For the latest news on the Perth City Link Project.

september 2012 / perth city link / connect

2 CHINESE ELMS PLACE NEW ROOTS

Nine Chinese Elms have been relocated from Perth Station to Forrest Place.

3 PERTH STATION’S BIG SWITCH

The layout change moves the train operations south.

6 HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

Q&A with WA artist Jon Tarry on his public artwork.

Vol 3 / September 2012

LAND DEVELOPMENT ACHIEVES MAJOR MILESTONEIt’s one of Perth’s biggest projects. They’re two of Australia’s biggest property companies. Bring them together and it’s another major milestone in transforming the heart of Perth.A consortium comprised of Leighton Properties and Mirvac is the frontrunner to develop the Perth City Link site, with plans to create new office, retail, hotel, living and recreation spaces. Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority Chief Executive Officer Kieran Kinsella said identifying the Leighton Properties/Mirvac consortium followed a rigorous assessment of expressions of interest received for the right to develop the State Government’s 5.1ha land holding. Submissions were judged on criteria including experience, technical capacity and expertise in undertaking similar developments. “Our standards and expectations in judging the contenders were high,” Mr Kinsella said. “Perth City Link project is a key part of the plan to revitalise Perth, providing new opportunities for people

to live, work and play in the city, with attractions for both tourists and locals.” “Leighton Properties and Mirvac are two of Australia’s most highly-credentialed property companies and were able to successfully demonstrate the experience required to deliver a development of this scale.” The consortium was invited to submit a detailed proposal, outlining its approach to key aspects of the Perth City Link. “The process is far from complete. The consortium’s detailed proposal will now undergo an extensive expert evaluation process and be judged in terms of its place making approach, development mix, transport and access plans, as well as its business and staging plan,” Mr Kinsella said. The evaluation and negotiation process is expected to continue until early 2013. Mr Kinsella said the strategy of

working with one developer would help deliver an integrated development and allow building to be staged alongside the infrastructure works. “This project requires a significant time commitment by a developer. The successful developer will be required to stage their developments in accordance with the roll-out of the infrastructure works – sinking the rail line, to be completed in 2014, and bus station, to be completed in 2016 – which will free up the land for development.” Development of the 5.1ha land holding has the potential to deliver up to 265,000sqm of new building space across commercial, retail, hotel and residential uses, as well as approximately 1.4ha of public space.

The vision for the Perth City Link

PERTH CITY LINK FACTS AND STATS

TOTAL AREA .........................................13.5HA

TOTAL PUBLIC OPEN SPACE ...............4.4HA

NEW DWELLINGS .................................1,650 FOR MORE THAN 3,000 RESIDENTS

TOTAL COMMERCIAL & RETAIL SPACE ............... 244,000SQM

FOR 13,500 WORKERS

connect / perth city link / september 2012

TAKE A WALK IN THE FUTUREWant to have a look into the future but don’t have a crystal ball?Then not to worry, a walkthrough of Perth Station in 2014 can be viewed on the Perth City Link YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/perthcitylink The video shows what the station will look like when all the work is completed, including the new pedestrian underpass. Or if you’d like to see how the pedestrian underpass connects to Perth Underground, visit the station and see the artist impression on the hoarding where the underpass starts.

CHINESE ELMS PLACE NEW ROOTSNine Chinese elms are now part of a new scene after being relocated from Perth Station to the City of Perth’s Forrest Place redevelopment.

The 15-year-old trees were removed from the station’s garden bed along Roe Street, to allow work to begin on building the new Platform 8/9 as part of the Perth City Link upgrades in Perth Station.

Perth City Link Rail Alliance Environmental Manager Colin Stedman said instead of chopping and mulching the trees, the Alliance and City of Perth decided to recycle them. “The trees were prepared for the big move in early June by cutting into the soil around the root ball of each tree, setting up reticulation and giving them rich nutrients,” Mr Stedman said. “This process compacts the root soil, allowing a quicker regrowth and making it easier for transportation.” “To remove and replant the 12-metre trees, the root balls were covered with mesh and each tree was individually lifted by a crane then transported by a truck to its new home.”

