NEPEAN Building & Infrastructure’s Galvanising Services has helped complete a $30 million refurbishment project to transform one of NSW’s most famous tourist attractions into the world’s steepest ride.
Katoomba’s Scenic World Railway in the Blue Mountains recently completed a major refurbishment programme involving an overhauled track and two new platforms, brand new state-of-the-art carriages, a new winch system and radio frequency identification technology, which will replace tickets with wristbands.
Galserv was selected to complete the galvanising for the heavy structural steel by long-standing partner-client Combell Steelfab and helped deliver the scheme alongside Combell, Grindley Constructions and Architects PMLD.
The Scenic World site, which grew out of a disused coal mine, was closed in January 2013 to allow major refurbishment to take place. As a key tourist site for NSW and the Blue Mountains – counting around one million visitors annually – scheduling of works was of vital importance to ensure the site could re-open as planned.
The complete refurbishment project lasted for a total of 7 months and included 164 tonnes of hot dip galvanised material.
Galserv treated all the heavy structural material for the refurbishment including the support structures for the new upper and lower platforms and all stairways and maintenance access walkways, some of which were installed at an incredible incline of 52 degrees on the track leading into the Jamison Valley.
Galserv worked closely with Combell Steelfab and created an ad hoc delivery plan spanning two months, focussing on quick turnarounds for full semi loads of material which were fabricated, galvanised and delivered to site on time.
As part of the major refurbishment 4 new train carriages were also installed. The Swiss-designed carriages allow passengers to choose their own level of adventure with adjustable seating changing the incline between 44 and 64 degrees.
Mr Hylton Bloch of Grindley Constructions applauded the way the Galserv team were able to pick-up, galvanise and deliver orders within 3 days and in some cases, overnight.
“Just about every delivery date requested from Combell was met,” he said.
