Fatigue-detailing of skewed steel-through-girder rail bridges: Regional Rail Project, Melbourne

The south west of Melbourne has experienced huge residential development, and a corresponding increase in rail patronage. The Regional Rail Project effected the separation of Regional and Metropolitan lines between Southern Cross Station, and Werribee, 50 kilometres distant. This separation has allowed an increase in the number of lpassenger journeysr, and has also reduced travel times. Two additional Regional (country) tracks were also provided. This paper is written in respect of Works Package C, for which a number of similar steel through-girder rail bridges have been constructed. These bridges have skewed abutments. Only the rail bridge over Anderson Road is covered by this paper. Best-practice approaches to fatigue detailing are discussed, as well as an unusual semi-empirical method by which the lcapacity-protectionr of a concrete column-to-crosshead knee-connection was demonstrated.