings • 2x grade separated • 1x closed

• Structures - new bridge works

• Reinforced earthwalls, reinforced concrete piers/abutments and precast pre-stressed concrete (PSC) bridge beams

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• Access Tracks

• The width of the access track 6.5m from the centre of the adjacent track to the outside shoulder of the track.

• Stations • Lochinvar station was

upgraded; Railcorp standards followed; new pedestrian bridge and access ramps constructed; and entry from one side only.

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Headways ◦ Combined 8min headways in both directions

Turnout configuration ◦ New track main road, existing Up Main turnout road

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Signalling

New Microloks

for Area C,

existing ones

for Areas A.B

New Railcorp

fibre route

Diverse

communication

link

Commissioning

in three stages

Signalling

designs

integrated

with civil

CSEE track

circuits on

straight

portions,

Frausher axle

counters on

points

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General ◦ Safety in design

Workshopping, discussions, independent reviews and independent design verification

◦ Design standards ARTC, Australian & other applicable standards

ARTC’s Heavy Haul Guidelines

◦ Standards challenged Track centres 7.2m instead of 4.5m - Accepted

Bridge clearance standard of 7.1m, reduced to 5.15m with provision of lifting structure to 7.1m - Accepted

Formation over & above ARTC standards - Accepted

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ARTC

Farley retaining walls

avoided services

relocation & major

property acquisition

Non at grade access on

Down side and at some

locations on Up side

Lochinvar station –

access from only

one side

Continuous beam

structure on Black

Creek Bridge

Scope reduction

•Branxton to Greta 3rd track deleted

•Terminating the 3rd track short of

Wollombi Road

•Bridge upgrade & major services relocation

avoided

•Need for grade separation at Greta

avoided

Cost

reducti

on init

iati

ves

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