It took three days to remove and replant the trees in Forrest Place. Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the transplanted trees would add more of a green tinge to the Forrest Place redevelopment. “Trees are an attractive and calming feature of public places and I’m sure people using Forrest Place will appreciate the shade they offer,” Ms Scaffidi said. “Although these trees have been no closer to China than our own Chinatown in Roe Street, they may serve to remind us of our Sister City links with Chengdu and Nanjing as the species has its origins in China.”

View of the pedestrian underpass when the rail project is completed in 2014

september 2012 / perth city link / connect

PERTH STATION PLATFORM CHANGES – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW• FremantleLine– leaves from

Platform 5 and arrives on Platform 6. Passengers connecting through to the Midland Line must disembark and cross the platform to Platform 7.

• MidlandLine– arrives and departs from Platform 7. The Midland Line will no longer be a through service to Fremantle. Passengers continuing to a Fremantle Line station must leave the train and board the Fremantle Line service from Platform 5.

• ArmadaleLine – leaves from Platform 6 and continues to arrive on Platform 5. The Armadale Line will no longer terminate in Perth Station but continue on to Fremantle.

• Thornlie,MandurahandJoondalupLines – no change.

PERTH STATION WORKS – WHAT’S NEXT?The layout change means a significant section of Perth Station is made available to:• Continuebuildingthenewtunnel• CreatePlatform8/9byinstalling

new tracks on the Roe Street side of Platform 9 (Midland Line), which also goes under the Barrack Street Bridge

• Buildthepedestrianunderpassfrom Platform 7 to Platform 8/9

PERTH STATION’S BIG SWITCHAfter a weekend closure, a big switch and a major milestone has taken place in Perth Station.

Over 64 hours, 200 workers ate 330 sausages and slewed, or moved, 800m of the Fremantle Line to the other side of the site to allow works to continue on the tunnel and pedestrian underpass. Getting to the closure weekend was a multi-team effort for the Perth City Link Rail Alliance, with four construction teams working over a tight six-month program. The first team in was Foundations, which piled the pedestrian underpass walls from the Perth Station building to Platform 6 and the diaphragm walls for the new tunnel. Next in was Civil, which installed part of the tunnel’s roof and built up the foundation and ballast for the new tracks. Meanwhile, the Building team reinstated Platform 5 and the new Platform 11. The final team was Rail, which laid the new tracks over the completed section of tunnel and pedestrian underpass, installed the overheads and worked 12-hour shifts over the weekend to reconfigure the systems needed to run the rail network. All of this was completed to put in place an historic – albeit temporary – switch.

Perth City Link Rail Alliance Rail Interface Manager Nick Stephens describes the changes to Perth Station’s layout as the project’s most significant for passengers in the project – other than the final commissioning of the Fremantle Line tunnel in 2014. “The layout change moves the train operations south,” Mr Stephens said. “This creates room room for us to work on the remainder of the Fremantle tunnel, including the slope towards the eastern tunnel entrance, converting Platform 9 into an island Platform 8/9 and building a section of pedestrian underpass from Platform 7 to Roe Street.” Ever since the first passenger train left Guildford for Fremantle in 1881, the Fremantle Line has connected through to the Midland Line and vice versa. After the switch, the Fremantle Line instead connects through to the Armadale Line, with the Midland Line terminating at Perth Station. The next major change in Perth Station is expected to occur in around a year’s time as the project starts to come to an end and the station is put back together.

Ride your bike. Carpool. Work from home. Take a break.These are all tips to follow on Friday, 17 August when Perth Station closes from 10:30am until last service on Sunday, 19 August, with the following train disruptions:• Fremantle Line: services will only run between

West Leederville and Fremantle.• Midland Line: services will only run between Claisebrook and Midland.• Armadale Line: services will stop all stations

between Claisebrook and Armadale.• Thornlie Line: will close with train replacement buses from Cannington to Thornlie.• Joondalup and Mandurah Lines: no impact

A CAT-style bus service will loop from Claisebrook to West Leederville via Perth Station. From Monday, 20 August changes at Perth Station will see Fremantle, Armadale and Midland line trains depart from a different platform.The disruption allows works to continue on

sinking the Fremantle Line for the Perth City Link rail project.

