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The New Lynn Rail Trench Project is a partnership between ONTRACK, Waitakere City Council and the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to lower rail track into a trench through the New Lynn town centre as part of the Western Line Duplication project.
The redevelopment will mean improved public safety, traffic improvements and station facilities. Two level crossings, including the notorious Clark St roundabout crossing, will be replaced with road bridges and up to three new road crossings built over the lowered track. It also includes redevelopment of New Lynn station as part of a new passenger transport Interchange.
This required all services to be lowered to a depth of 18m deep before the project could proceed.
Fletcher Construction Engineering performed some enabling works at the railway crossing in New Lynn and contracted PipeWorks to install a 500mm Ø HDPE SDR11 pipe that would be used as a Telecom service duct diagonally across the railway line, directly under the roundabout and the road crossing at the New Lynn Intersection.
Borepath of New Lynn Rail Crossing (Telecom Duct)
The 160m long, 18m deep pipeline was successfully installed using the Vermeer Navigator II, D100X120 horizontal drilling rig, capable of a 45.3 tonne push/pull and a 16.3kNm torque, owned by PipeWorks and at the time of installation the largest midi drill in New Zealand.
The congestion of other existing underground services in the area created challenges of its own. Minimalising the disruption to local businesses and the public in the area was also a priority.
The drilling process required the addition of bentonite lubrication resulting in a mini process plant being erected and operated inside the confines of the site establishment. The photograph below illustrates the tight confines of the jobsite, allowing businesses to continue uninterrupted.
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| Aerial Photograph illustrates the tidiness of the drill site |
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| Activity |
Duration |
| Set-up |
2 days |
| Pilot Hole drilling |
2 days |
| Reaming to 500mm Ø |
2 days |
| Reaming to 700mm Ø |
2 Days |
| Pulling in Product Pipe |
5 hours |
| Disestablish site |
1 day |
Actual Durations achieved |
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