Platform 26 and 27 Falls: a Ghost of the Past at Central Station

Sydney’s Central Station features two unused ‘ghost’ platforms that will soon house a different kind of energy.

The Challenge

Sydney’s Central Station features two unused ‘ghost’ platforms that will soon house a different kind of energy.

As part of the Sydney Metro project, one of these platforms—not used since their construction in 1970 as part of plans to run the Bondi and Illawarra lines through them—will be transformed into a high voltage room for the new underground station box.

As a former cemetery, visitors have claimed to have heard several types of unexplainable voices within the vicinity of platforms 26 and 27 – today, those sounds are drowned out during the day by real-world workers and machinery, as they work to complete this critical stage of the project.

Activities being carried out around a raised platform, of course, presented a fall danger for workers, so construction contractor Laing O’ Rourke explored the possibilities of placing temporary edge protection along the platform. The system used would have to be able to be installed and removed with minimal drilling or subsequent holes in the substrate, due to the heritage-listed significance of the site.

The Solution

Laing O’ Rourke consulted with Sydney-based SafeSmart Access for a system that could be quickly installed. SafeSmart’s edge protection range includes the King Klampz system, which turned out to be perfect for the job – a fixing-free attachment to the platform edge, and more flexible design capability compared to traditional post and panel systems. Additionally, a walkway mesh panel was used to prevent electric shock as its non-conductive property prevents risk of electric shock, ensuring safety around electrical systems.

King Klampz is compliant with AS4994.1:2009—the Australian Standard set for temporary edge protection requirements—and is easy to handle manually, thanks to its modular nature.