Plan your journeywww.transperth.wa.gov.au Find out whywww.perthcitylink.wa.gov.au

We’re growing to keep you going

Promotional staff acted as ‘human signs’ on the first day of the platform changes to help direct passengers

connect / perth city link / september 2012

Artist impression City Square looking north west towards Northbridge

CITY SQUARE TO RECONNECT WILLIAM STREETLocated “on” William Street, City Square is one of five locations where the Perth City Link will connect the CBD and Northbridge. In the second of articles on each new connection, Connect looks at William Street and City Square, which the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority will transform into a dynamic public space.

Perth City Link’s crowning feature, City Square, is set to become one of Perth’s top public destinations. A pedestrian space built largely within the arms of the Horseshoe Bridge, City Square will be a prime location for concerts, exhibitions and functions with capacity for up to 6,000 people for major events. It will be a large and busy open space fringed by restaurants, cafes, small bars and shops. City Square will be a central destination and point of arrival in the city, with more than 80,000 people a day

expected to use the area – including busy commuters, tourists and locals. The public space may include islands of seating, landscaped gardens, water features, dramatic lighting, public art and street stalls to create a vibrant and inviting central square offering activity by day and night. Terraced gardens will lead down from the heritage-listed Horseshoe Bridge, providing a welcome place to relax, while also providing a view to the Fremantle rail line as it starts to ‘dive’ underground.

When the rail project is completed, this William Street link will be one of the first of five new Perth City Link connections, allowing pedestrians to seamlessly walk directly from Northbridge, through to the CBD and on to the new Elizabeth Quay development at the river’s edge. It will also house portals to the new underground bus station and Perth Station. Work on City Square will begin when the rail works are completed in 2014 and will be finished by 2016.

CITY SQUARE WILL BE A CENTRAL DESTINATION AND POINT OF ARRIVAL IN THE CITY, WITH MORE THAN 80,000 PEOPLE A DAY EXPECTED TO USE THE AREA.

september 2012 / perth city link / connect

CHINESE CONNECTIONSPerth’s Chinatown is a reminder of Western Australia’s multicultural heritage and long links with China.Located on Roe Street in Northbridge, it’s also on the doorstep of one the city’s biggest urban renewal projects – Perth City Link. For interior design students from the Central Institute of Technology in Northbridge, that was a perfect reason to consider transforming Chinatown. Their vision includes rooftop bars, pop up shops, dramatic entrances and vibrant laneways. The students competed to fulfil a hypothetical City of Perth brief to

reinvigorate Chinatown, which is on privately-owned land. Their plans had to create a welcoming and commercially-viable destination and 24-hour hub, complementing the Perth City Link. The winning team, Laneway Symbiosis, aimed to “re-connect, re-invigorate, re-define” Chinatown with long tables for communal dining, an interactive “smart glass” window to engage pedestrians and an eclectic mix of specialty shops, cafes and restaurants. Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi congratulated the students for taking such a keen interest in the future of the area near their campus.

“It’s easy for people to accept things as they are in their city but the students’ work opens our eyes to the opportunities for the potential of positive change,” Ms Scaffidi said. “The City encourages property owners to reflect on how some of the vision might be turned into reality,” she said. Creative use of elements such as landscaping and signage were coupled with dual roles for venues to maximise the “round the clock” aspect of Chinatowns seen around the world.

