Guaranteed passenger comfort and safety in Sydney Metro Northwest tunnels
Sydney Metro Northwest is the first stage of the first fully-automated rail system in Australia, running from Rouse Hill to Epping. This stage opened for passengers on 26th May 2019 and includea a 4 km elevated Skytrain, a 270-metre cable-stayed bridge with twin 15 km tunnels.
As part of the construction, a crucial requirement was to guarantee passenger comfort and safety whilst travelling through the tunnels. It was vital for the tracks and walls to offer acoustic absorbing materials as part of a fire safe environment. This means that non-combustibility of the materials to be installed was important to ensure the material will not emit smoke of toxic fumes in the event of a fire emergency.
Read more here about how the uniquely developed, local solutions have contributed to the world standards of construction on the new project.
After conducting several rail tests, the products supplied by Pyrotek (Viterolite 900 panels in between the tracks, and Reapor for the tunnel walls), have received a positive response from NRT. They say that the products have provided ‘outstanding acoustic performance’ and ‘the results have exceeded our expectations and it will get better when the rail tracks flatten’
As the project team move onto the next tunnel they have no hesitations to repeat the materials use in the Sydney Metro project.
Passengers on board have made their first trips this week as it was opened to the public.