The foundations are being laid for the new Byford and Armadale train stations.
Concrete slabs are now being poured at both station sites, with one month to go until the halfway point of the promised 18-month construction schedule for the Byford Rail Extension.
“At the start of July, the first columns for Byford Station platform canopy, which will provide shelter for commuters, were installed,” a spokesperson for Metronet said.
“More than 160 columns will be used for the new station.
“Work has also started on the Byford Station structure, with the first of 20 concrete slab pours complete.
“The structure of Armadale Station is also taking shape, with concrete slab pours for the station concourse starting last week.”
When the Examiner spoke with project managers in December last year, they explained the stations themselves were designed as modular builds, with panels being constructed off-site.
The expectation is that, when the time comes, the walls will go up rather quickly.
Still, there’s only another month or two remaining to start getting those walls up before the original ‘mid-year’ timeframe for station construction lapses.
But it’s important to give credit where credit is due – the team is going at breakneck speed installing the elevated rail beams.
Armadale’s elevated rail features a total of 125 beams, each weighing between 101 and 240 tons.
The first beam was laid in early June. And there are now scores of these beams in place, only one month later.
There have been a number of other recent milestones achieved on the project.
“In June, the concrete pour for the Wungong Brook shared path bridge deck, which will connect the shared path from Armadale to Byford, was completed, and work continued on the Eleventh Road Bridge with the installation of concrete wall panels,” the Metronet spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, sparks are flying on the Thornlie-Cockburn line, with flash butt welding underway.
In total, approximately 26km of long welded rail will be placed for the new Thornlie-Cockburn Link between Jandakot and Beckenham. By the end of June, 394 of 1,662 welds had been completed, creating 236 strings of long welded rail, each 220 metres long.
