Caboolture station upgrade begins

A major upgrade of the electrical substation at Caboolture Railway Station has started. It aims to make the rail network more reliable and will feature eye-catching artwork.

The upgrade is part of a $48 million dollar upgrade of two ageing feeder substations, the second at Corinda.

Electrical substations are critical railway infrastructure responsible for powering electric trains and these upgrades will ensure communities remain connected — even during power outages or planned maintenance.

The upgraded and more reliable substations will be able to pick up power loads when most needed.

For example, if a storm causes a power outage to one part of the network the new substations can take over and supply power to get trains moving again sooner and customers to their destinations faster.

Not only will the new substations safeguard network reliability, they will also future-proof the South East Queensland network by providing backup power supply for the Cross River Rail (CRR) project and have the capabilities to support major projects like the Beerburrum-Landsborough duplication works.

The existing Corinda Feeder Station is the oldest in the network, being constructed in the late 1970s while the Caboolture Feeder Station the third oldest and has been in operation since 1982.

Once installed the new substations will boast colourful murals from local artists The Brightsiders to foster community pride as part of Queensland Rail’s ongoing Positive pARTnerships Program.

Both stations are due for completion in 2025.

Queensland Rail CEO Kat Stapleton says: “Electrical substations are crucial to helping our trains run on time and we’re committed to providing a world-class service.

“Put simply, without these substations our electric trains just could not run.

“Upgrading the feeder stations boosts the resilience of the rail network meaning better on-time running, allowing more services to continue running reliably in the event of a power trip caused by unforeseen events like severe storms, debris, or wayward wildlife.

“They’ll also be beautiful to look at. The street artwork adoring the substations is by local artists The Brightsiders and depicts local flora and fauna.

“Our teams at Queensland Rail are delivering equipment procurement, overhead construction, low voltage electrical works, operational systems engineering works, undertrack crossings, and commissioning works while our contractor will be carrying out site integration works.”

The upgrade at Caboolture includes:

o a new switch room

o two new traction power transformers installed in a new power transformer compound complete with containment bund and firewalls

o installation of 11 new overhead line masts

o installation of new high voltage isolators

o installation of new oil/water separation piping and containment tank

o installation of conduit system and cables for high voltage, low voltage and communication systems

o Air Insulated Switchgears (AIS) replaced with more environmentally friendly Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS).

See the artwork here