Proposed Chinatown entrance from the design group Code Red

MAJOR ACTS TO OPEN PERTH ARENAPerth Arena will host two community events ahead of the official launch on 10 November, giving the public its first opportunity to experience the highly anticipated venue.‘Plug in to Perth’ on 2 November is a free concert featuring WA artists, while ‘Access All Areas’ on 4 November will be a fun family day with many activities on offer including the chance take a backstage tour. Perth Arena opens with a bang with a number of major acts performing during its opening week. Starting with the gala

opening on 10 November with George Michael’s Symphonica Tour, Matchbox Twenty with special guest INXS will take to the stage on 11 November, before Sir Elton John brings his celebratory 40th anniversary tour of ‘Rocket Man’ to the arena on 12 November. The opening season continues with Nickelback on 17 November, JLO on 6 December and Nicki Minaj on 8 December. The big shows continue in 2013 with acts already announced including Weezer on 23 January, Celtic Thunder

on 16 February and One Direction on 28 and 29 September. One lucky punter will have the chance to attend each event at the new arena in its first 12 months – as well as help raise funds for a worthy charity – by entering the Radio Lollipop ‘Golden Ticket’ raffle. To enter, visit www.goldenticket.net.auby 30 September. For Perth Arena events and ticketing information visit www.pertharena.com.au

connect / perth city link / september 2012

CONNECTING WITH ARTThe Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority has commissioned acclaimed WA artist Jon Tarry to create public art in the new Milligan Street precinct. He told Connect about the works – three polished steel “clouds” – and how they reflect the precinct’s future role in connecting the city.

WHAT GUIDELINES WERE YOU GIVEN FOR THESE ARTWORKS?The brief was to create a work that responded to the multiple layers of the site and its function as a public plaza, as well as something that would celebrate the area as a place of entertainment and cultural experience.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE CLOUDS?I chose cloud forms partly as I feel the works needed to connect with people, to be recognisable – playful at one level, and point to other elements related to climate and its shifts and changes above and below ground. I chose three clouds – Cirrus, Stratus and Cumulus – and positioned them as progressive forms moving through the site. This is a link after all.

WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO USE STAINLESS STEEL?High-grade stainless steel is a pure material that can survive physical interaction with the public. I like it when

kids climb on my sculptures and smear ice-creams over them, while others pose for photos. I think that’s part of it. I saw a kid licking some chocolate residue off one of my works once and took this as approval. The other prime reason for using stainless steel is that it reflects light both during the day and at night.

WHAT ROLE WILL LIGHTING AND WATER PLAY? As well as being clouds made of stainless steel tubes, there are lighting and water elements. The highest cloud will spray a fine mist at timed intervals. The effect will be interesting to see and experience. The mist with light passing through will create a cooling effect in summer and playful rainbows, depending on the sun. By night, the lighting will enhance all of these.

Two of Jon’s pieces will be installed in November, with the third to be installed once the Bridge Plaza is completed in 2015.

PERTH STATION INSPIRES ADULT LEGO LOVERIt took Robert Tidman more than six painstaking months and 15,000 small interlocking plastic blocks to pay homage to the Perth Station – which he re-created in Lego.It was a result of a love of Lego and a passion for historic architecture. Mr Tidman’s model of Perth Station went on display at the annual model railway exhibition held at the Claremont

Showgrounds in June - part of a Perth Adult Lego Society display which also included rail lines, trains and a bridge. “We had nothing but positive comments... many people recognised the Perth Station and were impressed with the detail,” Mr Tidman said, adding that the society’s display was voted the most popular of the show. Mr Tidman started playing Lego as a six-year-old, continuing off and on

through his teens and into adulthood. He recently discovered computerised Lego building tools and started building the Perth Station model. He built a virtual version first, before creating it with the Lego blocks. Mr Tidman said he’s a fan of the Perth City Link project because it will reconnect the city and Northbridge.

