Project Management

Caulfield to Dandenong (CTD) Project $2.7BN

Key Transport & Strategy members were involved in the development and delivery of the Caulfield to Dandenong (CTD) Project, the largest and most complex of the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP) portfolio.

The project included 9 level crossing removals, as well as the first brownfields whole-of-corridor rail upgrade (75kms) for signalling, power and overhead electrification to enable running of High Capacity Metro Trains (HCMT) and High Capacity Signalling (HCS).

This transformational project involved many firsts for Melbourne, including developing the first rail-over level crossing solution (Sky Rail) with fully integrated slab track, the first project to be delivered under the new major projects guideline of the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) and the Systems Engineering and Systems Assurance Framework of DOT, as well as the first project to introduce modular 4MW substations and modular signalling Relocatable Equipment Buildings (REBs) from an innovation’s perspective.

The project’s innovative approach won it many awards, including an Engineering Excellence award for Engineers Australia in 2020, awards from Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, the Government Partnership Excellence Award, the inaugural Industry Choice Award.

Our Role in the Project

Our T&S representatives held a variety of senior positions on the project and were responsible for leading roles in the bid and delivery phases, holding roles such as the MTM lead responsible for scope management, commercial lead, Interface & Integration AMT representative, Alliance commercial manager, sub-alliance ALT, and Signalling Manager.

  • The Interface & Integration Manager role included managing the planning, occupations, access, project controls, risk management, systems engineering and systems assurance teams. The role covered specific elements of management of integration, systems engineering and integration, requirements management and system safety assurance to satisfy Accredited Rail Transport Operator (ARTO) requirements for approvals, and interface with all external stakeholders and authorities such as Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), other LXRP packages, Melbourne Metro tunnel packages, Department of Transport, HCMT project, V/Line, VicRoads, VicTrack, councils and utility companies. The Interface portion of the role involved being responsible for development of key framework and documents such as Interface Management Plan, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Interface specifications, Interface schedule with critical interface milestones (CIMs) etc.This role involved overseeing the development of key Systems integration activities, the system engineering and system assurance (SESA) management plans, as well as the artefacts of the SESA deliverables through the project lifecycle.

    The role also included being the main lead for the key approvals associated with the safety case of constructing the Skyrail viaduct section with a straddle carrier in close proximity of the operational railway with trains running. This included developing a Systems Assurance Report, and underpinning SESA activities such as running Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA), System Hazard Analysis (SHA), Operating and Support Hazard Analysis (OSHA), Interface Hazard Analysis (IHA) workshops, undertaking a Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis, (FMECA) assessment, developing a Goal Structure Notation (GSN) hierarchy, implementing engineering and other controls sufficiently to manage any residual risks, as well as undertaking a full Systems Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) to inform the Safety Case.


    The role involved managing a complex program to deliver multi-disciplinary works concurrently across 5 separate work fronts, many activities sharing resources and plant etc, as the scale of works in each area were significant and resources constrained. The role also included construction staging, site planning and workgroup management, disruptions and occupations planning, testing & commissioning programs, handover requirements to ensure impacts on train operations and the public is minimized but also to ensure program delivery for the 5 areas (often with several critical path activities within each area). Over the busiest 14- month period of the project, over 400 separate occupation days were delivered across the 5 project areas.

