4,000 square metres beside the Southern Sydney Freight Line

The project

The Southern Sydney Freight Line gave freight trains a dedicated track through Sydney's south-west. On the section outside Sefton station, UCBC built 4,000 square metres of retaining wall for the Australian Rail Track Corporation, with Arenco delivering the works, completing in 2012.

Two systems on one corridor

The walls combined Keystone segmental block and precast crib block, each used where it suited the geometry and the ground. Crib block took the sections where movement and curvature mattered; Keystone gave a finished face where the wall was visible from the station and the street.

Rail corridor discipline

Working beside a live rail line means possessions, protection officers and a safety and inspection regime set by the rail operator. The wall was programmed to those windows and certified stage by stage.