The replica Perth Station was a hit with kids, young and old

september 2012 / perth city link / connect

YOUTH BUILD RAIL TUNNEL – AND CAREERSPerth City Link isn’t just about transforming our city – it’s also helping to build futures.More than 60 trainees are part of the team building Perth’s future and their own careers by working on the sinking of the Fremantle line. Working as part of the Perth City Link Rail Alliance team, the trainees learn directly from qualified tradespeople while also completing a Certificate II in General Construction and getting specialist training in areas such as scaffolding and fire safety. Perth City Link Rail Alliance HR/IR Manager Justin Prince said this was more than just meeting a State Government project requirement, but was also an investment in local talent that would help address WA’s skills shortage. “This is a long-term commitment ensuring we have the right people for future projects from a local talent pool,” Mr Prince said. “We are really impressed at the hard work and commitment each of our trainees has shown. Every day they surprise us with the quality of their work and their eagerness to learn.” Trainee Orace Hayden, 26, has found the Fremantle tunnel project offers more challenges than his last job, digging gardens and graves. Each day brings new experiences, from fixing steel or building a pergola to completing a basic traffic management course. Another trainee, Jack Foster, 18, is an early bird in more ways than one. He applied for the traineeship straight out of school – and now he’s leaving his Two Rocks home bright and early at 4.30am each day to get to the site on time.

PLAYGROUND FUNPerth City Link may be one of the most ambitious redevelopment projects in Australia; but for the children from the Citiplace Childcare Centre, it simply means adventure. They’ve moved to a new specially-built playground for a few months so the Perth City Link Rail Alliance team can create space to lay new tracks under the Barrack Street Bridge for a new platform on the Roe Street side of Platform 9 (Midland Line). Citiplace Childcare Centre Coordinator Anne-Marie Connolly said the children love their temporary playground. “They get very excited at playtime and enjoy the new facility,” Ms Connolly said. “The Perth City Link Rail Alliance team has been fantastic during this temporary move and have provided toys for the children including trucks, hard hats and safety cones.”

The Alliance has also installed viewing windows so the children can ‘spy’ on the construction workers. The children are expected to return to their usual playground in the coming weeks. They’ll return to a re-built playground with some new and exciting features such as a baby nook surrounded by vegetation, sandpit and a vegetable garden so they can develop their green thumbs. “We are all really looking forward to moving back to our old playground as there will be some fun new things for the children such as the new and enhanced bike track,” Ms Connolly said.

The work has been an adventure for the Citiplace Childcare Centre kids

The inner city work site is a change of scenery for trainee Orace Hayden

The Perth City Link project is a long-term investment by three tiers of government in the future of Perth.

t: 13 62 13 e: info@perthcitylink.wa.gov.auwww.perthcitylink.wa.gov.au

connect / perth city link / september 2012

Sinking the Fremantle Line from William Street to Lake/King Street creates the foundation for Perth’s growth. One of the first stages of the Perth City Link, the rail project, is supported by all three tiers of government and is scheduled for completion in mid-2014.

What does it take to build a tunnel?What does it take to build a tunnel?

of groundwater will be pumped out

of the construction area ground treated and pumped back into the1GL

of which 68,000 cubic metres will be disposed

83,000 cubic metres of earth will be moved PATERSONS STADIUM

half of

600m

1.2km

The covered sectionof the Fremantle Line is almost

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||but the

ENTIRE LENGTHof the rail works is

Keeping Perth Station moving.Keeping Perth Station moving.

will be built to better connect Perth Station platforms with Perth Underground

162m longand 7m wide

To help get

passengersfrom A to B

quickly, a new

pedestrian underpass

4800 rail sleepers

3400 metres of track

8500 tonnes of reinforcing steel

3000 technical drawings

Majority is around 1400 rail signal drawingsand around 1200 structural drawings

C R O S S I NGRAIL

WAY 203122,600 peopleper day will use the newpedestrian underpass

The number of people using Perth Station is expected to

That’s why a new track will be laid on the Roe Street side of Platform 9 to create Platform 8/9

triple by 2031

an estimated

Where the new Fremantle Line tunnel crosses over the existing Joondalup Line tunnel

metre gap1.5 there will be a

21 sized swimming pools

Olympic

53,000 cubic metres of concrete will be poured

by

there will be a there will be a there will be a

Currently, more than 9300 passengers a day transfer between Perth Station platforms and Perth Underground