Forrestfield-Airport Link, Perth
The project comprises the design, construction and maintenance for 10 years of the Forrestfield Airport Link, which will connect the eastern suburbs of Perth with the existing suburban rail network as well as the airport Completed in October 2022, the line generates 20,000 passenger trips on the network every day It will also reduce road traffic and travelling times: travel times to reach the centre is reduced by over 50%, going from 45 to 20 minutes
The project was built by Webuild and its joint-venture partner NRW Pty Ltd (80% of the joint-venture is held by Webuild) which built three stations, twin-bored tunnels, three emergency egress shafts and parking spaces to serve the stations.
The rail line, developed with an investment of AU$1.86-billion (€1.21 billion), is 8.5 kilometres long and is potentially taking 15,000 vehicles off the roads every day, reducing up to 2,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
Each tunnel is 8 kilometres long (internal diameter 6.17 m and excavation diameter of 7 m), for which two TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machine) have been specifically designed. Building the underground works featured a real challenge, due to the hydro-geological characteristics of the subsoil, for the route that runs beneath already running lines, due to Perth’s airport lanes and the Swan River, where it reaches its maximum depth of 26 metres.
The project is registered and will be seeking, as a minimum, an Excellent rating under the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) rating scheme, which is administered by the Infrastructure Council of Australia (ISCA). The scheme provides a framework for the implementation and evaluation of sustainability initiatives and potential environmental, social and economic impacts of infrastructure projects and assets.
In 2019, Webuild received the , for having designed and produced concrete prefabricated segments used for the Forrestfield Airport Link tunnels.
Sustainability KPIs
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tons of Co2 emissions avoided per year
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Cars taken off the road per day
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passenger expected per day by 2022
Technical data
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km total length
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km of each tunnels
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m excavation diameter
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cross passage
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stations
Infographic
Forrestfield Airport Link infografica
Gallery
Forrestfield Airport Link Project - Webuild