Huge gantry cranes at Murrumbeena have come into operation for the first time last night, lifting a 320-tonne elevated rail span into place as the new elevated rail line takes shape.
Crane operators used a portable remote-control device to carefully manoeuvre the span into place across 2 support piers.
The 2 distinctive blue cranes, now a familiar sight for commuters, will be kept busy over coming weeks installing more bridge spans in the station area.
Once the first 8 spans are in place, further specialist equipment will be used as part of an innovative overhead construction system set to extend the rail bridge east and west from Murrumbeena.
This approach is a first for Australia, and will only be used between Caulfield and Hughesdale, where the rail corridor is too narrow for traditional cranes to operate.
The 2 other sections of elevated rail in Clayton and Noble Park are being built using regular construction techniques.
Over coming months Murrumbeena Station will receive regular deliveries of custom-built concrete segments from Pakenham. The segments are offloaded, joined together to form longer spans, then lifted onto the elevated structure.
In total, 3 separate sections of elevated rail are being constructed as part of a $1.6 billion project to remove all 9 level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong, rebuild 5 stations and create 11 MCGs' worth of new parkland.
