The Forrestfield-Airport Link (FAL) project will deliver an 8.5 km extension of the existing PTA urban rail network in Perth, Western Australia connecting the Midland Line, just past Bayswater Station, to Forrestfield, running underground in twin bored tunnels underneath the Swan River, Tonkin Highway and Perth Airport. The project will include three new stations, being: Redcliffe Station (located underground in Redcliffe), Airport Central Station (located underground at Perth Airport to service both domestic and international terminals) and Forrestfield Station.

The project will provide new rail services allowing a 20-minute rail journey from Forrestfield Station to the Perth CBD, improved bus networks for the eastern suburbs, foothills and surrounding communities as well as integration with the full Transperth bus and train network.

Redcliffe Station and Forrestfield Station will have rail-bus interchanges and up to 2,500 new car parking bays in total.

Description of Geomotion Works

Salini Impregilo S.p.A. - NRW Pty Ltd Joint Venture (SI- NRW JV) has entered into an agreement with Field Monitoring Services, Geomotion Australia, Land Surveys Joint Venture (FGLS JV) for the work of:

“SUPPLY, INSTALLATION, TESTING, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE OF GEOTECHNICAL AND SURVEY INSTRUMENTATION, INCLUSIVE OF MONITORING AND MIMS MANAGEMENT FOR FORRESTFIELD AIRPORT LINK PROJECT”.

​Geomotion is working as a part of Joint Venture partner and broadly responsible for the followings works:

• Drilling (through subcontractor) & Installations, maintenance and monitoring of Geotechnical Instruments as per Project Instrumentation and Monitoring Plan (IMP). The monitoring system incorporates installation of Inclinometer tubing with spider magnets/ magnetic ring for DEX system including in-place inclinometers, single and multipoint rod extensometers & displacement transducer, Heave Stake, Piezometers (Vibrating wire, vented pressure transducer with conventional sand filter), Strain Gauges (surface, tunnel segment & strut), Strut Load Cells, Biaxial Tilt meter, Electro level Beam, Vibrometer and Structure Monitoring Prism inside tunnel for convergence monitoring.
• Installation of Dataloggers (miniOmnialog, Omnialog, Loadsensing, Syscom) with telemetry for automation for instruments required near real time measurements.
• Set up & Maintenance of Web based Monitoring Information & Management System (MIMS) using Maxwell Geosystems Mission OS construction data management package. All sensors are either connected to data logging system and is linked to MIMS with telemetry or manual survey data processed & uploaded on MIMS. The software allows direct comparison between monitored and designed behavior including automated reporting.

Geomotion Australia are pleased to have completed their first installations on the Forrestfield-Airport Link. The installations of combined inclinometers / extensometers / piezometers as part of the Forrestfield Dive site mark the beginning of an extensive monitoring program set to continue for the next three years.

​Geomotion Australia are part of the FGLS Joint Venture, bringing together Australia’s foremost surveying company, Land Surveys, and Italian monitoring specialists Field Monitoring Australia. The FGLS Joint Venture is providing a complete monitoring solution to the lead contractors SI-NRW JV, a joint venture between Salini Impregilio and Perth’s own NRW Civil & Mining. Geomotion Australia are responsible for the installation and monitoring of all geotechnical and structural instrumentation for the project. Instruments and data loggers will be supplied by Italian manufacturers SISGEO. As well as installation and monitoring, Geomotion are implementing and managing the MIMS (Monitoring Information Management System), Maxwell Geosystem’s Mission OS.

​The Forrestfield-Airport Link project will provide a rail link between Bayswater and Forrestfield, including the construction of three new train stations, Belmont, Airport Central and Forrestfield. The twin tunnels travel beneath critical pieces of infrastructure; including airport runways and existing rail networks. To ensure the highest quality of construction and safety, SI-NRW has put in place the most extensive monitoring program in WA history, and Geomotion Australia is proud to be involved.