Sandgate Flyover
Encyclopedia
The Sandgate Flyover is a grade separated
railway flyover
located in Sandgate
, New South Wales
. Its purpose is to allow coal trains to and from the Port of Kooragang to proceed without obstructing intersecting traffic to and from Sydney
, as well as local Newcastle
–-Maitland
, etc., trains.
With the old at-grade junction, 60 coal trains per day each way had to cross from the Coal Lines over the Main Lines to reach the branch line to the port of Kooragang Island
. The main lines also carry about 60 trains per day each way.
With the new flyover, the Main Lines are raised over the junction of the Coal Lines to the Kooragang branch, so that the conflict between 60 Branch trains and 60 Main trains is eliminated. The new junction is improved by having 60 km/h (37 mph) turnouts, which is an improvement over the old 25 km/h (16 mph) turnouts.
The flyover was brought into service ahead of schedule according to an ARTC
press release dated 14 November 2006. The project cost was A$
80 million comprising $60 million for the structure and track, $6 million for rail and sleepers, $10 million for signaling and communications, and $4 million for project management.
in Chicago Reading
2007 - proposed flyovers.
Grade separation
Grade separation is the method of aligning a junction of two or more transport axes at different heights so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other transit routes when they cross each other. The composition of such transport axes does not have to be uniform; it can consist of a...
railway flyover
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
located in Sandgate
Sandgate, New South Wales
Sandgate is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area.It has a railway station on the Hunter Line....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Its purpose is to allow coal trains to and from the Port of Kooragang to proceed without obstructing intersecting traffic to and from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, as well as local Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
–-Maitland
Maitland
Maitland is an English and Scottish surname. It arrived in Britain after the Norman conquest of 1066. There are two theories about its source. It is either a nickname reference to "bad temper/disposition" , or it may be a locational reference to Mautalant, a place in Pontorson, France...
, etc., trains.
With the old at-grade junction, 60 coal trains per day each way had to cross from the Coal Lines over the Main Lines to reach the branch line to the port of Kooragang Island
Kooragang Island
Kooragang Island is located in the Hunter River of New South Wales, Australia and is the site of a deep water port for the export of coal. In 2007, 84.8 million metric tons of coal were exported from the port, making it one of the busiest in the world...
. The main lines also carry about 60 trains per day each way.
With the new flyover, the Main Lines are raised over the junction of the Coal Lines to the Kooragang branch, so that the conflict between 60 Branch trains and 60 Main trains is eliminated. The new junction is improved by having 60 km/h (37 mph) turnouts, which is an improvement over the old 25 km/h (16 mph) turnouts.
The flyover was brought into service ahead of schedule according to an ARTC
Australian Rail Track Corporation
Australian Rail Track Corporation is a federal government owned corporation established in 1997 that owns, leases, maintains and controls the majority of main line standard gauge railway lines on the mainland of Australia, known as the Defined Interstate Rail Network .-History:The Interstate...
press release dated 14 November 2006. The project cost was A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
80 million comprising $60 million for the structure and track, $6 million for rail and sleepers, $10 million for signaling and communications, and $4 million for project management.
Similar projects
CREATEChicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program
The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program is a project to improve the efficiency of the rail network in the Chicago area by building, amongst other things, flyovers to separate rail traffic on conflicting lines...
in Chicago Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
2007 - proposed flyovers.