The Metro Tunnel Project’s underground environment.
METRO TUNNEL
GOES VIRTUAL
MELBOURNE’S METRO TUNNEL PROJECT IS ONE OF THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN MAJOR PROJECTS TO INDUCT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS USING VIRTUAL REALITY SITUATIONS. ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE SPEAKS TO STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY.
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Melbourne commuter wanders through the Melbourne CBD on autopilot, unbeknownst what is happening below their feet. While cranes dot the sky and signage is ever-present, the commuter remains unaware of the intricacies of the Metro Tunnel Project, as contractors work underground to deliver major works. Over the past three years, construction teams, road headers and affectionately named tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been making their way through the CBD and North Melbourne. In Melbourne’s biggest rail project since the City Loop, the Metro Tunnel will see the construction of twin rail tunnels and five underground stations from North Melbourne through to the Domain precinct, south of the CBD. As a large part of tunnelling is happening underground with TBMs, this comes with an array of safety risks. To prepare workers for the underground environment, virtual reality (VR) is being used. The innovative technology is offering a safe, above-ground alternative to the working environment. 46
ROADS FEBRUARY 2020
This VR scenario is one of the firstof-its-kind used on a major project in Australia and is increasingly incorporated in training the next generation of construction workers. CYP Design and Construction (CYP D&C), tasked with delivering the tunnel and stations works package, is using VR for its worker inductions. Alongside construction workers, students at the RMIT University had the chance to view the construction of the Metro Tunnel Project without ever setting foot underground. CYP D&C uses VR as part of the induction process to train new workers before they enter the underground sites. VR is becoming a growing trend in the construction and education industries, including in the United Kingdom and India. The Construction Wales Innovation Centre in the United Kingdom announced in 2019 a £2 million project to improve efficiency and employee safety in the construction industry using state-of-theart immersive technologies such as VR and augmented reality (AR). Major Indian contractor Larson &
Toubro Construction has also developed immersive VR and AR scenarios to demonstrate safety practices. Closer to home, Nuria Florentino, People Director with CYP D&C at the Metro Tunnel Project, says the VR induction is part of the awareness and safety training component of tunnel induction. CYP D&C has created two VR scenarios – one for the Mined Tunnel Induction and one for the TBM Tunnel Induction. “Each scenario includes a familiarisation of the exact environment workers will be entering. “It takes them through steps to access the underground environment, key processes such as tagging in and communication underground, as well as safety features and first aid equipment locations,” Ms. Florentino says. Both VR scenarios also end with an emergency evacuation drill to reinforce what workers in each type of tunnel need to do in the case of an emergency. The scenarios were created using real video footage of the mined tunnel environment alongside drawings and plans for the TBM tunnel induction.