  • The MTM Lead role on the Alliance involved leadership responsibility for 120 MTM staff integrated within the alliance, including leading all ARTO related activities such as management of change (MOC), accreditation, design and engineering review management with associated standard waivers, access management along the corridor to MTM requirements, ARTO training, risk management and incorporation into MTM Corporate risk register, testing & commissioning review and approvals, commercial amendments to assets / operations / infrastructure lease and Operating Maintenance Cost Estimates (OPEX), O&M contract procurement and management in readiness for acceptance and handover, 3rd Party Operator Interface (V/Line, VicTrack etc), Works Readiness, Operational Readiness management, Rail Disruption Planning, etc.The MTM Lead was also responsible for managing the development, review and approvals of the entire suite of alliance management plans, as MTM was an alliance participant and needed signoff from each alliance member. As the project was being implemented under MTM’s accreditation, close involvement was required for key management plans such as the Project Management Plan, Construction Management Plan, HSE Plan, Rail Safety Management Plan, Access Management Plan, Design and Engineering Management Plan and the Systems Engineering and Systems Assurance Management Plans.
  • Track — The MTM lead was also responsible for the advice, support and rail operator approvals of the integrated slab track form to be used on the elevated Skyrail sections. This included responsibility for consideration of operations and maintenance aspects, the wheel / rail interface for both electric and diesel trains, and the specifications required for the track design approvals. Considerations of advice and analysis covered derailment analysis lateral loading and integrated kerb, noise modelling, dynamic impact loading and force distribution, integration of the track form into the broader Skyrail system of box girder structure, parapets, combined service route, signalling asset integration and walkways, connection details, electrolysis, earthing and bonding, as well as operational assessments for items such as emergency egress, fire & life safety, maintenance access and signal sighting.

    An important item for the track design was how quickly it could be installed and how it could be constructed feeding from one end of the Skyrail as the corridor was constrained. A maintenance access plan and technical maintenance plan for the track design post-handover also had to be developed. This had to be approved by MTM and all managed via our T&S member. Our T&S member with his history in wheel / rail interface maintenance also provided advice and support on the key items of rail grinding and lubrication strategies, across the Skyrail track section as well as into the transitions at ground level onto ballasted track structure.


    All this work culminated in design approvals, safety case, residual risk register and engineering change notifications, which our T&S member as MTM lead was responsible for consolidating and presenting to MTM Change Control Board for approval.

  • The Signalling Manager role involved managing the signalling, train control, communications and ICT works for the entire Cranbourne Pakenham corridor. The works involved a complete replacement of the signalling and train control systems from Caulfield to Nar Nar Goon including Pakenham East Depot, and upgrades from Caulfield to Flinders Street and the Melbourne Underground Rail Loop which carries 75% of Melbourne’s passenger volume every day.
  • The Commercial Manager role on the Alliance included setting up framework, processes and team, cost control and forecasting, managing a team of 40 staff, as well as procurement and contract management of 650+ subcontracts on behalf of the alliance JV. Role was responsible for activities such as Capex cost estimating, Cost Risk Analysis, Schedule Risk Analysis, forecast cost to complete and cashflow assessments, performance reporting, contract management, review and assessment of Contract schedules, claim management, assessment and resolution, variations management and dispute resolution.

Project Challenges & Achievements

The scope had significant complexities, level crossing removal on the busiest and narrowest corridor required an innovative approach to construction methodology.

At the same time ONRSR introduced the requirements of the Major Projects Guideline and the first project required to deliver in line with a Systems Engineering and Systems Assurance approach. These processes were still being developed and matured in parallel to CTD delivery.
Another complexity was CTD had to deliver infrastructure to cater for introduction of the HCMT, which was being delivered via a PPP independent of CTD. The TOC for CTD was undertaken a year prior to HCMT contract award, which came with uncertainty the technical interface and specific requirements. Key T&S members were driving force in developing Interface Control Documents, Interface Specifications and other interface tools facilitating the integration of State portfolio objectives.

The scale of this project meant that we had to interface with a multitude of stakeholders with both State and private entities. across five councils, as well as major utility companies and local community groups. This all required a systematic and robust stakeholder management plan, interface and integration framework and consistent requirements management. This fell under our T&S member in the role of Interface & Integration Manager.

Our approach to Teamwork, Cooperation, and Innovation

As members embedded in the alliance, our approach was (as is our normal approach) to work inclusively, open and transparent. Our ideas and innovations to make the project delivery more efficient, cheaper or easier, were all introduced into the wider team, with a view to maximise value and performance of the alliance. Our representatives were regularly acknowledged for their approach to cooperation and ways to overcome challenges, which at times was challenging, especially for the roles above where our representatives had to manage both alliance and rail operator expectations.

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