We're ramping up the activity at Wellington Railway Station as part of our mission to let more trains move in and out of the station in the coming years. To do this, we need to upgrade the original signalling system, which involves (among other things) threading over 100km of cables throughout the site. We also need to adjust the track layout to give the trains more options for moving around the station. It’s tricky work because our station is so confined and we can't add any more land - but we're up for the challenge.
One of the most interesting pieces of this intricate puzzle is our new 75/80 turnout, which we’ll be installing on Labour Weekend. This track layout is called a double slip, and it allows trains moving in either direction to switch seamlessly from one track to the other.
However, fitting everything into such a small space is no mean feat. Normally, as tracks converge, we ‘interlace’ the sleepers together like a zipper. But in this case we don't have that luxury. Instead, we'll be using long bearers - long, sturdy sleepers that can support multiple tracks side by side, ensuring they align at just the right angle. The longest of these bearers will stretch an impressive 9.5 meters, holding five tracks in perfect alignment.
Another challenge is the installation itself. Laying straight track is fairly straightforward – we lay out the sleepers on the ground, then bring in the rails and clip them to the sleepers. But the complex 75/80 turnout would be too time-consuming to build onsite, especially with only three days to work. Instead, we build it offsite and bring it in using a massive crane. As you can imagine, working around both the old and new infrastructure at the station is ridiculously complicated, so we're grateful to have the full three days of the long weekend to make sure we get it right.