Sustainable certification for two transport projects

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Two Plenary projects have received certification from peak body Infrastructure Sustainability Council, the gold standard for evaluating sustainable planning, design, construction and operations of infrastructure in Australia and New Zealand.

The High Capacity Metro Trains and Western Roads Upgrade projects both received IS As Built certification, identifying their economic, social and environmental benefits and highlighting the sustainability results each project is achieving.

The $2.4 billion High Capacity Metro Trains project is the largest single investment in rolling stock in Victoria and Melbourne’s first new train design in almost two decades.

It comprises the delivery of 70 high capacity trains and the construction of a major depot in Pakenham in southeast Melbourne and a light service facility in Calder Park in northeast Melbourne.

A focus on the design and construction of buildings, HVAC, hot water, lighting, train wash and other appliances have achieved water savings of 46 per cent and energy savings of 23 per cent.

ISC also noted the 77 per cent of potable water replaced with non-potable and recycled water, and a three per cent enhancement of biodiversity through local weed control and vegetation.

A recent expansion of the scope of the HCMT project from 65 trains to 70 provided the opportunity for the entire facility to be financed under a certified Green Loan, the international standard based on the proceeds used for clear environmental benefits that are assessed, measured, and reported by the borrower.

The HCMT project is also working to save plastics from landfill. In an Australian-first initiative, soft plastic waste from the project is being converted into road surfacing products and is used in road projects across Victoria, including the Western Roads Upgrade and M80 Ring Road and Monash Freeway upgrades.

The $1.8 billion Western Roads Upgrade comprises priority road upgrades and maintenance of more than 260 kilometres of road across Melbourne’s west for 23 years.

It is Victoria’s largest single investment in arterial roads and – by combining capital works upgrades with long term network operations – is the first of its kind for a road network in Australia.

An innovative pavement design methodology is reducing lifecycle materials impacts over the 23-year maintenance and operations task, while other initiatives such as LED light upgrades at the maintenance depot have resulted in a 20 per cent reduction in electricity use.

The As Built certification adds to the project’s IS Design and IS Operations certification – one of only three such projects in Australia to achieve a certified Operations rating by ISC – making it arguably the greenest road project in Australia.