Redmond Gary Australia was contracted by Northwest Rapid Transit Infrastructure JV to manufacture and supply a range of cable handling equipment, which were supplied between May 2017 and February 2018, for use in the Sydney Metro Northwest Project.

The first stage of the Sydney Metro project is well underway and will be the first fully-automated metro rail system in Australia. The many construction sites along the project alignment are active in building the 15km long twin tunnels (longest railway tunnels in Australia), elevated rail viaduct, 8-new stations plus other essential operating works.

Equipment supplied: 9 x 4t cable drum stands, 2 x 1.5t drum stands, 2 x 14t drum stands c/w hydraulic power-packs. Spare drum spindles were also supplied to permit fast drum changes and improve the productivity of laying the extensive network of power cables.

The below photos show one of the 14t capacity drum stands working inside the new Sydney Metro Northwest railway tunnels during the cable laying sequence.  The drum stands are mounted onto a low-profile rail dolly car, meeting the project’s requirement for cable handling equipment that allowed quick drum changeovers, were easily relocatable and offered minimal downtime and loss of productivity.

The 14t stands are powered by a diesel engine hydraulic power-pack and drive motors that rotate the cable drum in the desired direction and speed.  The motorized drum stands are operated remotely using a Radio Control system to maximize personnel safety and efficiency.

An extended roller guide arm was fitted by the customer to assist position the large cables into the cable ducts at the side of the tunnel.