Geotechnical Design of Retention Systems for the Chatswood to Epping Rail Link, Chatswood, NSW

A portion of the Parramatta to Epping Rail Link involved the construction of about 500m of cut and fill retaining structures, allowing two additional rail tracks to be assembled within the existing narrow rail corridor. The cut walls were cantilever pile retaining walls up to 7m high near residential buildings. Geotechnical design including the derivation of realistic soil and rock parameters, the use of finite element analysis techniques, and comparisons of predicted versus actual displacements. Construction of the embankment walls required temporary and permanent stabilisation measures to interface with reinforced earth walls for the retention of steep operating rail embankments, including innovative designs, and monitoring of the structures and embankment.