Hired pedestrian barriers assure safety on rail project

Interlocked “bike rack” pedestrian barriers from Kennards Hire Traffic in Adelaide, totalling 340 metres in length, provided excellent edge protection for workers on a $9 million railway station project.

York Civil, in joint venture with Coleman Rail, worked with the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (DTEI) to deliver the design, construction and commissioning of the new train station at Elizabeth, as part of a $40 million investment on the Gawler line north of Adelaide.

The upgrade included improved lighting and CCTV surveillance, a fully-enclosed overpass with lifts and stairs and new platforms designed to minimise the step gap between platforms and trains.

York Civil safety supervisor Scott Harvey said that, as the project was in the vicinity of a live rail corridor, comprehensive safety measures were needed.

“Edge protection, consisting of a scaffolding handrail system, was engineered but we reached a point where it was no longer achievable because we couldn’t foul the rail corridor or drill into the platform,” he said.

“We then brought in the interlocking barriers, which were tied at each end with scaffold clips. They were a great solution. Their interlocking nature, weight and length formed a very strong structure. You could push them at any point and they wouldn’t move.

“DTEI commended us on our successful safety maintenance and controls during the project, especially the edge protection.”

Kennards Hire Traffic has specialist hire centres in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

These outlets are separate to Kennards Hire general equipment outlets, but work closely with that network to meet the needs of customers.

Visit www.kennards.com.au/traffic to view our range of traffic equipment.