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Instead of lifting beams in a traditional method using cranes , needing lots of open space to truck the beams in , they were instead lifted and transported longitudinally down the corridor for installation between Caulfield and Hughesdale .

“ It ’ s the first time that has been done in Melbourne but it meant that we didn ’ t need to use adjacent land ,” he explains . “ It was , obviously a huge logistical and safety challenge – but safety is at the forefront of everything we do , and lots of planning went into it .”

The technology for the straddle carrier is used throughout Asia , usually to launch big road structures , and it ’ s something the team saw and thought they would adopt to the rail environment . The project also used a track-laying machine . An Australian first , these machines move up and down the new elevated rail line to place pieces of track , using hydraulic technology built for efficiency and precision .

While the main benefits of the tracklaying machine are speed and safety , it also played a key part in installing noisereducing features of the design , including

FEBRUARY 2019